Giving Challenge waves off 2017 event

Behind the annual Giving Challenge churns a logistical machine.

The 24-hour campaign sponsored by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County involves partnerships with five local philanthropic groups that match donations to almost 600 area nonprofits.

The Community Foundation has processed, audited and facilitated matches for hundreds of donations in the campaign’s five-year history. The Giving Challenge has raised $28.5 million in its five-year history — $13.4 million in 2016 alone.

But this year, the Community Foundation is taking a step back.

The last challenge took place in September. The next Giving Challenge is slated for May 2018.

“It used to be in May for the first three years, and then the fourth year we moved it to September … and we decided to move it back to May again,” Communications Project Manager Murray Devine said. “We realized if we moved it to May there was no way we could have done it in May 2017 with the amount of time it takes to plan it.”

The Community Foundation maintains a committee that spends a year planning for the one-day campaign. It’s that logistical burden in light of the campaign’s growing popularity that partially prompted the Community Foundation to step back.

“We doubled the amount that was raised from 2015 and we really just realized this is getting big. We need to take more time to figure out what we are doing going forward,” Devine said.

The foundation alerted nonprofits of the change in early March, but it didn’t come as a surprise.

“They do tell us year after year don’t plan for this every year. It might not happen,” Cat Depot Director of Communications Claudia Harden said. “We all know that originally the giving challenge was supposed to be three years instead of five years and out of the kindness of their hearts they continued it. We completely understand they need to step back this year and regroup.”

In 2016, Cat Depot raised $104,271, the most of the 587 nonprofits. When matching funds were added, the total increased to $220,000 — the equivalent to three months of Cat Depot’s operating budget.

“It is our largest fundraiser of the year without question, without doubt,” Harden said. “To not have that this year is huge.”

To make up for the difference, Cat Depot is introducing its own version of the campaign — the Help Me Out Challenge. It’s taking place from noon to noon Sept. 19-20.

Small nonprofits are taking the brunt of the fundraising furlough.

“This really is like a lifeline for them,” Devine said.

Sarasota Orchestra President and CEO Joseph McKenna, meanwhile, said although the Giving Challenge adds a dynamic dimension to its annual donor strategy, the change won’t affect its overall fundraising plan.

“It’s a relatively small portion of our strategy in dollars but large in significance,” McKenna said. “We use it as a chance to do things a little bit differently to inspire giving from those who might not be inclined to support.”

Some are even excited about the switch. The May date still falls within many organizations’ fiscal year.

“It’s almost kind of in a way more beneficial because we have done most of our fundraising from October through April,” said Lisa Bechtold, executive director of Take Stock in Children of Sarasota County. “So it gives us a little kick start through the summer.”

Going forward, Devine said the longevity of the Giving Challenge will depend on the willingness of nonprofits to participate and the demands on the Community Foundation and its partners.

“Not that we want to break their hearts, but it’s just not something we can guarantee moving forward,” Devine said. “I think as long as we feel that it’s beneficial to all the stakeholders, then it’s something we want to do.”