Thursday is Give Miami Day: Here are 10 reasons why you should give | Opinion

If you’re reading The Miami Herald, chances are you know it’s Give Miami Day on Thursday.

Give Miami Day is a day of mass generosity where everyone in Miami gives back to the causes they care about most.

What matters to you? Education? Health? The environment? Veterans? Animals? Economic development?

There are over 1,000 nonprofit organizations that exist to address those issues. They stand up for Miami every single day, and this is our moment to step up for them.

Need a reason to get on the GiveMiamiDay.org website?

As president and CEO of The Miami Foundation, I’ll give you 10:

1. Generosity is contagious: We want to create a cultural norm in Miami where everyone who lives here gets involved and gives back. Start the domino effect with us. Last year, we saw 96,000 individual donations on Give Miami Day. So help us create the best kind of positive peer pressure.

2. Unity is healthy: In a city where we speak 128 languages in our homes and are incredibly politically diverse, election season can shine a light on what divides us. It’s time to focus again on what we can all build together.

3. Lean fundraising: The vast majority of Miami’s nonprofits have lean staffing, and 40% don’t have a single person focusing on fundraising. Give Miami Day is our way of producing an effective, lean, end-of-year fundraiser stream for all of them at no cost.

4. Flexible funds: The vast majority of philanthropy in Miami is restricted, project-based funding. However, 100% of donations on Give Miami Day are flexible, general operating dollars to help our local nonprofits invest in what they need most.

5. Demonstrating your values: For local business owners, Give Miami Day is an opportunity to let your customers and clientele know the issues your company values. What do you want to stand for? And more importantly, what causes do your team members care about? Don’t just build here. Build here.

6. Civic pride: When Give Miami Day begins Thursday, I thoroughly recommend checking out the ticker on the Give Miami Day website. There’s nothing quite like watching donations grow in real time. It’s a captivating public display of affection for our community. Historically, Miami has had low civic engagement. It would be incredibly inspiring to see us have one of the most successful giving days in the world.

7. That website!: On the site, you can find a listing of over 1,000 nonprofits in Miami-Dade and learn about their work in our community. The nonprofits are listed based on issue area, neighborhoods they serve, and budget size. The data available on the Give Miami Day website helps paint a clear picture of our region’s needs, gaps and priorities. Dig in!

8. Togetherness: While many of us give back to the causes we care about, this is one day when all of our organizations stand side by side. We don’t just cheer for our wins; we cheer for each other and our community at large.

9. Match !: We have dozens of partners who make this day fun by creating prizes and bonuses for all nonprofits. One anonymous young couple is matching the first $25 of every gift. Many of the issue areas have additional boosts and matches available. We’ll have prizes all day long - check out the website for the complete list.

10. 305 pride: This day is truly the best of what communities can be. Join in. It’s not our day…. it’s yours.

Thanks for helping Miami shine so brightly.

The Miami Foundation only accepts donations through its secure portals at miamifoundation.org, GiveMiamiDay.org, or FCsuite. com.

We do not solicit donations via robocall, WhatsApp, group chat, or any other online platform. Please direct any donation questions to info@miamifoundation.org

Rebecca Fishman Lipsey is the president and CEO of The Miami Foundation, which annually sponsors Give Miami Day

This story was originally published November 20, 2024 at 11:21 AM.