by Mackenzie Schmaltz

Charities and donors are watching the clock for Giving Hearts Day, a 24-hour give-a-thon to take place February 13, 2014. The number of donations is expected to exceed 20,000 in a single day for the first time in the event’s history.

Giving Hearts Day was started in 2008 by Dakota Medical Foundation and Impact Foundation as the first one-day “virtual” charity fundraising event of its kind in the region. Bismarck charities have been participating in the annual event since 2012.

In 2013, gifts totaled $3.7 million in 16,989 individual donations for 179 charities.

Generous community donors have matched donations of $10 or more up to at least $4000 for each nonprofit.

Contributions are made at www.impactgiveback.org, a one-stop comprehensive guide to nonprofit organizations developed by DMF and Impact so that donors can easily learn about charities, make donations, find volunteer opportunities and register events online. The site profiles more than 500 charities and has been used to raise almost $8.5 million since 2008.

Bismarck non-profits that will be participating in Giving Hearts Day include Northern Plains Dance, Abused Adult Resource Center, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bismarck-Mandan, Bismarck Cancer Center, Bismarck Public Schools Foundation, Central Dakota Children’s Choir, Cystic Fibrosis Association of North Dakota, Gateway to Science, ND FFA Foundation, North Dakota Safety Council, North Dakota Teen Challenge, North Dakota Women’s Network, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Bismarck ND, Ruth Meiers Hospitality House, Sanford Health Foundation West, Sleepy Hollow Theatre & Arts Park, and The God’s Child Project. Each nonprofit has it’s own profile site at impactgiveback.org, where donors can learn more about the missions and programs that the charities offer.

Mackenzie is the marketing manager for Northern Plains Dance