Courtesy Photo Grant, the coveted Golden Goose, is given each year to the organization that garners the most donations on Giving Tuesday.

On the heels of the popular shopping days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, comes Giving Tuesday. Here at home, the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan (CFNEM) is helping to raise awareness and support for many local nonprofits.

“In what has been a tough year for so many, we are really looking forward to Giving Tuesday this year with its camaraderie, light-heartedness, and incredible support our communities show for our local nonprofits,” said CFNEM Executive Director Patrick Heraghty. “Last year over $217,000 was raised in 24 hours. While there is no way to know what kind of donation numbers we’ll see this year, we hope our community will show up online on December 1st to make this year another successful year for the nonprofits in our area. We all need it.”

Although this will be CFNEM’s sixth year leading the event here in northeast Michigan, Giving Tuesday as a global day of giving is now in its ninth year. Meant to harness the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to celebrate generosity worldwide, the 24-hour giving event is held annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) to kick-off the holiday giving season. The hope is that people will set aside a few minutes from holiday shopping to give back to their community through the charities and causes they support.

To help the 50 participating local nonprofits take part in Giving Tuesday, CFNEM will provide the technical infrastructure through its website and social media to showcase and manage donations, all at no cost to the participating organizations. One hundred percent of every donation will go to the nonprofit of the donors’ choice. Donors will be able to visit cfnem.org on Giving Tuesday and make donations to any or all of these nonprofits.

Heraghty also noted that in addition to the participating organizations, donors may also make donations to any fund at CFNEM or its affiliate foundations as a Giving Tuesday gift.

“While we have many organizations participating in the campaign, CFNEM also holds 500 different charitable funds that support so many different causes and organizations,” said Heraghty. “Donations to those funds will be counted on December 1 as Giving Tuesday gifts.”

Three years ago, Grant the Giving Tuesday Golden Goose was introduced as a fun way to bolster some friendly competition between nonprofits. Grant is awarded to the nonprofit raising the most money on Giving Tuesday, and went last year to Alpena County Animal Facility. After spending nearly a year with ACAF volunteers, Grant has migrated back to the Community Foundation to await word on his 2020-21 residency.

In addition to the four-county area that CFNEM serves, it also is the administrative arm for three affiliate foundations covering a five-county area. Those affiliates include the Iosco County Community Foundation, the North Central Michigan Community Foundation, and the Straits Area Community Foundation. Each affiliate has nonprofits in their communities participating as well.

Giving Tuesday Northeast Michigan begins at 12 a.m. on Tuesday. The public will be able to make donations for a full 24 hours, and monitor the total amount donated online throughout the day. The total amount donated to each organization will be announced at an online live event after Giving Tuesday with participating nonprofits at the Community Foundation headquarters.

“This is a great opportunity for nonprofits to mobilize their supporters and rally them around their organization,” said CFNEM Marketing Communications Director Christine Hitch. “The more enthusiastically they promote their nonprofit for Giving Tuesday and utilize the tools we give them, particularly through social media, the more donations they are likely to receive.”

Hitch notes that while Giving Tuesday Northeast Michigan is primarily an online giving event, donors are welcome to drop off checks at the CFNEM offices at 100 N. Ripley, Suite F, in Alpena. Checks must be dropped off on Tuesday in order to be counted as a Giving Tuesday donation. CFNEM will have a dropbox right outside the office’s door for those dropping off donations. Receipts will be sent by mail.

To learn more about northeast Michigan’s participation in Giving Tuesday, or to join in the celebration of giving, please visit: www.cfnem.org; or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan; or on Instagram @CFNEM.

Local organizations participating in the Giving Tuesday campaign through the CFNEM include:

¯ Alcona Community Schools

¯ Alcona Humane Society

¯ Alpena Area Senior Citizens Council

¯ Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library

¯ Alpena Gymnastics

¯ Art in the Loft

¯ Association of Lifelong Learners

¯ Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan

¯ Boys and Girls Club of Alpena

¯ Child and Family Services of NE Michigan

¯ Children’s Advocacy Center of NE Michigan

¯ Friends of APlex Courts

¯ Friends of Negwegon State Park

¯ Friends of Plaza Pool

¯ Friends of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary

¯ Friends Together

¯ Girl Scouts of Michigan Shore to Shore

¯ Habitat for Humanity Northeast Michigan

¯ HeadWaters Land Conservancy

¯ Hope Shores Alliance

¯ Huron Humane Society

¯ Northeast Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative

¯ Partners in Prevention

¯ Presque Isle District Library

¯ Presque Isle Township Museum Society

¯ Sunrise Mission, Inc.

¯ Thunder Bay Arts Council

¯ Thunder Bay River Center, Inc.

¯ Thunder Bay Theatre

¯ Top of Michigan Trails Council

¯ Northeast Michigan Women’s Giving Circle (WGC)

¯ CFNEM Community Impact Fund.