Give for Good on May 5 is a 24-hour online giving challenge led by the Community Foundation of North Louisiana and a chance to make any gift at every level result in improvement in the local community.  

Give for Good is an idea to include everyone who is interested in impacting our community through philanthropy. Jennifer Steadman, director of external relations for the Community Foundation, is the lead organizer for Give for Good. 

“Our goal is to raise a new generation of philanthropists,” Steadman said. “We want young donors and first-timers to get involved. You don’t have to be wealthy to make a difference.”

Give for Good’s goals are to raise unrestricted dollars for area nonprofits that sign up to participate and to create awareness about the variety of services provided by nonprofits in North Louisiana.  

“We had more than 4,000 donations last year and hope to continue to grow that,” Steadman said.  “Thirty-five percent of those donations were to organizations that donors had not previously supported.”

Steadman said these pooled donations, a hallmark of community foundation funding for over 50 years now, are making a visible lasting difference. 

“St. Luke’s Mobile Medical Ministry participated in last year’s inaugural event,” Steadman said. “After Give for Good, they had their first donor database. They had never had the capacity to build something like that before. They were able to take that database and raise additional dollars at the end of the year.”

The Historic Strand Theatre is another one of the nonprofits donors can choose to support May 5. 

“Last year, I saw much more support than I had anticipated,” Jenifer Hill, executive director of the Strand, said. “There is something about the 24-hour deadline and the community-wide participation that builds a momentum on that day. It was fun to take a minute and check it and watch the numbers go up and up. I think people get caught up in the excitement that is one day only and that you don’t want to miss it.”  

Hill said The Strand will always need dollars for maintenance and restoration. Shows are presented there in order to keep the building going. “She’s such a jewel,” she said, referring to the Strand Theatre. “We owe it to the community to keep it in the best possible shape. You don’t have to give us $500. It all helps and this day makes it so much fun.”  

Kermit Poling is general manager at Red River Radio, and he has had quite a bit of experience with public radio pledge drives, which aren’t all that different. 

“In our case, funding is community support,” he said. “We do get some grant funding but 82 percent of our support comes from the community – some small, some large. The advantage of small gifts is that it really reaches a lot of people.”  

“Give for Good is a day of awakening for our community,” Poling said. “You can really see how we can improve the lives of every individual. You get to see how many nonprofits there are in our community.”  

David Hylan, executive director of the Betty and Leonard Phillips Deaf Action Center, said he plans to use funds from Give for Good for its literacy program.  

“Statistics indicate graduates of deaf education programs are reading at the fourth-grade level,” he said. “We are hoping to raise this figure. Any gift makes a difference regardless of the size.”

The hardest part about participating in Give for Good is choosing which of the many organizations to support. “We have 156 nonprofits participating this year,” Steadman said, “so I feel sure everyone can find a cause they are passionate about.”

Donors can begin to donate May 5 at www.giveforgoodnla.org where they can search for specific organizations or search by category, such as Animal, Arts & Culture, Community Improvement, Education, Environment, Health, Human Services and Youth Development. Next, they can click on the nonprofit of their choice to make a donation. 

There are also nonprofit organizations hosting Give for Good special events that day, such as Sci-Port: Louisiana’s Science Center, which is creating an event for children and piggy banks. Robinson’s Rescue is having a dog costume contest and walk. Shreveport Regional Arts Council is hosting an event for all arts organizations, and Fuller Center, a first-time participant, is having a fiesta. Holy Angels has an entire day of events planned, from its Breakfast of Champions at Rhino Coffee at 7 a.m. to a cookout open to the public at 11 a.m., to a meet and greet at Lewis’ Gifts all day long. Go to www.giveforgoodnla.org.