Match Day brings in $183K
A generous community contributed $183,223.88 for the Parsons Area Community Foundation’s Match Day on Giving Tuesday last week.
Giving Tuesday is a global event that impacts the community through the PACF, which is the local avenue through which people can make tax-deductible donations to endowed funds the PACF manages for organizations.
Becky Dantic, PACF executive director, said Match Day saw 580 gifts this year to 28 funds representing 26 organizations. She said two organizations have two funds. There were five new organizations this year, which may have contributed to the increase in gifts.
The new organizations are Labette Center for Mental Health Services, Parsons Public Library, Donna’s Pet Food Pantry, Eden Early Learning Academy and Parsons Pathways to Freedom, which is raising money for a veterans memorial wall on the grounds of Parsons Municipal Building.
“I think as we continue to add those new organizations, we see those number of gifts increase, I think it’s giving those donors the ability to pick and choose something that they’re really passionate about. So being able to add some of those in just gives that next layer,” Dantic said.
She said she was pleased with Match Day.
“Every year it just seems like we learn something new and can adjust just a little bit. You really do get to see the best of the best in our community on that day. And so it’s my favorite day of the year being in this position that I’m in. You know, the organization’s getting to talk to them and hear about the things they’re doing and then talking with the donors as they’re coming in and just, you know, hearing their passion and why they want to give, it’s just really inspiring,” she said.
The PACF also had $40,000 available in match funds this year. This included $25,000 from the community foundation and a donor and another $15,000 from the Patterson Family Foundation in Kansas City, Missouri, which helps rural community foundations.
So the donations, matching funds and prizes and incentives totaled $229,373.88 from Match Day.
Dantic said offering the Labette County organizations more of a matching pool may entice more people to be involved on Match Day.
Every organization that participated in Match Day received a portion of the matching funds based on the donations they brought in. If organizations met their stated fundraising goal, they also received a $500 grant from the PACF that could be used immediately. Organizations with endowed funds in the PACF are only able to spend the annual interest.
Ten organizations met their fundraising goals on Match Day and earned the $500 PACF grant.
They were: Oak Grove School, Parsons Pathways to Freedom, Oakwood Cemetery, Labette Health, Care Cupboard, Parsons Senior Center, Labette Center for Mental Health Services, the Parsons Arboretum Foundation, Crosstimbers Food Pantry and SEK Respite Services.
“It was a great day. Couldn’t be more pleased with how the day went,” Dantic said.
She added that she was pleased with how the community stepped up again. She said she cannot thank the donors enough.
“The community we live in is so generous. I just can’t say thank you enough for them to continue to show up and meet the needs of these organizations and the people in our community.”
