Give Back on “Arizona Gives Day”

Earlier this month, I told you about the MOMS Club of Phoenix-Happy Valley’s charity consignment sale. It went off without a hitch and I’m happy to say that our little group of moms raised $800 for HopeKids. HopeKids is a local non-profit that provides ongoing events for children with cancer or other life-threatening diseases and their families. That $800 will help pay for 26 families to attend free events for an entire month, or one family to attend free events around the valley for more than 2 years.

You don’t have to go through all the trouble of having a giant garage sale to give back, unless you really want to… ha! Instead you can participate during today’s “Arizona Gives Day.”

For one day every year, the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits and the Arizona Grantmakers Forum create an online presence to make it easy for you to give to your favorite non-profit or find a new favorite.

There are hundreds of non-profits on the list. You can search by category… everything from kids and animals to the environment and education. There’s also a search bar if you know what organization you are looking for. At the end of the day, the non-profits that get the most donations receive bonus money prizes. There’s even a leaderboard where you can keep track. The prizes aren’t chump change. More than $150,000 will be split among the top non-profits.

Not only will you be supporting a group that really needs the money to keep going, your contribution may qualify for Arizona’s Charitable Tax Credit. Check here to see if the non-profit you are donating to is on the list. A single person can give up to $200 and married couples can give $400.

If you are looking for some ideas for non-profits to give to, here are some of my faves:

HopeKids of course! They are raising money for a private movie event in June for 600 HopeKids and their families.

The Ben’s Bells Project which promotes intentional kindness in the everyday.

Feed My Starving Children sends nutritious meals to needy families overseas. You and your family can go pack those meals at the headquarters in Tempe.

And finally, Local First Arizona. This group supports local businesses, helping create a vibrant and diverse community.

So that’s a very short list of some of my favorite non-profits. What are some of yours? Let’s get the word out and help these great organizations continue to make a difference in our communities.