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Kali Baker, Vice President of Community Investment
omaha giving
• omaha Community Foundation
WE are omaha gives! We’re all seeking connections: more ways to come together with family, friends, neighbors and strangers. What better way to unite as a community than during the eighth annual Omaha Gives! on May 20? As we reflect on the past seven years of giving days, we’ve learned a lot. This giving day has grown, not only in terms of the number of nonprofits participating (206 percent growth) or the dollars raised (which will soon surpass $50 million), but also in terms of how we as a community can converge to think about philanthropy. Omaha Gives! is a day of celebration, but at its core, it’s a day to think about coming together as a community, of joining hands (and hashtags), and declaring that we want to support and lift up the hundreds of nonprofits who are doing incredible, impactful work in Omaha and throughout southwest Iowa. It’s a day to ensure that everyone can participate, whether they can give one dollar or one thousand, whether they’ve never given to a nonprofit before, or whether their giving has transcended generations. Omaha Gives! doesn’t happen without the thousands of donors who give, the hundreds of nonprofits who participate, and the tens of thousands of residents who are impacted by the work. CARE for your community We’re stronger when we come together as a community. And when we give together—no matter the amount—the impact is larger. Because collectively we are saying that we believe in the work of our nonprofit community to deliver necessary programs and services that are helping our most vulnerable populations. And we believe that together we can grow a more equitable and vibrant region. During Omaha Gives! we invite you to think about why
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you love this community and what part you can play to show how much you care. CONNECT with new nonprofits Omaha Gives! is an opportunity to give to your favorite nonprofits, but just as importantly, to find new ones to love and support. Our work at the Omaha Community Foundation is kali baker focused on serving as a connector of community philanthropic resources. On May 20, we invite you to explore and learn more about the hundreds of nonprofits who are working throughout our three-county region. Think about what moves you: having a vibrant neighborhood, ensuring all kids are safe, enjoying local arts and music, or providing health services to those most in need. There are nonprofits fulfilling all of these needs and much more. CELEBRATE local nonprofits This day is about recognizing the amazing work of our nonprofits and championing their year-round efforts to provide programs and services across the region. Nonprofit work is hard, and the nearly 1,000 nonprofits that participate in Omaha Gives! depend on donors of all sizes in this region to make sure the work they’re doing is meaningful, valuable, and can be sustained. When we set out to create Omaha Gives! we wanted to celebrate these efforts, rally the community together around giving, and have a lot of fun. We’re excited to amp up the fun-factor this year and invite you to do the same. Attend an event, throw a party, get your kids involved—celebrate this amazing community while having fun.
So on May 20, we invite you to meet us online at OmahaGives.org or by following #OmahaGives. Join us because you care, you want to connect, and you’re ready to celebrate. But most importantly, join us because, together, We are OG!
mmagazine • aPRiL 2020