Hundreds of Illinois Nonprofits Raise Money + Build Their Brand Through #ILGiveBig
January 8, 2015
#ILGiveBig, powered by Donors Forum, culminated on Tues., Dec. 2 when more than 600 Illinois nonprofits raised a whopping $3.7 million — in one day! A first-of-its-kind effort in Illinois, #ILGiveBig harnessed the collective power of a unique blend of partners — nonprofits, families, businesses, and individuals — to transform how people think about, talk about, and participate in the giving season.
#ILGiveBig was the Illinois state campaign for the national #GivingTuesday effort. The concept: Similiar to how Black Friday and Cyber Monday are dedicated to holiday shopping, the Tuesday following Thanksgiving is dedicated to giving back (Dec. 2 in 2014; Dec. 1 in 2015).
Over several weeks leading up to #ILGiveBig on Tues., Dec. 2, Donors Forum provided free technical assistance, workshops, webinars, toolkits, resources, and more to help #ILGiveBig participants plan their campaigns and raise money.
"Our #ILGiveBig fundraising effort generated ten times what we raised at previous fundraisers focused on individual donations. This will make a tremendous difference for our organization," said Tracy Fizzell from the Economic Awareness Council.
"This was our first such effort; and admittedly, we started our #ILGiveBig campaign late," said Stephanie Truax from LaRabida Children's Hospital. "Because of this, our revenue raised was modest, but our social media metrics were encouraging. That will be a great help for our fundraising efforts going forward," she noted.
Through Donors Forum's state-wide and national outreach, #ILGiveBig had a impressive debut!
- Tweets with the #ILGiveBig hashtag were viewed by 2.8 million people, with a potential viewing pool estimated at 8.1 million people.
- Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel declared Tues., Dec. 2 as #ILGiveBig Day.
- Pay Pal reported in a news release that on Tues., Dec. 2 Chicago was the city with the most payments processed.
- #ILGiveBig was highlighted in state and national media:
- The Chicago Tribune Local
- Redeye (front cover wrap on Tues., Dec. 2)
- USA Today
- The Chronicle of Philanthropy
- DeKalb-based Daily Chronicle
- DeKalb-based MidWeek News
- Public News Service
- PRWeb News Service
Donors Forum will again lead #ILGiveBig in 2015. Watch your email and our newsletters for information. If you are an Illinois-based nonprofit or funder, we hope you'll participate!
— Marilou Jones, Director of Communications