It was just before midnight on Sept. 23 last year when the Big Give team logged on to kick off the annual 24-hour giving day with a Facebook live video. After months of buildup and work by them and the 400-plus participating nonprofits, they couldn’t wait to officially get things started. But when they looked to see how many people were online watching, they realized only a handful of individuals had stayed up to join them.
So, they decided to make a change.
When the Big Give returns this year on Sept. 22, it will begin at 6 p.m. and run through 6 p.m. on Sept. 23.
“That way it opens up when people are awake, and it finishes when people are awake,” says Scott McAninch, CEO of the Nonprofit Council, which organizes the Big Give.
McAninch says he consulted with other cities around the country and learned that many had experienced increased success by running their 24-hour online fundraising drives over two days, rather than one day from midnight to midnight.
Read the full article by Kathleen Perry on the San Antonio Magazine website here.
