North Texas Giving Day

September 8, 2020

North Texas Giving Day

Community Giving Event on September 17

North Texas Giving Day, the largest community-wide giving day in the nation, is celebrating its 12^th year on Thursday, September 17, 2020. The community day of giving is hosted by Communities Foundation of Texas, an organization that pairs donors to causes and organizations they are passionate about.

Dozens of nonprofits gather in Victory Plaza to kick-off North Texas Giving Day on WFAA Channel 8 (Photo Credit: North Texas Giving Day Instagram).

The Rees-Jones Foundation has participated in North Texas Giving Day since 2011 by contributing to the prize and bonus fund pool that is awarded to nonprofits who participate. The Foundation rallies around organizations like CFT that invest in local communities, amplify the impact of resources, and help the North Texas region thrive.

“Although it’s not a core area of focus for us, The Foundation is interested in participating in compelling, local community projects,” said Amy Rembert, program officer at The Rees-Jones Foundation. “Our support of this special day is meant to drive philanthropic giving in our region, promote the financial health of thousands of nonprofits, and improve the well-being of North Texas citizens.”

CFT’s North Texas Giving Day is an online giving event designed to empower people to give back to their community by supporting local nonprofits and causes they care about, and helps to build awareness and support for nonprofits. On Thursday, September 17, CFT encourages individuals to donate to a cause (or a few) that they are passionate about through the North Texas Giving Day online platform. This year, donors can schedule their contributions 10 days in advance beginning on September 1. This gives people more time to learn about the different nonprofits and makes giving easy!

Nonprofits and the community alike have embraced this annual day of giving, and last year in 2019, $50 million was raised by 102,000 donors that benefited 3,000 local nonprofits. That brought the 11-year total raised for the community to over $290 million, making North Texas Giving Day the largest community-wide giving event in the nation. 

Graphic Provided by Communities Foundation of Texas.

While historically North Texas Giving Day has been a “party with a purpose”, this year’s event is focused on bringing the community together during this unpredictable time. CFT is highlighting the wide-ranging services provided by the participating nonprofits that are available to North Texas residents. During a time that has illuminated the life-changing and life-saving services that so many local nonprofits provide, sharing resources where individuals and families can seek help is of the upmost importance.

About North Texas Giving Day

North Texas Giving Day hosts kick-off events, training and information sessions for nonprofits, and a community fair at NorthPark (Photo Credit: North Texas Giving Day Instagram).

The day of giving raises tens of millions of dollars for nonprofits large and small that serve diverse populations with a myriad of services, including those on the front-lines of the COVID-19 response – healthcare and medical research, food insecurity, housing, workforce development, and seniors as well as critical areas affected by the pandemic – education, domestic violence, mental health services, the arts and more.

There are nonprofit organizations that participate in North Texas Giving Day from 20 counties within the North Texas region, including: Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Erath, Fannin, Grayson, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Montague, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant and Wise.
North Texas Giving Day is about more than donating financially. Individuals can use the North Texas Giving Day platform to search for volunteer opportunities. This tool was introduced recently and has been a big hit with 16,000 donors pledged 622,000 service hours in 2019.

Since the inception of North Texas Giving Day in 2009, the online event has transformed from an idea to help local people give wisely, to a movement that has ignited a broad culture of community-wide giving. CFT states that “during North Texas Giving Day, everyone has the opportunity to be a philanthropist to build a stronger and more vibrant community.”

To learn more about other community benefit organizations that The Foundation supports, please visit https://www.rees-jonesfoundation.org/our-grants