PROVIDENCE – Even five years after the world stopped and life has since returned to normal, COVID-19’s tentacles still have a firm grasp on area nonprofits and the communities they serve, according to officials from the United Way of Rhode Island Inc.
Current activity in Washington, D.C., where federal funding – a significant lifeline for some nonprofits – potentially being on the chopping block has also created uneasy feelings among localized community organizations. A “double whammy,” if you will, Nancy Wolanski, United Way’s Alliance for Nonprofit Impact director, recently told Providence Business News.
Those two factors are what both the United Way and area nonprofits hope to drive home to obtain monetary support during this year's 401Gives Day.
The annual 36-hour statewide online fundraising initiative, now in its sixth year, will kick off at 6 a.m. Tuesday and run through 6 p.m. on April 2. Per usual, 401Gives Day – run by the United Way’s Alliance for Nonprofit Impact – will raise significant money for hundreds of nonprofit organizations across the Ocean State.
Wolanski said local nonprofits are at a critical juncture because community need remains at an all-time high since the COVID-19 pandemic. She said according to the United Way’s survey
from last year, 96% of local nonprofits dealing with basic needs that surveyed said community demand for services is “at or above” pandemic levels.
Also, COVID-19-specific resources from government and other areas “have ended,” Wolanski said, leaving organizations to face a “fiscal cliff.” And, Wolanski said, this came all before federal leaders have put freezes on funding that
leaves some local organizations in a bind – with some
filing lawsuits to try and halt those freezes.
“While a lot of [federal] money has been restored, it is uncertain about the path forward right now,” Wolanski said.
Both the
United Way and
Rhode Island Foundation have since created special funding programs to help local nonprofits impacted by the federal changes. However, United Way CEO and President Cortney Nicolato told PBN that 401Gives Day is a “big strategy” on responding to fiscal challenges that organizations are facing.
“It’s one piece of the bigger puzzle, but we’ve heard loud and clear that nonprofits seek moments and momentum like [401Gives Day],” Nicolato said. “We’re talking about what the nonprofit sector does for our state, which is incredibly important and powerful.”
Wolanski added that nonprofits activating and engaging with donors to help raise necessary funds is even more important now given the current climate. She also said 401Gives Day can also help springboard donors to contribute to organizations who are part of the
United Way’s Give4Good year-round giving platform, as well. So far, $35,093 has been raised for 26 organizations via the Give4Good platform.
Each year, 401Gives Day has set fundraising records, including last year’s high-water mark of
$3.8 million raised for 597 nonprofits that participated. The annual campaign has raised more than $14 million in total in its five years, including approximately $10 million in the last three years.
Now, 644 nonprofits have signed up to hopefully receive a share of millions of dollars expected to be brought in during this year’s 401Gives Day, setting a new participation record in the process, Nicolato said. That figure includes 123 organizations participating in 401Gives Day for the first time.
Those looking to contribute to organizations can donate on
401Gives Day’s website.
Local companies and organizations are also providing matching gifts to support the cause as well. Several local organizations, including Papitto Opportunity Connection, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, Cox Communications Inc. and the Rhode Island Foundation, will provide matching monetary prizes throughout 401Gives Day. Such prizes range from a few hundred dollars to as much as $30,000.
Nicolato also said some organizations have worked with donors to create matching prizes specific to their causes. For example, Foster Forward, which has
achieved massive fundraising success through 401Gives Day the last couple of years, worked with sponsors to where the first $125,000 raised will be doubled.
United Way officials also hope this year’s event can finally achieve the ultimate fundraising mark of $4.01 million – symbolic of 401Gives Day’s namesake based off of Rhode Island’s area code. The initiative has raised at least $3 million for three consecutive years.
“We really want to break that threshold,” Wolanski said. “We hope Rhode Islanders respond and recognize this opportunity and the challenging times. It’s a time for Rhode Islanders to step up.”
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on X at @James_Bessette.
