Give Miami Day Motivates Philanthropy
Give Miami Day is hours away, but Congregation Beth David and the Gordon Schools began gearing up six weeks ago, says Rabbi Julie Jacobs. That’s when the synagogue’s office began sending information to families, announcing The Miami Foundation and its partners will make a bonus gift to the organization for every donation it gets between $25 and $10,000. School classrooms with 100 percent participation in Give Miami Day are eligible to win prizes, such as movies and parties. And everyone – teachers, clergy and staff — has been wearing purple shirts matching The Miami Foundation website each Thursday for well over a month.
“There’s a lot of spirit for Give Miami Day,” says Rabbi Jacobs, “for the school and the city. It’s actually one of our best days of the year in terms of bringing in funds. We are extremely engaged in Give Miami Day.”
Beth David is not alone. In 2018, A record 758 organizations have registered to participate in the 24-hour giving event, this year held on November 15th beginning at midnight. This is the eight year, and is headed by The Miami Foundation and partners including The William R. Watts Foundation, Knight Foundation, SEI, Mitchell Wolfson, Sr. Foundation, Stearns Weaver Miller, Berkowitz Pollack Brant, IMPAC Fund, The Ortega Foundation and Bank of America.
In addition to matching funds, the organizations can receive timed prizes. For example, the organization that get the most unique gifts during 12 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. gets an extra $1000. There’s also $1000 awarded to the organization receiving the first gift of the day, and $1000 to the organization clocking in the 4000th gift of the day. At 10:40 a.m., accounting firm Berkowitz Pollack Brand will match every gift between $25 and $100 until 10:41 a.m. And at 4 p.m., for one minute, Bank of America will do the same.
For more information visit GiveMiamiDay.org or contact Lisa Mozloom, The M Network, lisa.mozloom@themnetwork.com, 305-528-5341; or Grace Ramos, grace.ramos@themnetwork.com, 305-571-1455.
Brett Graff is SocialMiami.com’s managing editor and has been a journalist covering money, people and power for over 20 years. Graff contributes to national media outlets including Reuters, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, Maxim, and the PBS show, Nightly Business Report. A former U.S. government economist, her nationally syndicated column The Home Economist is first published in The Miami Herald and then on the Tribune Content Agency, where it’s available to over 400 publications nationwide. She is broadcast weekly on two iHeartRadio news shows and is the author of “Not Buying It: Stop Overspending & Start Raising Happier, Healthier, More Successful Kids,” a parenting guide for people who might be tempted to buy their children the very obstacles they’re trying to avoid.
