WyoGives provides nonprofits coordinated way to raise money

CHEYENNE (WNE) — The Wyoming Nonprofit Network has created a program called Wyo-Gives that accentuates these traits through a 24-hour day of giving once a year in July.

The program, created in 2017 and executed for the first time in 2020, allows residents, businesses and other organizations to visit the WyoGives website, wyogives.org, at any point from 12 a.m.-11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, July 10, to donate to any of the nonprofit( s) listed.

Jody Shields, the Wyoming Nonprofit Network’s executive director, said donors can choose from a list of over 380 nonprofits located throughout Wyoming and donate any amount of money they’d like.

“We really started it as a way to bring the state together, to raise funds for Wyoming’s nonprofits, and to raise awareness about what they’re doing in our communities across the state,” Shields said. “It’s really a day of celebration and shining a light on that.”

WyoGives has grown over the past five years, Shields said. In 2020, there were 130 participating nonprofits and $571,000 in donations. In 2023, there were 329 nonprofits with a little over $4 million raised.

Each participating nonprofit has to pay a registration fee of $100 to $350 and put in their own marketing for the campaign, but Shields said the return on investment greatly outweighs the fee.

“It’s a way to collectively gain from this awareness, and for all the participating organizations to be able to raise funds in a collective and collaborative way,” Shields said.

This story was published on July 6, 2024.