Providing Resources for 300 Nonprofits to Thrive

For those wanting to support local charitable organizations, make sure they know all about Long Beach Gives. Since 2018, the nonprofit organization has built a platform where thousands of donors, businesses, community partners, and nonprofits have raised more than $15.7 million.

That’s happened through its annual online fundraising campaign and support services helping member nonprofits to reach their goals of bringing critical programs and services to Long Beach. Each year, on the third or fourth Thursday of September, the campaign is given an end date for a full week of fundraising events. This year, the eighth annual campaign was completed on Sept. 24, when $2,642,117 was raised through 10,606 donations going to 298 organizations.

The participating nonprofits represent 16 unique cause categories – including children, youth and families; economic development; housing and homelessness; animal care and welfare; seniors; mental health; arts and culture; and other categories. Each one of the 300-plus nonprofits that has participated since 2019 is making an impact right here in Long Beach; they could also be based in a nearby community and deliver services to those living in Long Beach.

Recent donations have gone to several nonprofits including the New Hope Grief Support Community, Fine Arts Affiliates of CSULB, WomenShelter of Long Beach, United Cambodian Community, Assistance League of Long Beach, and Partners of Parks.

July through September is a busy period for Long Beach Gives, says Carrie Eldridge, campaign and engagement manager. That’s when training programs are carried out to prepare for the campaign week in September. Three of them take place in-person and four through online virtual training sessions. Participants are given support in making their fundraisers as successful as possible, and in building strong alliances with donors and other community organizations.

Eldridge says that training them in peer-to-peer fundraising is usually the “secret sauce.” That’s where a volunteer of one of the nonprofits might start by donating a certain amount and then reaching out to colleagues to do the same. It’s been the fastest way for nonprofits to reach their goals. Volunteers can also tell their peers about a matching grants campaign, where a certain amount such as $1,000 has been donated, and the nonprofit asks its supporters to match it.

How It Got Started

Julie Meenan, executive director of the Josephine S. Gumbiner Foundation, started this organization in 2018. She’d gone back to school and studied nonprofit organizations and “giving days” fundraising events. Meenan saw that within the local nonprofit community, too much reliance had been placed on foundations for supporting nonprofits.

It’s not a sustainable, long-term solution for nonprofits seeking support to reach their goals, she discovered. These foundations may go through their own sunset period, or they may have chosen to support other nonprofits rather than yours.

Meenan created Long Beach Gives as a platform for nonprofits to share their stories and tell the community what they're doing. That was how Long Beach Gives Day was created and launched. It’s the day each year when the community turns around and gives back and supports the nonprofits that speak to them.

It’s a great opportunity for nonprofits to reach out to their friends and neighbors and share their stories about what they’ve been able to accomplish.

The COVID pandemic hit not long after Long Beach Gives had started. The years 2020 and 2021 turned out to be very good for the organization. People were stuck at home for a long period, and donating and spreading the word about Long Beach Gives built up steam during that time. Supporters definitely connected with the service opportunity that it offers, and some have continued to stay active in their support, Eldridge said.

Eldridge says that her office is regularly contacted by people who’d like to make donations and offer service hours at other times of the year. She’s able to direct them to the right organizations – or to go to the website at longbeachgives.org to read all about it. Under the Explore Long Beach Nonprofits link, you go to a list of these nonprofits, and you can open up a profile on each one of them.

The Long Beach Gives pages on Facebook and Instagram also have been great places for member nonprofits to share photos, videos, and stories about some of the inspiring work they’ve been able to do, she said.

Many fundraising events happen during the September week that create a lot of excitement, Eldridge said. The Long Beach City Council and the mayor’s office become engaged. A nonprofit might have put up billboards around town. Some of the organizations host live events during the week in September for the annual giving days.

The organization also benefits from its long list of sponsors that includes Farmers & Merchants Bank, Port of Long Beach, Miller Foundation, Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, and SCAN. The contributions fund services that Long Beach Gives provides, including training courses and prize money awarded during the annual event in September.

Long Beach Gives also works closely with The Nonprofit Partnership, which provides their office space. Michelle Byerly, executive director, and Christina Kreachbaum, director, at The Nonprofit Partnership, serve on the annual event’s steering committee.

Employers in the Long Beach area find that Long Beach Gives and its nonprofit partners provide an excellent opportunity for community service. They might schedule transportation and other resources for their employees to show up at an event and help out.

Eldridge would also like to get out the word that other nonprofits are encouraged to apply for membership. That will open up after January 1 for organizations that qualify for 501(c)3 status. They can be based outside of the city, but they do need to be serving Long Beach and its citizens.

Jon LeSage is a resident of Long Beach and a veteran business media reporter and editor. You can reach him at jtlesage1@yahoo.com.