Organizers with North Texas Giving Day, an annual event that raises funds to support and celebrate local nonprofits, said charities are in dire need as the region scrambles to address urgent financial needs spurred by COVID-19.
The 12th annual North Texas Giving Day, powered by Communities Foundation of Texas, concluded Thursday night (September 17) and Dallas Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall is served a central role in this year’s campaign. Marshall, along with AT&T’s Corey Anthony, were elected as honorary co-chairs of North Texas Giving Day 2020 and they worked hard to spread a message of hope and service to help boost the bottom line for nonprofits.
“This is about the power of giving,” Marshall told WFAA viewers during an interview today. “It’s a culture. North Texas has a culture of giving and today is the day to step up and do it.”
North Texas Giving Day is an 18-hour online donation initiative that marshals a large network of nonprofits and connects them to individual donors. Last year’s event generated a record $50 million for North Texas organizations, but organizers projected a new “ambitious goal of topping that number again, despite the unique nature of this year’s edition.”
North Texans answered the call and raised an astounding $58.8M for area nonprofits and pledged more than 685,000 volunteer hours this year.
More than 3,300 nonprofits registered to benefit from much-needed support for this year’s North Texas Giving Day and event organizers report a 21-percent uptick in first-time nonprofit participants. To understand the demand in simpler terms — nearly 800 new organizations registered to benefit from this year’s North Texas Giving Day, including numerous social justice reform groups adding their names to the list.
“Compassion and community are two of my favorite words right now,” said Marshall, who serves on numerous nonprofit boards. “However, actions speak louder than words. North Texas Giving Day will allow many of us to show compassion and take our service to the community to new levels.”
Marshall spent the day visiting with local media outlets as she shared with the public how important North Texas Giving Day is to our region.
“Today is all about meeting the needs (of nonprofits),” Marshall shared. “There are so many new needs because of COVID-19, children at home learning, the need for educational resources and even our arts community…this is a way to raise funds. We have heard from more nonprofits than ever before. I know North Texas citizens will step up today, I just know it.”
According to Communities Foundations of America, local needs fall in line with national trends reported by The Chronicle of Philanthropy showing that 1.6 million jobs or 13 percent of all nonprofit jobs in America were lost, and 75 percent of nonprofits reported earning less revenue because of the pandemic.
Marshall said it was a chief time to donate because thousands of people are hungry, out of work, homeless, and need personal protection equipment amid a global pandemic.
Furthermore, there’s a call for social justice reform, and many new nonprofits have recently formed, with a desire to create sustainable change in communities all across the area for people of color and other underserved groups.
In response to the impacts of COVID-19 and racial and civil uprisings, new on the website this year is the ability to search for and support nonprofits that self-designated having BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) leadership. Further, new cause filters were added to easily find and support nonprofits working in Employment and Workforce, Human Trafficking, Immigrants and Refugees, and Justice-involved Adults and Youth.
The Dallas Mavericks and Mavs Foundation also proudly support many of the nonprofits benefitting from North Texas Giving Day, and the organization is committed to giving back unlike ever before.
The Mavs have pumped nearly $3-million in the local community during the last half year since the COVID-19 pandemic first arrived through various initiatives and endeavors.
Marshall said she considers it an honor and privilege to use her voice and platform to serve as co-chair of North Texas Giving Day this year and she hopes the donations will ignite hope and change during this unique time in history.
“Every little bit helps and every dollar matters,” Marshall noted. “This is a day we get to step up and help our brothers and sisters in need. I’ve been on the website all day donating to various nonprofits and just spreading as much love as possible. I am confident that my fellow North Texans are doing the same, and today is very special and important.”
To donate now, click here.
Watch: Cynt joins WFAA to talk about North Texas Giving Day
Hey MFFLs! Tomorrow is North Texas Giving Day and Dallas Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall invites us all to UNITE and support these non-profit organizations that are so vital to our community. Learn more at https://t.co/8fVJFPfbHR#MFFL | @NTxGivingDay pic.twitter.com/4MUjZ7wOiI
— Mavs Care (@MavsCare) September 16, 2020
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