Do something good on May 6 by being a part of Sacramento’s BIG Day of Giving, a 24-hour online giving challenge to raise $1 million dollars in support for the nearly 400 local nonprofits participating in the event.

Starting at midnight on May 6 and continuing until 11:59pm, www.givelocalnow.org will open its giving portals to the public, offering the community a chance to give to the nonprofit they wish to support.

Nonprofits work hard to create positive change in our city. Giving to them is important because change is not cheap and organizations need money to sustain and create new programs, services, or offerings. A show of support by giving on May 6 validates the value of their efforts and helps to continue make possible their significant contributions to the betterment our community and the people in it.

“Nonprofits add immeasurably to the quality of our life,” said Shirlee Tully, Chief Marketing & Development Officer for the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, a major collaborator of the event in coordination with GiveLocalNow. “Everything from animal services to libraries to arts organizations to safety net services that are the only thing keeping people safe in their homes or giving them a night shelter. With the economic downturn, the nonprofits have become even more vital—their role is just so important.”

Givers will be glad to know that their donation will receive a financial boost from a pool of $300,000 in matching funds, collected with the help of generous individuals, corporations, and outreach and business partners. Each dollar given will be matched in percentage of the total amount raised out of that pool of funds. Prizes to organizations who win categorical challenges—first to receive a $500 donation, for example—are also a part of the pool and will be awarded throughout the day to keep the energy going.

“Anytime you get a chance to give and your donation gets a boost that’s bigger than what you can actually give, it’s really inspiring to people,” said Tully.

A Halftime Celebration event will be held at Fremont Park (1515 Q St, Sacramento) from 11:30am-1:30pm. Complete with performances by notable local talent and companies, the representation of 25 nonprofit organizations, gelato by Hot Italian, and other fun festivities, the event will also have a 30 ft. digital leaderboard that will showcase how much money is being raised. They hope to have a lot to celebrate at noon.

For people wishing to research nonprofits before giving, GivingEdge, the region’s first comprehensive nonprofit database, was created to help the community choose a nonprofit to support by providing portraits of the organizations. Each portrait is vetted by SRCF and focuses on a nonprofit’s impact, how they measure success, and their financial information. Excitingly, GivingEdge will be permanently available beyond the BIG Day of Giving as a beneficial nonprofit searching tool for our community.

“We really think that the GivingEdge is going to revolutionize community giving,” noted Tully. “[Previously] we didn’t have one place that people could go to give, so it was kind of up to them to find who they wanted to give to and how…Now because we’ve built the database, the info is all there.”

Sacramento’s BIG Day of Giving is part of a nationwide Day of Giving lead by 150 community foundations across the county. May 6 is the 100th anniversary of the first community foundation in Cleveland, Ohio. The SRCF co-stewards GiveLocalNow, a social awareness movement started 2010 that emphasizes the need to increase local giving. It’s also the spirit behind our city’s Day of Giving and the website through which people give.

A precursor to the BIG Day of Giving was last year’s Arts Day of Giving, which raised over a half million dollars for 78 arts groups. What’s interesting is that of those donations, over 65% were between $25 and $50—which goes to show the power of many giving the amount they can.

“It’s really been amazing,” Tully said of the efforts of organizations coming together to make this possible and the momentum leading up to the BIG day, “I have to say, I’ve worked at a lot of things in this community and I’ve never seen anything quite like this. We have high hopes for May 6.”

To learn more about the event and the importance of giving, visit www.bigdayofgiving.org.