Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - Giving Tuesday is a very special and important day for nonprofit organizations in Missoula and throughout the world to raise much-needed funds.

KGVO News spoke to Marcy Allen, Executive Director of the Missoula Community Foundation, whose stated mission is to enhance community vitality by inspiring community giving and strengthening nonprofits.

Take a Moment to Give to your Favorite Nonprofit

Allen said Giving Tuesday is a great opportunity to give to the nonprofit agency or group of your choice.

“Giving Tuesday is just such a great day,” said Allen. “It's a worldwide event that encourages giving, which is sort of the basis of what we do at the Community Foundation, but it encourages giving to your favorite causes and charities. It’s less about the nonprofits participating in the day but more about encouraging people to be generous and give back to the places where they live and the causes they care about most.”

Giving Tuesday is a Worldwide Event

Allen said Giving Tuesday is an important part of their overall fundraising effort.

“Giving Tuesday for us rolls into our end-of-year campaign which is really about acquiring some unrestricted gifts which are so important for all nonprofits,” she said. “It allows us to do our important mission-based work and not spend so much time on raising individual dollars or coming up with something shiny and new that funders want to give to.”

Allen said there are numerous ways to give to your favorite nonprofit organization.

“There are so many ways that people can give today,” she said. “They can give cash; obviously cash is sometimes king, but also people can volunteer and give their time; they can also tell their friends about their favorite nonprofits and encourage them to give. You could clean out cupboards; donate old board games to youth facilities. There are a lot of different ways that you can give but today really is about giving back to those that create essential services in our community.”

Nearly 250 Staffed Nonprofits will Benefit during Giving Tuesday

Allen said Missoula has nearly 250 nonprofits that can all use a boost on Giving Tuesday.

“There are over 240 staffed nonprofits in Missoula, so I hate to pick just one or two,” she said. “Most of them have campaigns going on today on social media. So I'm sure if you search for Giving Tuesday hashtags, you'll find a lot of local nonprofits participating in the day, but really the day is more about the donors and giving back and so I encourage anybody that wants to discover nonprofits or search for causes that they care about in the community to do so today because even a $10 or $25 gift can go a long way.”

Click here to discover more about Giving Tuesday and the Missoula Community Foundation.

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