United Way of Buffalo & Erie County's 6th annual fundraiser set for March 20-21
160 participating nonprofits
A launch party for the sixth annual "Spring It On" fundraising campaign will be held at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 20, to bring together boards and staff of local nonprofits, their supporters and the community for an evening of connection and celebration. The happy hour event will be held at Parkside Meadow, located at the corner of Parkside and Russell Avenue, and is free and open to the public.
"Spring It On," a 24-hour online fundraising event powered by the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County, will begin at 6 p.m. and continue for 24 hours - until 6 p.m. Wednesday.
United Way partnered with Step Out Buffalo for the event, which will include raffle prizes, a countdown to the launch of "Spring it On," and the opportunity to donate online. Refreshments and a cash bar will also be available. The kickoff event is hosted by Next Generation United, a group of United Way-affiliated millennials who seek to involve younger donors in philanthropy and engage them in improving the community through service, collaboration, accountability and innovation.
More than 160 organizations are participating in the online day of giving this year, with a goal of engaging current and new supporters. The United Way has provided the online giving platform to nonprofits of all types and sizes since 2013, providing a cost-effective, one-day boost to raising critical funds to advance mission, while highlighting the significant contributions made by the variety of nonprofit organizations in the community.
"Spring It On" includes participating organizations in Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua, Allegany and Orleans Counties. Over the past five years, more than $800,000 has been raised to support nearly 200 agencies serving diverse populations.
" 'Spring It On' is a great intersection of the desire of more people who wanted to get engaged and connected to community organizations and the ubiquitous nature of technology in all of our lives," said Michael Weiner, president and CEO of the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County. " 'Spring It On' provides an easy, convenient way to learn about and to donate to a diverse group of organizations that are doing critical work in our community, including those that support refugees, seniors, women's health, animals, youth and much more. This event gives smaller agencies with limited resources (a chance) to be part of a larger campaign that can help them tell their story and drive support for their mission."
The event is designed to mobilize citizens for a single day of giving to strengthen and support our community.
Individuals can make a one-time, secure, online donation to the local not-for-profit agency of their choice through a specially designed website,
www.springiton.org.
"Spring It On" updates will be posted throughout the event on the Facebook and Twitter pages of many of the participating nonprofits, as well as on "Spring It On's" Facebook page (
www.facebook.com/springitonwny) and on Twitter account via #SpringItOnWNY. For more information, visit
www.springiton.org.
More About The United Way
For more information on the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County, visit
www.uwbec.org.
