Austin and its surrounding communities continue to grow in population at a rapid pace, and so do the charitable needs. Ten years ago, a program to address these needs began—Amplify Austin Day. And since 2013, this program has raised over $92 million to support over 1300 nonprofits in the area.

That is something Courtney Manuel, Chief Executive Officer of I Live Here I Give Here, the parent nonprofit organization of Amplify Austin Day, is very proud of.

“We had a very ambitious board of directors with inspirational vision – for Central Texas to be the most generous community in the country,” she said. “We’ve tweaked our vision a little bit since then... but we continue to see ourselves as a thought-leader in giving.”

This year Amplify Austin will take place from 6 p.m.-6 p.m. on March 1-2. Over 700 nonprofits organized into 19 Cause Categories will be featured, helping donors find the organization they want to support. By logging onto amplifyatx.org, donors can find organizations they have supported before and discover new ones. The mission and vision of each nonprofit organization is stated, along with its community impact, and the demographics of its group leaders. This makes it easy for donors to find the organization they want to support.

The website is simple to navigate, and with the non-stop 24-hour event, the goal is to make it as user-friendly as possible and to catch people at any hour of the day that’s best for them.

“We try to make it as accessible and approachable as possible so a donor can go online and make a gift for as little as $5. It’s really about the collective effort of the community coming together to make the huge impact,” Manuel said.

In addition to helping donors find an organization, I Live Here I Give Here helps nonprofits achieve success through its membership program by offering guidance on fundraising, developing a board of directors, marketing, outreach and exposure to the community it serves. A bond of trust and relationship develops over the years by providing value beyond Amplify Austin Day. Educational opportunities and best practices are also part of the program along with connecting donors to volunteer opportunities.

I Live Here I Give Here is a nonprofit organization itself. And any service charges associated with the website are 100 percent reinvested into Amplify Austin Day the following year. And thanks to the I Live Here I Give Here Amplify Fund, many costs to participate are reimbursed to the participating nonprofits.

This effort brings donors together with nonprofit organizations whose missions and goals are clearly laid out. The result is approximately 30,000 gifts made each year. In 2022, more than $13 million was raised on Amplify Austin Day.

“That’s just incredible, and a true demonstration of the collective.” Manuel said. “It’s important for community members to know that every gift is an important gift. We want people to be proud of what they can do to make a difference.”

The above story was produced by Community Impact's Storytelling Multi-Platform Journalist Victoria Schaefer with information solely provided by the local business as part of their "sponsored content" purchase through our advertising team. Our integrity promise to our readers is to clearly identify all CI Storytelling posts so they are separate from the content decided upon, researched and written by our journalism department.