Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne asks community to support local nonprofits for #GivingTuesdayFW Challenge

The first Tuesday after Thanksgiving is known as Giving Tuesday. It is meant to encourage generosity following some of the largest consumer shopping days of the year – Black Friday and Cyber Monday. 

Locally, the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne is turning that day into a month-long challenge for the nonprofits they work with and asking community members to start donating early. From Nov. 1 to 20, the foundation is running its #GivingTuesdayFW Challenge.

“This campaign is a way for us to leverage the global Giving Tuesday holiday in a unique way,” explains Colleen Helmken, director of marketing and communications for the Community Foundation.

Helmken adds that they provide the agencies with tools, materials and incentives to raise as much as possible in 20 days. The top raising organizations in each of their five pillars – Inspiring Places, Healthy Mind & Body, Connected Community, Lifelong Learning, and Everyone’s Economy – will receive a surprise unrestricted gift on Giving Tuesday, Dec. 2.

“The endowments are important as part of a nonprofit’s financial planning for themselves. It’s another tool that they have, and it’s a tool that can last forever,” Helken says. “So in particular, I would say, it’s always an important tool for an endowment to have if they’re able to do that for themselves, but with the current climate and so many uncertainties that have come up for nonprofits in the past year, it can be an even more helpful tool, because it’s another financial resource.”

The Community Foundation will match all donations to eligible endowment funds with a 20% match, up to $10,000. There are more than 100 local nonprofits that have an endowment with the foundation.

To see a full list of participating organizations, or to contribute to the #GivingTuesdayFW Challenge, visit their website.