Area nonprofit groups are hoping to hear from regular supporters and new fans when Fairfield County’s Community Foundation (FCCF) presents its sixth annual online Day of Giving.

The mission of the annual event is to raise as much money as possible for nonprofit organizations in 24 hours, all done through online donations. The event is hosted by FCCF, with lead sponsor Bank of America.

On Thursday, February 28, from midnight until 11:59 pm, all are invited to help support a favorite program, cause, or nonprofit with an online donation of at least $10. There is no maximum donation.

Donations are tax-deductible. They cannot be refunded.

All participating organizations are 501(c)(3) charitable organizations that serve residents of Fairfield County; the vast majority are based within the county. Organizations have gone through an application process in order to participate in Giving Day. Registration for Giving Day 2019 has closed.

As of Wednesday, February 20, the following Newtown nonprofits had registered for Fairfield County Giving Day 2019: Ben’s Lighthouse, Cyrenius H. Booth Library, Dylan’s Wings of Change, Friends of Newtown Seniors, Kitten Associates, Merryhill Child Care Center Inc, Newtown Forest Association, Newtown Scholarship Association, Newtown Youth & Family Services, The Resiliency Center of Newtown, Sandy Hook Promise, and Town Players of Newtown.

In addition, Ben’s Bells Connecticut (listed as Ben’s Bells Project), which was founded as Ben’s Bells Newtown in 2013 but moved to a new studio in Bethel in 2015, is participating again.

Giving Day Donations

Those looking to donate should visit fcgives.org. Organizations can be found by searching for their name. Website visitors also have the option to searching through general groupings, with organizations listed alphabetically within each category and also by town.

Contributions can be made via credit and debit card only; MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and American Express branded cards will all be accepted. Donations will be received and receipted by GiveGab, a nonprofit giving platform that helps nonprofits raise money, engage donors, and manage volunteers quickly and efficiently. Donations will appear on credit and debit card statements under the name of the organization the donation is made to.

Each donation incurs a 6.2 percent fee which is comprised of a two percent GiveGab platform management fee (capped at $20 per donation), 2.2 percent credit card processing fee plus 30 cents for the major credit cards, and a two percent administrative fee to help Fairfield County’s Community Foundation defray the costs of organizing Giving Day.

Donors are given the option of covering those fees. If a donor chooses that option, 100 percent of their online charitable gift will go to the receiving organization.

All donations will then be disbursed directly from GiveGab to each participating nonprofit via direct deposit within 48 hours.

Special Prizes

In addition to soliciting donations from supporters, nonprofits participating in Fairfield County Giving Day will also be competing for prizes.

Organizations can earn bonuses or grant prizes for a number of special recognitions, including Most Unique Donors, Most Dollars Raised, Get Up and Give Fairfield County Launch Prizes ($1,000 each for the first ten nonprofits to receive 25 unique donations of $25 or more), Top of the Morning Prizes ($5,000 each for the two nonprofits from each budget category that raise the most dollars by 9 am), and Power Hour Prizes, which will vary from $1,000 to $5,000 during different points of the day.

Last year, 13,137 donors gave more than $1.4 million to 415 nonprofit organizations during Giving Day.

Seventeen Newtown nonprofits raised a collective total of $30,717 through 437 individual donations and one prize during last year’s campaign. The collective total represented an increase of just over 20 percent for the local groups over the 2017 total of $25,553.