by Mackenzie Schmaltz
Inspiring Donors. Expanding Charity Impact.

Charities and donors are watching the clock for Giving Hearts Day, a 24-hour online event to take place February 12, 2015.

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. Donors can easily give on Giving Hearts Day in just a few minutes without regard to weather or need to attend an event. The 24-hour window creates urgency that spurs people to action.

In 2014, gifts totaling $5.7 million through 24,407 individual donations were received on Giving Hearts Day, shattering the previous year’s total by 49 percent.

Generous community donors have pledged to match donations of $10 or more up to at least $4000 for each participating nonprofit in the Bismarck area.

On February 12, contributions can be made at impactgiveback.org, an online comprehensive guide to nonprofit organizations, developed by Dakota Medical Foundation and Impact Foundation 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 more than $14.2 million since 2008.

2015 is the fourth year that Bismarck charities have been invited to participate in the annual event. The 24 area charities that participate in Giving Hearts Day provide services to over 42,879 people in the Bismarck-Mandan community each year, providing everything from a safe place to stay to medical treatment, to unforgettable experiences through learning and the arts.

Bismarck area nonprofits that will be participating in Giving Hearts Day include Abused Adult Resource Center, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bismarck-Mandan, Bismarck Cancer Center, Bismarck Public Schools Foundation, Central Dakota Children’s Choir, Charles Hall Youth Services, Cystic Fibrosis Association of North Dakota, Elks Camp Grassick, Gateway to Science Center, Inc., Heartview Foundation, Kidder County Community Health Center, ND FFA Foundation, North Dakota Safety Council, North Dakota Teen Challenge, North Dakota Women’s Network, Northern Plains Dance, Prairie Learning Center, Robert E. Asker Scottish Rite Speech Therapy Center for Children, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Bismarck, Ruth Meiers Hospitality House, Service Dogs for America, Sleepy Hollow Theatre & Arts Park, The God’s Child Project, and Welcome House.

Each of these nonprofits has its own profile site at impactgiveback.org, where donors can learn more about the missions and programs that the charities offer.

Mackenzie Schmaltz is the Marketing Manager for Northern Plains Dance