Want to control where your money goes? Give Miami Day breaks it down for donations.

By Michelle Marchante for the Miami Herald

More than 1,300 Miami-Dade nonprofits want your help this year for Give Miami Day. “We need our nonprofits to be strong now more than ever. We all see the impacts of our rising affordability crisis, climate resilience challenges, and more. Nonprofits are at the forefront of solutions,” but they’re often stuck working on tight budgets, said Rebecca Fishman Lipsey, president and CEO of the Miami Foundation in a statement to the Miami Herald.

More than half of Miami-Dade’s nonprofits operate on “shoestring budgets” of less than $250,000 a year, and more than 75% of their budgets are for specific projects, according to Lipsey. That means many nonprofits don’t have much wiggle room for other expenses and investment, including hiring someone to coordinate fundraising. “Give Miami Day is our community’s chance to give nonprofits what they need – and to do it in a lean, unifying way,” Lipsey said. But finding the right cause among many can be challenging for people who want to give. To help, the Miami Foundation is making the search easier during the annual November giving event. Do you want to search for nonprofits that serve your city? Or help organizations with a small budget. Maybe you’re interested in donating to nonprofits that serve a specific population such as people who are homeless, seniors or are living with a disability? The online portal will let you filter nonprofits by location, annual operating budget, primary population served, volunteer opportunities, and donations matched. If you’re interested in a specific area, such as nonprofits that focus on the environment or education, you can also filter nonprofits by category.

THE MONEY GOAL

Organizers are hoping to raise more than last year’s $34 million record. They also want more people to donate to Miami-Dade nonprofits during the event, now in its 12th year. The goal is to have at least 46,000 people donate to participating nonprofits. “Imagine what Miami would look like if every single family was involved and engaged in the causes they cared about most! This is our goal on Give Miami Day – to inspire everyone to get involved in the shaping of the future of Miami … Help us build a Miami where everyone picks up a pen and helps author its future,” reads Lipsey’s statement. Want to donate? Here’s what to know: WHEN IS GIVE MIAMI DAY? ▪ Save the date: Give Miami Day, the 24-hour online giving period, runs from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Nov. 21. But you don’t have to wait to donate. The online portal that accepts donations opens at 12:01 a.m. Nov. 17, for early giving.

THE NONPROFITS

Here’s what to know:

▪ More than 1,300 nonprofits will participate this year. All were verified by The Miami Foundation and include organizations that support health; education; the environment; housing; the arts; women; Black equity; LGBTQ equity; animal care; and civic, economic and spiritual services.

▪ Achieve Miami, whose mission is to “close learning gaps, narrow racial divides, and improve engagement and connectivity” among students across Miami-Dade County, raised the most money, $2.86 million, during last year’s Give Miami Day.

▪ Give Miami Day’s website groups participating nonprofits into 10 categories: animals; arts and culture; community care; economic and community development; education and youth; environment; faith-based; health and wellness; human rights, advocacy and civic engagement; and inclusion and accessibility.

▪ You’ll find a mixture of new and returning nonprofits participating in this year’s giving event, including the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami and Feeding South Florida. Some organizations new to Give Miami Day include Data for Black Lives, Art Foundation for People with Disabilities, Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida and We Met in Miami.

▪ Wish Book and Impact Journalism Fund: You can support Wish Book, run by Miami Herald Charities, on Give Miami Day. Wish Book has helped South Florida’s neediest families for more than 40 years. Through the holiday season, the Miami Herald writes about local families in need. Last year, Wish Book raised $14,877 on Give Miami Day, and $328,200 overall for the year. The Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald are also raising money for their Impact Journalism Fund, which has helped hire reporters to cover faith, economic equity and climate change, among other topics.

How to donate

Visit givemiamiday.org to donate and learn more.

This article was first published by the Miami Herald. Click here for the original piece.