"You can take 2020 and write challenge all over it."
That sentiment from Longmont Chorale President Bob Balsman is one shared by many local nonprofit organizations that are hoping Colorado Gives Day will spur generosity from both longtime supporters and first-time donors.
"Colorado Gives day is really an opportunity to donate to Longmont nonprofits. It's a chance for the community to recognize the wealth of great people doing a lot of great work," said Matt Eldred, executive director of nonprofit TLC Learning Center. "Everybody cares about something. You'll be able to give to something that speaks to you."
Colorado Gives Day is the Community First Foundation’s an annual celebration of philanthropy presented by FirstBank. The program, launched in 2008, had its best year ever in 2019, raising almost $40 million. The program has raised more than $257 million for Colorado nonprofits since its inception.
This year, close to 2,900 organizations will be part of Gives Day on Tuesday, said Beth McConkey, marketing and communications director for the Community First Foundation.
The second Tuesday of December was chosen as the date for the annual event since it's past Thanksgiving and leads into the holiday season, said Kelly Dunkin, CEO and president of the Community First Foundation.
"And it's just a great time to get in the spirit of giving during the holiday season. We know it also is a huge time for nonprofits around their end of year push for the majority of funds. I think it's like 60% of all funds raised are raised in the fourth quarter of every year,” she said. “We wanted to take advantage of that and help nonprofits get the word out and work together to raise funds to support nonprofits."
Participating organizations have purposes ranging from serving low-income and homeless populations, such as The OUR Center and HOPE for Longmont; to advocacy and social services for immigrant communities, such as El Comité; to educational services, such as TLC Learning Center; to arts organizations, such as the Longmont Chorale and Longmont Symphony Orchestra; to animal rescue and advocacy like Longmont Friends of Feral and Abandoned Cats and the Longmont Humane Society.
Local organizations participating in Colorado Gives Day are too numerous to list, but those looking to find a Longmont nonprofit to support that aligns with their interests can search here.
Donations to the Humane Society will go toward general operating expenses. Carrie Brackenridge, director of marketing and communications for the Longmont Humane Society, said she hopes Colorado Gives day will help it make up for money lost during the coronavirus pandemic.
After a complete shutdown in the early days of the pandemic, the Humane Society has been offering as many services it can while operating at limited capacity and in a more measured way, Brackenridge said. But COVID has”just inevitably affected our ability to meet our budget goals for the year," she said.
Longmont Humane Society volunteer Kylie, who did not provide her last name, takes Ryan for a walk on June 25.(Photo by Macie May)The Incentive Fund is seeded with $1 million from the Community Foundation and First Bank.
“We call it a boost to every donation that's made on Colorado Gives Day. My favorite example is the one I always use: your favorite charity is the Red Cross. They get 10% of the total donations. Then on Colorado Gives Day, they'll get 10% of the Incentive Fund," said the Community First Foundation’s Dunkin.
Another hard-hit sector this year is the arts sector. As live performances have become impossible because of the pandemic, there has been a substantial loss in ticket revenue.
“Like a lot of performing arts organizations, our ticket revenue has drastically decreased,” said Kay Lloyd, executive director for the Longmont Symphony Orchestra. “Because we cannot do in-person performances with audiences, our ticket revenue, which is almost close to 50% of our budget, has totally decreased."
While the Symphony has been able to recoup some of its lost revenue with its half-season virtual subscription, it doesn't compare.
Elliot Moore, Longmont Symphony Orchestra's music director, said, "When a group doesn't have any performances, it makes it even more challenging to raise money. You don't have anything to discuss.
"I'm proud that the Longmont Symphony has been able to figure out a way, during this truly unprecedented time, to still be of service to the community through music. And to offer that service when it's so challenging even to come together."
Virtual concerts are an extra challenge for choral groups, particularly for a group like the Longmont Chorale that, in a typical year, includes more than 100 singers of varying levels of music education and experience.
Maestro Elliot Moore leads members of the Longmont Symphony Orchestra during a rehearsal on Oct. 3. (Photo by Matt Hagerman)"Unlike the symphony, we don't have anything that doesn't involve breath in the Chorale," Balsman said, "So, we can't have people up on stage really in any capacity whatsoever. So, we're completely shut down."
Deb Heller, treasurer for the Longmont Chorale who also sings with the group, said, "You know, you're standing there, staring at your phone, singing to music in your ear. And then when you play it back, it's acapella. And you're going, ‘Oh, great, I breathed in the wrong place.’ You don't have those things when you're sitting with or standing with a group of people singing around you. Doing the virtual choir thing is very difficult."
