Choose Where Your Money Goes with MD Cultural Affairs Council and the Knight Foundation Power2Give.org
Website Launches December 14, 2011
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power2give.org, an Easy to Use, Online Fundraising Platform Debuts in Miami on December 14th
The Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, Arts & Science Council and Knight Foundation introduce power2give.org, connecting people to cultural projects
On Wednesday, December 14, 2011, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the Arts & Science Council (ASC) located in Charlotte, N.C. and with generous support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, is launching www.power2give.org, a new fundraising platform to support arts and cultural projects in Miami-Dade County.
Local arts organizations are embracing innovative and creative new ways to engage their audiences and secure more resources. power2give.org, created by ASC, offers a direct way to connect local arts and cultural projects with individuals and corporations interested in turning specific needs into realities. Cultural organizations’ listed needs describe clearly identified projects – for example, instruments for children in a youth orchestra or costumes for an upcoming theater production. People visiting the site can pick a need that interests them and direct their giving to making that exact project come to fruition.
The site’s Miami launch is going to feature funding needs for dozens of projects from myriad and varied organizations. power2give.org debuted in Charlotte, N.C. in late August 2011 under ASC’s auspices, and has already generated more than $200,000 in directed giving in that community. The Miami portion of the site is housed within the same URL, and can be accessed by selecting “Miami†from the drop-down box at the top of the home page.
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has joined the Department of Cultural Affairs and ASC as a founding sponsor of power2give.org, providing each community $100,000 in matching donations to the first $100,000 in contributions made in Charlotte and Miami through the site.
“This new platform gives people a personal connection to the organizations that create culture in our communities,†said Dennis Scholl, Knight Foundation’s vice president/Arts. “power2give.org also strives to engage new audiences and donors – meeting them where they are, which is increasingly online.â€
power2give.org, conceived and developed by ASC, is borne out of the recognition that future funding of the cultural sector requires increasingly diversified and innovative means, and is in direct response to current trends in philanthropy. Giving from high net worth individuals is down 71% from 2007 according to the Center on Philanthropy. Meanwhile, 2010 trends indicate an increased number of gifts with smaller average gift sizes, further growth in online donations and a strong desire from donors to see where their gifts go. The site also creates a closer relationship between donors and the organizations they support.
“Miami’s philanthropic patterns and opportunities, like much of the rest of the United States, continue to shift and evolve, and power2give.org is one example of how the cultural funding support model must adapt in order to attract the resources needed to fuel our cultural industry,†said Adolfo Henriques, chairman of the Miami-Dade County Cultural Affairs Council. “Individuals and businesses have told us plainly that when they know the exact use of their contributions and can see the tangible impacts of their investments on making particular cultural projects possible, they feel greater senses of confidence and satisfaction.â€
Michael Spring, director of the Department of Cultural Affairs stated, “There are compelling needs within every cultural organization. power2give.org allows groups to describe those needs genuinely and specifically to their audiences and prospective donors, and to give those donors a broader understanding of just what it takes to make arts and cultural programs possible. It builds a deeper sense of involvement in and reality about the creative process for everyone.â€
Currently, non-profit organizations that have received funding from the Department of Cultural Affairs within the past five years can post projects needing up to $10,000 on power2give.org. Organizations promote their projects to individuals through a variety of print, electronic and social media channels.
Projects have up to 90 days to achieve their funding goals. The Department of Cultural Affairs and ASC are assessing the possibility of extending the opportunity to artists and other non-profits to post projects on the site in the future.
Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. The foundation believes that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit KnightFoundation.org.
The Arts & Science Council is a non-profit organization in Charlotte, N.C. that builds appreciation, participation and support for the arts, science, history and heritage in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. ASC works to shape a vibrant cultural life for all through fundraising, grant making, cultural planning, public art, capacity building and community engagement. For more, visit ArtsAndScience.org.
The Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council develop cultural excellence, diversity and participation throughout Miami-Dade County by strategically creating and promoting opportunities for artists and cultural organizations, and our residents and visitors who are their audiences. The Department directs the Art in Public Places program and its board, the Art in Public Places Trust, commissioning, curating, maintaining and promoting the County’s art collection. The Department also manages, programs and operates the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center, a campus of state-of-the-art cultural facilities in Cutler Bay dedicated to presenting and supporting excellence in the arts for the entire community. Through staff, board and programmatic resources, the Department, the Council and the Trust promote, coordinate and support Miami-Dade County’s more than 1,000 not-for-profit cultural organizations as well as thousands of resident artists through grants, technical assistance, public information and interactive community planning. The Department receives funding through the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, The Children’s Trust, the National Endowment for the Arts, the State of Florida through the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Arts Council, and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Other support and services are provided by TicketWeb for the Culture Shock Miami program, the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, the South Florida Cultural Consortium and the Tourist Development Council.
Pinecrest Gardens
