Give OUT Day: Uniting the Community

Today marks the second annual Give OUT Day. Thousands of people across the nation are coming together for 24 hours of unprecedented giving, supporting hundreds of organizations that work on behalf of the GLBTQ community. From 12:00 am until 11:59 pm EST today only, organizations receiving donations from the greatest number of unique donors will be in the running for additional cash prizes, as well as groups in eight states/regions with local leader boards: Minnesota, Oregon, Arizona, South Florida, Bay Area (2 boards), New York City, the Pacific Northwest, and the US South.

Give OUT Day is the newest initiative by Bolder Giving, a New York City-based nonprofit dedicated to inspiring people to “Give More. Risk More. Inspire More.” In 2011, it launched an GLBTQ Equality Initiative to specifically lift up and inspire giving to the GLBTQ community and Give OUT Day was born out of that initiative in 2013.

“Give OUT Day offers a chance for our country to come together and support the hundreds of GLBTQ groups – community centers, arts groups, organizers, clinics, student clubs, sports leagues and more – that support our diverse and amazing community,” said Bolder Giving’s executive director Jason Franklin. “I’m excited to see the momentum building after our amazing success last year, I’m hoping we’ll raise over $1 million.”

In 2013, the inaugural Give OUT Day engaged almost 5,500 donors who gave over $600,000 to 400+ groups from all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. Even more encouraging, 35% of donors discovered a new group to support on Give OUT Day and 13% were first time donors to a GLBTQ organization. Additionally, 81% of participating groups reported receiving gifts from new donors and 82% reporting receiving larger donations from their current donors.

“Give OUT Day is an unparalleled opportunity for even smaller GLBTQ nonprofits to reach new donors. And, at the same time, by making information on the nonprofits so readily available, Give OUT Day empowers both long-time and newer donors to support causes they care about,” said Roger Doughty, Executive Director of the Horizons Foundation, sponsor of two of the nine prize boards around the country.

Placing at the top of the local leader boards for organizations with the largest number of unique donors earns an additional prize. In Minnesota, the top leader receives $6,000 from the board’s sponsors (the Kevin J. Mossier Foundation, Minneapolis Foundation, Minnesota Philanthropy Partners, and Mark and Charlie’s Gay Lesbian Fund for Moral Values). The organization with the most unique donors nationally receives an additional $4,000.

“One of the best ways to help create long lasting change is to support LGBTQ non-profits for the outstanding work they do in every part of our nation every day,” said Rea Carey, Executive Director of National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. “I encourage everyone to give back, regardless of how big or small, to move things forward.”

Charlie Rounds, the founder of Give OUT Day, notes that less than 5% of the GLBT community currently gives to GLBTQ causes, according to research from the Horizons Foundation and the Movement Advancement Project. He says, “Give OUT Day promotes a new way of giving by harnessing the power of social media and Razoo’s crowdfunding platform to inspire thousands to contribute within a 24-hour giving challenge. Give OUT Day aims to raise awareness of the need to support GLBTQ nonprofits and elevate the level of GLBTQ philanthropy.”

For more information, or to donate, visit www.giveoutday.org.