Grand Victoria Foundation helps raise $250K for Elgin

An effort to raise money matched by the Grand Victoria Foundation helped infuse more than $250,000 into Elgin nonprofits on Giving Tuesday.

Twenty-four nonprofits raised nearly $153,000 Dec. 1, which was matched by nearly $99,000 in grants from the Grand Victoria Foundation, officials said. The foundation matched up to $5,000 raised online by each nonprofit.

The #ILGive movement, the local offshoot of the worldwide Giving Tuesday movement, was founded in 2014 and uses social media to inspire people to give to charitable causes. This was the first #ILGive the foundation participated in, said Sharon Bush, foundation director of Elgin programs.

“We were thrilled,” Bush said. “We had the majority of the participating organizations raise far beyond the $5,000 we matched. That was really exciting for us to see.”

A total of 1,022 supporters donated an average $150 per person. That shows the effort was largely made up of individual donors, especially important when nonprofits are struggling financially due to the state's budget impasse, Bush said.

Many donors reported being inspired by the foundation's matching grant, said Kathy Hazelwood, vice president of marketing and development for the Association for Individual Development, which raised the most money with $19,036.

“I was pleasantly surprised, as well just so pleased, that we did so well,” Hazelwood said. “I was hoping at least to get to $5,000 so we'd get the match from Grand Victoria Foundation, so when it was climbing, it was like ‘Oh my gosh.'”

The Literacy Connection, which raised $9,635, racked up the largest number of individual online donations at 88.

“It was a tremendous help for us and all the agencies,” said Literacy Connection Executive Director Karen Oswald, “especially at a time when all the agencies are strapped for cash.”

Agencies participating in #ILGive were eligible to get help from the organization Forefront about how to build online giving and craft messages to get people to donate. “A lot of the messaging we were provided with, it did work,” Oswald said. “That's something we'll continue.”

Other participating nonprofits included Greater Elgin Family Care Center, Hamilton Wings, Children's Theatre of Elgin and Renz Addiction Counseling Center.

“We do think they built lasting capacity to do this again next year — with or without our help,” Bush said.