Give Local Midland set for May 2nd

Tuesday, May 2nd is a big day for non-profit organizations and the Midland Area Community Foundation (MACF). It’s “Give Local Midland” day, an opportunity for community members to contribute to the long-term future for these organizations that serve the community in a variety of ways. 

It’s also the day of the foundation’s annual meeting to celebrate what’s been accomplished in the past year and hear about plans for the new year.  The foundation is also celebrating its 50th anniversary. You can see the stories of people who’ve made important contributions to the foundation’s success on the website: www.midlandfoundation.org, under the heading “50 Stories for 50 Years.” The foundation’s assets have grown to $135 million.
Raquel Brown is the Director of Development for the Midland Area Community Foundation.
This is the tenth year of “Give Local Midland,” which was started by and is coordinated by the foundation. Starting at 12:00am on May 2nd through 11:59pm, donors can go online to the Give Local Midland website to make a donation to a participating non-profit. As of Monday, April 24, 67 organizations had registered.  There may be more by the end of this week, according to Raquel Brown, the director of development for the MACF since October. She notes that “Give Local Midland” has generated $2.6 million in donations over the first nine years. 2022 was a record year, with $459,000 contributed.

Brown says money donated could be matched, “Anybody who is looking to give to a good organization, this is a good time to do it because they can get those matching dollars. It’s a perfect time to maximize that donation.”  The foundation has committed $60,000 in matching funds, but given additional contributions, that amount has grown to $71,000 and may grow more.  That money will be distributed to the different organizations based on a formula that takes into account several factors. Donor contributions go towards a non-profit’s endowment fund housed at the foundation. Brown says, “Matching dollars can go into the spendable portion which they can access right away.”

One of the fun aspects of “Give Local Midland” are the competitions for prizes. Examples include the “Early Bird,” which occurs from 12:00am-1:00am. The organization that raises the most amount of money in that hour will receive a prize of $300. Another example is the “Coffee Break,” from 9:00am-10:00am. A prize of $300 goes to the non-profit that generates the most amount of contributions in that time frame. A third example is the “First-Timer” prize of $300 for the organization that has the most first-time donors over the entire day. Brown says, “If you want to donate, stop by the office (on the 2nd) , drop off your gift, or go to www.givelocalmidland.org. On the website, it will show which non-profits are participating this year.”

The Midland Area Community Foundation’s annual meeting will be held on May 2nd from 11:30am-1:00pm in the Great Hall at the Valley Plaza in Midland.To register for that event, call the foundation’s office at 989-839-9661.