Agencies and nonprofits that want to participate in Seward County Gives this May should plan to send representatives to a kick-off meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 1, in Seward.
The agency information session will be at noon in the lower level of the Seward Civic Center, with lunch provided.
The inaugural Seward County Gives event in 2022 raised just over $162,000 for 24 organizations, with online fundraising and in-person giving stations as well as informational events throughout the five-day effort.
This year’s week of giving will be run in a similar fashion, with a few tweaks.
Misty Ahmic, one of the volunteer organizers of the event, said the Feb. 1 meeting will give those interested an idea of what they need to do to participate.
“Applications will be due March 1. Everyone will be notified pretty quickly if they’re a yes or a no. Then, they can start building their portal for their online site,” Ahmic said.
Each organization will have a webpage to showcase the project for which they are raising money through a written description and photos.
The goal is to have those pages completed a few weeks before the giving begins on May 1 so donors can decide what projects they want to support.
Giving will run through May 5, with donors able to contribute to each project online or through in-person giving stations.
Ahmic said just a few in-person drop boxes will be available, likely at local banks, compared to the 20 stations last year.
The Seward County Gives board also is planning an agency fair during the week, where organizations will showcase their projects on the courthouse square in Seward.
“We think it will be good so people can come out and learn about all the organizations at once,” Ahmic said.
The board is comprised of volunteers from Seward, Utica, Milford, Beaver Crossing and Pleasant Dale. Its members represent different sectors throughout the county, including veterans, nonprofits, fire and rescue, municipalities and more.
Board members are Ahmic, Shane Baack, Travis Meyer, Steph Meyer, Sharon Powell, Mindy Burns, Marissa Pfile, Katie Wergin, Preston Stuhr and Joey Carder.
The event is run in connection with the Legacy Fund for Seward County. There is no limit to the number of organizations that may participate.
Applications, as well as donor match sponsor forms, are available at sewardcountylegacy.org/seward-county-gives.
An RSVP for the agency information session is required by Jan. 30 by emailing misty@sewardcountygives.com or responding to the “2023 Participation Meeting” event on the Seward County Gives Facebook page.
