A Deep Dive into 401Gives 2020
The United Way of Rhode Island was busy planning for its first statewide Giving Day, 401Gives, when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in the United States. At this time, many nonprofits were in desperate need of support and were unsure if they would be able to raise the funds necessary to continue their operations.
The United Way realized that it was more important than ever to lift up their community and shed light on the power of collective giving. By making a few changes to their Giving Day strategy, 401Gives was able to make a significant impact for a community in crisis.
On the evening of April 1, 2020, the 401Gives Giving Day team watched the stats bar on the home page of the Giving Day website tick past their fundraising goal of 1 Million dollars! This was their first-ever Giving Day supporting 366 nonprofits statewide, and every dollar raised went to nonprofits in great need during the COVID-19 crisis.
In this case study, Jennifer Remmes, Manager of Digital Resource Development at United Way of Rhode Island, shared her team’s experience planning for a state-wide event and what it was like to work with GiveGab for their inaugural 401Gives.
Topics Covered in This Case Study Include:
- Coordinating a statewide Giving Day amidst the COVID-19 pandemic
- Their role as a philanthropic leader in their community during a crisis
- How the Giving Day team was able to stay connected virtually
- Ways they pivoted their prize strategy in response to COVID-19
- Their experience collaborating with a local Community College to generate engaging content
- Using the momentum of early giving to create excitement around 401Gives day
“Nonprofits were seeking the guidance from United Way of Rhode Island as a philanthropic leader in their community when their board and staff were divided on if they should move forward with their regular fundraising initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic.” – Jennifer Remmes, Manager of Digital Resource Development at United Way of Rhode Island
Read more about 401Gives 2020 and how their participating nonprofits were able to band together and raise $1.3 million during their first-ever Giving Day.
