Eight years ago, the Omaha Community Foundation launched Omaha Gives as a 24-hour online giving celebration of our local nonprofit community. We could not have envisioned how impactful a single day of giving would become in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro. Since 2013, this community has came together to raise more than $58 million dollars for nonprofits. Each year the giving day has evolved to bring more people together for an accessible and exciting community celebration.
Earlier this month as part of our strategic planning, we proposed and our Board approved a new partnership with SHARE Omaha to support a single nonprofit platform for the community. As a result of this partnership, the Omaha Community Foundation will be ending Omaha Gives in the spring of 2021 and transitioning eligible nonprofits to SHAREOmaha.org.
Like many participating nonprofits, donors, and community members, we’re sad to see Omaha Gives go. This day and year-round platform have far surpassed our expectations and it’s been inspiring to cheer on and support nonprofit’s successes every year.
“While Omaha Gives has been an integral part of our work throughout the last decade, we see the incredible opportunity to combine our efforts for greater nonprofit impact,” said Donna Kush, Omaha Community Foundation’s CEO and President. “We are eager to support SHARE Omaha as they build upon a dynamic and robust online resource that will support donors and nonprofits in exciting ways into the future.”
This partnership will allow both the Omaha Community Foundation and SHARE Omaha to focus on what they do best. Our team will devote a greater focus and resources to community initiatives, grant programs, community interest funds, and nonprofit capacity building. While SHARE Omaha will connect everyday philanthropists to local causes with a website that showcases thousands of ways to do good through Eastern Nebraska and Southwest Iowa. SHARE Omaha will also promote Giving Tuesday in 2020 and host Do Good Week April 18-24, 2021 in a celebration of all forms of generosity including donations and volunteerism.
We understand many nonprofits have grown to depend on the annual giving day and that this news may come as a surprise or even disappointment to them. To best support nonprofits during this transition, our team has developed a list of questions that may surface, access it here:
Otherwise, here’s a high-level overview of what this announcement means for nonprofits:
- There will not be a giving day in May 2021
- OmahaGives.org will permanently close in the spring of 2021
- Eligible nonprofits will need to completely merge to the SHARE Omaha platform no later than spring 2021 to accept online donations and volunteer requests.
The vibrancy, success, and joy that made Omaha Gives was a result of the commitment of participating nonprofits and generous community members who saw themselves as philanthropists investing in the most good.
To our nonprofit community, thank you.
We look forward to the future of philanthropy in our community and working with SHARE Omaha to carry forth our mission of a stronger, more vibrant and inclusive Omaha-Council Bluffs for all.