Mar 6, 2013 2 min read

The Washington County Community Foundation announced that more than 80 local charities have registered for its inaugural Day of Giving, WCCF Gives, set for Sept. 10.

During this 12-hour event, which runs from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., the WCCF will enhance contributions made to participating charities via its newly redesigned website by a percentage of a $100,000 match pool. The match pool will be distributed on a pro rata basis, so the more money designated by donors to a specific charity, the greater the amount that charity will receive from the match pool. Throughout the day on Sept. 10, the WCCF will post progress reports on its website, www.wccf.net, Facebook and Twitter.

In Washington County, there are more than 300 organizations recognized as 501(c)(3) charities by the Internal Revenue Service, and all are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity. The WCCF has set a goal of at least 100 registered charities for this year’s event.

All qualifying WCCF Gives donations must be made using either a MasterCard or Visa through www.wccfgives.org. The minimum gift is $25.

“All gifts received on WCCF Gives day, as well as the match pool, will be awarded to the participating charities as unrestricted grants. Unrestricted funds, while vitally important to sustaining the day-to-day administration of 501(c)(3) organizations, are often the most difficult dollars to raise,” stated Betsie Trew, WCCF president and chief executive officer.

One such charity that is excited about the opportunity to raise unrestricted funds is Try-Again Homes, which provides a variety of programs for children and families in need. “In this current economy, the need for community services has risen but many areas of government funding for vulnerable populations has either remained the same or been significantly decreased,” remarked Gwendolyn Davis, executive director of Try-Again Homes.

For more information about WCCF Gives or to view the list of participating charities, visit www.wccfgives.org.