Online Giving Challenge Raises $2.2 Million

An online giving challenge sponsored by Battle Creek, Mich.-based W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) raised more than $2.2 million over 10 days.

Twenty-two nonprofits participated in the foundation's national "Cultures of Giving Challenge," according to a press release posted in The Sacramento Bee. The challenge ran from April 17 to April 26 and provided a dollar-for-dollar match up to the first $20,000 per nonprofit. A total of $1.3 million was raised from 3,421 donations, with WKKF matching that number with a total of $915,000.

WKKF decided to hold The Challenge after the release of its report entitled "Cultures of Giving: Energizing and Expanding Philanthropy by and for Communities of Color." The report showcased the power of identity-based philanthropy, which is a growing movement to get people from that community to engage in philanthropic giving.  A recent report by Blackbaud also indicated that online giving is continuing to grow, increasing for the 12th month in a row.

"The Challenge was a success because it really engaged grassroots participation," said Dr. Alandra Washington, the foundation's deputy director of programs for the education and learning, and family economic security teams. "This will serve as a model for what communities can do to help themselves and their causes in the social media realm."

Read the full press release in The Sacramento Bee.