Welcome to Midlands Gives 2018 and THANK YOU for wanting to be a part of the next 24-hour online giving day. Please read below for important details to help you start planning your campaign, including registration information, important dates, training information and resources for nonprofits.
Questions? Contact Nancye Bailey, Midlands Gives Coordinator, at midlandsgives@yourfoundation.org or call 803.254.5601 and press #4
To quickly access the information you need on this page, use the links in the table of contents below:
- Registration Information
- Registration FAQs
- Important Dates
- Training Information Overview
- Training FAQs
- General nonprofit FAQs
Registration Information
Registration for Midlands Gives 2018 will open on September 25, 2017 and close on December 19, 2017. More information regarding registration and the 2018 event will be posted the beginning of September. If you would like to be placed on a mailing list to learn about future events, please email midlandsgives@yourfoundation.org.
Important Dates
- September 25, 2017 | Registration opens
- December 19, 2017 | Registration Closes
- March 31, 2018| Deadline to make edits to nonprofit profiles
- April 24, 2018| Deadline to submit Matching Gifts Form
- May 1, 2018 | Midlands Gives Day!
Training Information
Midlands Gives training provides participating nonprofits tools and resources to meet their giving day goals. Information about 2018 training opportunities and requirements will be posted here by November 2017.
Midlands Gives Minute Emails
Midlands Gives Minute emails help keep nonprofits informed and on track during the entire Midlands Gives process. If your nonprofit has been approved and you are not receiving these emails, please contact midlandsgives@yourfoundation.org. Links to the email will be posted below once registration begins.
Nonprofit FAQs
Why should our nonprofit participate in Midlands Gives? Midlands Gives provides an ideal platform for participating nonprofit organizations to increase awareness, donors and dollars all within one campaign. Using the resources provided by Central Carolina Community Foundation, nonprofits can create an extensive, yet cost-effective outreach campaign.
Does Central Carolina Community Foundation make money from Midlands Gives? No. The Foundation does not receive any profit from Midlands Gives. All money raised goes to the organizations that participate less the credit card and processing fees and a $20 fee to cover training expenses.
How is the cost of Midlands Gives underwritten? Central Carolina Community Foundation and generous sponsors underwrite all costs associated with hosting the event.
When can my organization promote the event? Starting on April 1, we encourage heavy promotion through your Facebook, Twitter, email newsletters, and mail campaigns (earlier than that may not capture donor attention). Promotional vehicles used by participating organizations will be at the organization’s own expense. Promotions conducted by Central Carolina Community Foundation will be heavy during the 30 days leading up to the event with extensive media coverage in the week leading up to May 2.
How do I know if I am a NEW nonprofit? Any nonprofit that did not participate in Midlands Gives 2017 should register as a NEW nonprofit. This includes nonprofits that participated in previous Midlands Gives events but did not participate in 2017.
How do I know if I am eligible? The nonprofit eligibility and participation requirements are listed in the registration guide.
How long will it take to find out if my inquiry is approved? We ask that you wait at least two weeks before contacting us so we can complete our due diligence.
How will I know if I'm missing information or if you have questions about it? If this occurs, we will add a note in the comments tab of your profile describing what we need. An email will be automatically sent to you asking you to review the comments.
What happens after I submit my updates for approval? You will receive an email letting you know your organization is approved. Your profile will also show up live on the Midlands Gives website. This approval is PENDING until you have completed all training requirements.
Where do I sign the Participation Agreement? When logged into your Midlands Gives profile, click the "edit" button below the list of users. Scross down to the bottom of the page to find the participation agreement section. Read the agreement and then type your name in the field to accept.
What will I learn at each training? Information about 2018 training opportunities and requirements will be posted by November 2018.
Does the same person need to attend each training? No, only one staff member needs to attend the required trainings and it can be a different person for each session. However, only one contact will receive links to the webinars and is responsible for passing the information along to any additional staff members attending.
How many people from my organization can attend the trainings? The regional trainings are limited to two representatives from each organization. There is no limit to how many people can attend the webinars.
Can I attend more than the required trainings? Yes! We encourage you to attend and take advantage of as many of the webinars as you like. All webinars will also be recorded for you and your collegues to view at a later time.
Will the webinars be recorded? Yes, a link will be provided after the webinars for you to view the recordings. Slides will also be posted for the Midlands Gives Webinars.
Donation FAQs
Is there a size limit on gifts? There is no maximum amount. The minimum gift is $20
What is a unique donor? A unique donor is defined as one person or corporation/business. Donors are encouraged to make gifts to multiple organizations of their choice. Each gift to a different organization will be counted separately on the Leaderboard. Multiple gifts made to the same organization using the same credit card will be considered as one gift.
Can staff, volunteers and board members donate to the organization they are associated with? Yes, as long as they use a personal credit or debit card and not one associated with the nonprofit they are giving to.
How much of my donation will go to the nonprofit? 100% of each donation will be paid to the chosen charity net of a credit card processing fee between 2.5% and 4% depending on the type of card used and the 2.8% CiviCore transaction fee. Central Carolina Community Foundation underwrites 100% of the admistrative costs of the program including the website platform.
When will my organization receive their Midlands Gives donations? On or before June 30, 2017, Central Carolina Community Foundation will provide your organization with payment via check in the amount of total donations received on behalf of your organization net of fees plus the organization’s share of any regional bonus pools and any prize amounts (if applicable). Prior to receiving the check, you will receive a statement informing you of your grant amount. You will have ten days to dispute this amount before the check will be sent to your organization. Please be patient as our finance department performs a financial reconciliation on all transactions. To ensure accuracy, this process takes some time.
Can we encourage donations by giving away prizes or free gifts? No. All gifts made during Midlands Gives must be 100% tax deductible. You cannot offer a premium for gifts made during the event. Organizations are however encouraged to raise their own matching funds, which allow donations to go even further.
Does my organization need to send letters for their tax deductions? No. The donor will immediately receive an email confirming the gift receipt from Central Carolina Community Foundation. We encourage you to acknowledge donations by following-up with donors to thank them and let them know how their gifts will fuel your mission.
Will my organization receive donor contact information? Yes, organizations will have access to their donor lists through their CiviCore account. This information will include contact and amount information for their specific donors. You will be able to see your organization’s donations as they come in. Donors will be notified at the time of their donation that this information will be provided to your organization and donors have the option of remaining anonymous. Remember, this information is confidential. Nonprofits should not share their donor information with anyone and NEVER giver or sell the information to a third party.
My donor never received a receipt. What should I do? Donors who create an account on the Midlands Gives website can simply login and retrieve their receipt. Nonprofit can also send a receipt directly to donors from their donor data in their Midlands Gives Dashboard.
Should my organization also send a tax acknowledgement letter? No. Central Carolina Community Foundation must issue all donor acknowledgements for tax purposes and they will be issued to the donor via email immediately after the donation. The participating organization may issue a separate informal “thank you” but it does not need to include the formal tax deductible language that references the donation amount.
I have more questions!
Feel free to submit your questions to midlandsgives@yourfoundation.org or, if you have a burning question that just can’t wait, pick up the phone and call us at 803.254.5601.
