<em>Photo above: Salvation Army Beaufort’s supporters giving online on May 5th.</em>

Lowcountry Giving Day 2016 will take place on May 3rd, 2016, hosted by local tech firm Bidr and sponsored by Coastal Community Foundation. Any registered 501(c) 3 nonprofit in CCF’s 9 county service area will be eligible to register for the third year of the multi-million dollar fundraising event. Interested groups may secure matching funds for the event as CCF will no longer be doing so, but securing matching funds will not be mandatory for participation.

“Lowcountry Giving Day has been a spectacular event for the past two years,” said Richard Hendry, Interim CEO of Coastal Community Foundation, “and we want the day to continue to be a catalyst for charitable gifts. We’re happy to have been in the lead role, but now it makes sense for us to pass the baton to partners whose work is better aligned with on-line giving and providing tech support to nonprofits. Although securing commitments from donors of matching funds for Lowcountry Giving Day will no longer be our responsibility, inviting all charities to secure their own matching gift donors opens the door to far broader participation from the nonprofit sector throughout our service area.”

As event host, Bidr will manage all project logistics, marketing and collaboration between partners, including Lowcountry Giving Day’s nonprofit training partner, the S.C. Association for Nonprofit Organizations (SCANPO). A comprehensive nonprofit training series will kick off in November in partnership with Central Carolina Community Foundation in Columbia, which will also host a giving day on May 3rd, 2016.

“We’re thrilled with this opportunity to work with CCF to help amplify this year’s Lowcountry Giving Day. Incorporating Text.Gives will make donating on giving day this year so much easier,” shared Sam Staley, CEO and Founder of Bidr. “We’re particularly excited about the ability Text.Gives will offer these organizations to connect donors with their giving efforts throughout the year as well.”

Interested organizations must be 501(c) 3 nonprofits, registered with the S.C. Secretary of State’s office and operate in CCF’s service area to be eligible to participate. The registration page is not yet available but will be shared online by Bidr and CCF at the end of October.