Philanthropic giving can be daunting. People sometimes feel like they do not have enough funds to make a difference in their communities, or that there are too many needs to fill. But, on North Texas Giving Day, anyone can be a philanthropist. Since 2009, Communities Foundation of Texas has powered NTX Giving Day, the largest regional online giving event in the nation, and this year North Texas Giving Day takes place on Sept. 22.

Communities Foundation of Texas works with more than 3,300 nonprofits that participate in the day. During the spring and summer, these organizations have access to trainings and resources, and are able to build robust campaigns to help them reach their organizational goals. On September 1, the NTX Giving Day website opened for early giving, where nonprofits can get a jumpstart on their campaigns by welcoming givers who want to make their gifts ahead of the big day.

“The beauty of Giving Day is that we work with all kinds of nonprofits—from the super tiny volunteer-led organizations all the way up to organizations that have been around a long time and have larger infrastructures and more resources,” said Chris McSwain, Director of Community Engagement on the North Texas Giving Day team.

On and before Sept. 22, making a philanthropic gift is simplified into three easy steps.

1. Browse the CFT nonprofit database using a variety of filters to hone down on causes that mean the most to you.

2. Read about the campaigns of different local nonprofits to select the ones that resonate with you the most.

3. Give directly online to the organizations of your choosing and watch them get closer to reaching their goal.

“It makes it really easy and fun for people to be on the website and spend some time filtering down the list, but also going through the various organizations to read their stories,” McSwain said. “It comes alive for people once they get to read about the work organizations are doing to impact change.”

On the website, givers can sort the thousands of organizations by category, location and operating budget, or narrow down the charities to see which serve populations that are Black Indigenous or people of color, or have BIPOC leadership. There are also filters to see which organizations have secured matching funds or have open volunteer opportunities.

“One of the appeals of North Texas Giving Day is that everything you can possibly care about in terms of mission and the critical work that makes our region thrive is all found on one easy-to-use platform,” McSwain said.

This year, CFT is empowering NTX Giving Day participants with a new call to action: “Find your passion, give with purpose.” Donors are encouraged to think about the “personal why” of their philanthropic gift, and how they may see themselves getting involved in a nonprofit’s efforts post-monetary donation.

“We really encourage people to sit and think about what they deeply care about,” McSwain said. “We believe that people are more connected to their gifts and to the causes that those gifts are impacting when they think about what they most want to see and which communities they personally want to impact.”

One way givers and supporters can get involved further is by making a fundraising page. Donors can select a nonprofit, create a peer-to-peer fundraising page, and send the personal campaign to friends and family members to collect more donations and make an even greater impact.

“It all matters; literally every gift that you make, it’s all a part of that ticker going up all day long and getting funds to the organizations that rely on this support.,” McSwain said. “I deeply encourage people to see themselves as part of what’s going to help this community change for the good.”

In 2021, NTX Giving Day raised $66 million for over 3,300 organizations by way of 103,000 donors. CFT hopes to see the number of donors grow each year as more people move to the area and discover the simplicity of making a tangible difference in their local communities.

“[NTX Giving Day] is very reflective of the spirit and the energy that most Texans have. North Texans love North Texas, and we see that come alive on North Texas Giving Day,” McSwain said. “We want people to embrace this as an opportunity to do something that moves them, fulfills them and is really connected to the purpose of them being here.”

If you are interested in learning about nonprofit organizations in your area and being a part of positive change in your community, visit the North Texas Giving Day website at www.northtexasgivingday.org/giving-events/ntx22. You can also follow along on Instagram and Facebook.

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