The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts led local beneficiaries in contributions made Thursday during Arkansas Gives.
Donors helped state and local nonprofit organizations meet their fundraising goals during the 12-hour online giving event presented by the Arkansas Community Foundation, which established a statewide goal of $5 million. The foundation also provided a bonus pool of $400,000 to encourage donations.
ASMSA received $51,310 to rank second among small nonprofits. The school will receive another $3,000 from First Security Bank, which offered additional cash prizes for the top nonprofit organizations in each size category. The total of 123 donations made to ASMSA on Thursday was the fifth-most in the small nonprofit category.
"We were thrilled with the generosity of ASMSA's 123 alumni, parents and friends who supported the school and the forthcoming Creativity and Innovation Complex during Arkansas Gives," said Vicki Hinz, director of institutional advancement.
"Lead gifts from the family of alumnus Dan Fredinburg, as well as ASMSA Foundation Fund Board Ambassador Dorothy Morris, inspired members of our 'community of learning' to rally together on this special day of philanthropy and set the stage for the next 25 years of academic excellence at ASMSA."
Fredinburg was a 1999 alumnus and became head of privacy for Google X, the research and development facility for Google. He died in 2015 in an avalanche on Mount Everest.
Morris, president of the Morris Foundation, hosted the foundation's Garden Party of Giving at her home on Thursday to assist and encourage local donations. The Morris Foundation pledged matching donations to various local nonprofits.
The Literacy Council of Garland County participated in Arkansas Gives for the first time on Thursday. The organization received $6,126 from 42 donors to qualify for a $5,000 match from the Morris Foundation for a total of $11,126 raised.
Morris' local goal of $150,000 on the day of Arkansas Gives in 2016 was easily eclipsed as donations surpassed $373,000. She set a new goal of $500,000 this year, but the community was still $3,000 shy with 30 minutes remaining Thursday evening.
"Dorothy encouraged everyone to spread the word and, with the countdown on, the final donations poured in," said Laura Lee Willard, executive director of the Literacy Council. "The excitement was incredible. I wish you could have been standing in that room with me. It is simply astounding and humbling to know that our local community was so generous in supporting nonprofit organizations across our state of Arkansas."
A total of $5,602,556 was raised through 14,962 donations to more than 900 organizations throughout the state. Donors provided $4.1 million in 2016 through 18,535 total transactions and about $4.6 million, including prizes and bonuses, were distributed to more than 600 participating nonprofits
The inaugural Arkansas Gives event in 2015 saw 7,552 donations raise $1.98 million. A total of $2.33 million was distributed to 361 participants.
"When we were preparing for the first installment of Arkansas Gives in 2015, we considered raising $5,000 in a day to be a worthy goal," Hinz said. "To accomplish a tenfold increase is a testament to the excitement for our campus growth that builds on the success of our students and faculty each day."
The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra led the state in total donations again Thursday with $207,718 from 249 donors, third-most among large nonprofits and seventh-most overall. ASO ranked first overall in 2016 with $190,224.45.
The Maggie House in Charleston received easily the most donations at 605 for a total of $145,918, second-most in the state and most in the medium nonprofit category. The organization provides long-term residential care to abused and neglected children, ages 5-17, who have been removed from the custody of their parents or guardian and placed in the custody of the Department of Human Services.
The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival ranked 12th among medium nonprofits with $36,650. Other local organizations in the medium category were the Project HOPE Food Bank, $32,064; Cooperative Christian Ministries and Clinic, $20,036; Hot Springs Music Festival, $19,639; Samaritan Ministries Men's Homeless Shelter, $19,497; Henderson State University Foundation, $17,604; Muses Creative Artistry Project, $12,215; and National Park College Foundation, $9,543.
Mid-America Science Museum ranked 32nd in the large nonprofit category at $19,748. Local large nonprofits included Ouachita Children's Center, $13,071; Levi Hospital, $12,052; and Garland County Habitat for Humanity, $5,112.
The Garland County Historical Society was No. 14 among small nonprofits at $16,306 and the Mount Ida Band was No. 15 with $16,069. Totals for other nonprofits in the small category were the Hot Springs/Hot Springs Village Symphony Guild, $14,550; Hot Springs Jazz Society, $12,082; Hot Springs Area Cultural Alliance, $9,795; Hot Springs Sister City Foundation, $9,661; Low Key Arts, $7,819; Emergent Arts, $6,941; Literacy Council of Garland County, $6,126; and Hot Springs Children's Dance Theatre Company, $5,898.
The Hot Springs Giving Circle established a $10,000 bonus pool for the top 20 earners in Garland County. Each qualifying nonprofit will receive an additional $500.
Tom Vandegrift is the current chair of the Giving Circle. The Giving Circle Endowment Fund is placed with the Hot Springs Area Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Arkansas Community Foundation.
Local on 04/08/2017