SHARE Iowa & SHARE Omaha Celebrate Generosity in Our Region
Image: College View First Grade Students Present Donations to Care & Share House
SHARE Iowa & SHARE Omaha are celebrating the generosity of our region on Giving Tuesday. You raised over $4.2 million dollars for our local nonprofits! In addition, you gave to nonprofits that were new-to-you, more than 1,800 times. The nonprofits you supported also recruited over one hundred new volunteers and received over 27,000 wish list items. Many of you were propelled to participate by the $67,500 bonus fund raised by Todd Simon, CEO of Omaha Steaks, and a 20% match by the Community Foundation for Western Iowa for endowment funds. Your reasons for giving were numerous and personal, and your gifts will have a ripple effect of change over the next year. Thank you, thank you!
“This was the biggest day of transactions for any SHARE site in history,” said Marjorie Maas, now CEO of Share Good nationwide. “Even with the challenges of the past few years with COVID and the economy, people really care about each other and their communities. Our results are truly celebrated.”
The holidays are traditionally a season of giving, and the joy of giving has always extended to giving to support animals, children, veterans, the environment and more. Giving Tuesday in the metro is a partnership of SHARE Omaha and SHARE Iowa and is supported by Core Bank and TS Bank. Giving Tuesday, the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, is a global giving event.
President of the Community Foundation for Western Iowa and SHARE Iowa Executive Director Donna Dostal said, “On #GivingTuesday712, 229 donations were made into endowment funds with the Community Foundation for Western Iowa, supporting 25 different organizations. The Community Foundation with its SHARE Iowa initiative has helped raise over $1.25 million to benefit and ensure the ongoing sustainability of nonprofits in our region, and donations continue coming in through the end of the year.”
According to Dostal, SHARE Iowa has nearly doubled in participating nonprofits since its launch in September 2022, an 82% increase in under three months. Iowa nonprofits and the public told SHARE Iowa that having Iowa-based representation with the SHARE Iowa platform is a huge benefit, and multiple organizations reported having new donors this year.
Elizabeth Hunter with Pollinator Alliance of the Heartland (PATH) told SHARE Iowa, “For a first-year organization who signed up at the last minute, it was great to get several donations.”
Another example of Giving Tuesday generosity was Core Bank, #GivingTuesday402 sponsor, which collected over 26,000 diapers for Nebraska Diaper Bank. #GivingTuesday712 sponsor, TS Bank, donated 334 hats and mittens to local schoolchildren and almost 6,000 diapers for area nonprofits.
Image: TS Bank was the Heart of #GivingTuesday712 This Year
Comments from nonprofits:
“J's Coffee in Council Bluffs selected us to donate a portion of their profits from their sales on Giving Tuesday from 7-11 a.m.! A great way for funds and awareness of the Council Bluffs Chapter.” — Patrice Monnier, First Responders Foundation
“Our donations were greater than expected, and we received two volunteers via the SHARE website.” – Richard Warner, Historical Society of Pottawattamie County
“Giving Tuesday is a special day for the Council Bluffs Schools Foundation. Each year we feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for all the community members, businesses, and alumni, near and far, who give in support of the children, families, and staff of the District. We are incredibly thankful for The Community Foundation and their leadership in establishing SHARE Iowa and the SHARE Iowa giving platform. What an incredible tool for donors to give back to their favorite organizations. It’s a truly easy, convenient way for donors to give.” – Bridgette Watson, Council Bluffs Schools Foundation
“With the slowing economy, we were hesitant to set goals much higher than last year's total, but we were very surprised to surpass last year's total by $5,000 (41%).” — Abby Skradski, Bethlehem House
“It was our first year. I’m excited with our support in comments from our community. Our community loves our work! This means so much to us! What we learned was that there is a place for us in Omaha, and that our work matters. In this first year, that is worth more than a huge fundraising amount for us.” — Stephanie Kidd, Radio Theatre Omaha
“I was expecting $5 and $20 gifts to make up a majority of our donations, but so many people dug deep and gave more. It was truly amazing, and we are so grateful.” — Nick Osborn, Film Streams
“Most of our donors were new. Your platform helped us reach people we wouldn't normally reach.” — Tamika Mease, North Omaha Community Partnership
Image: Left to Right: Katie Fourney with SHARE Omaha, Donna Dostal, CEO & President of the Community Foundation for Western Iowa, and Rob McCartney with KETV take a photo encouraging support for Giving Tuesday this year
About SHARE Iowa: SHARE Iowa, newly formed in 2022, is a one-stop donation platform for sowing good to nonprofits in nine counties throughout Western Iowa. SHARE Iowa is powered by the Community Foundation for Western Iowa with the generous support of Charles E. Lakin Foundation, Iowa West Foundation, Google, and the Iowa Council of Foundations. It connects neighbors to easy ways of doing good through financial giving, in-kind donations of items and volunteerism. Iowans now have more opportunities to yield positive outcomes in their communities and learn more about organizations that impact people in their neighborhoods, towns, cities and state. Through SHAREgoodiowa.org, nonprofits can raise awareness about their missions, harvest generous resources and grow support.
About SHARE Omaha: SHARE Omaha was created by local philanthropists to help area nonprofits primarily in Dodge, Douglas, Sarpy, Saunders or Washington counties fulfill their missions by recruiting donors to share money, material goods and time. Over 700 metro nonprofits are registered on the SHARE Omaha platform. A one-stop donation platform, SHARE Omaha does not charge any fees to nonprofits and does not keep any portion of what is donated. The SHARE Omaha platform is available 365 days a year so everyone can do good every day at SHAREomaha.org.