Make A Difference

Generosity takes many forms! In addition to making financial contributions to the causes you and your loved ones love most, you can make a difference in our community by volunteering, donating goods or extra supplies, and even reaching out to your neighbors to share gratitude and grow the giving spirit.

Spread the Word

It's so simple and so, so meaningful. When you share with your friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors why you care for local nonprofits and their work, you make a difference. Give your favorite causes a shout-out on social media (share their posts or tag them!), in conversations with friends, and — why not?! — around the dinner table with family. When you do, you invite others to think about good causes and plant the seed that they can get involved, too.

Need ideas? Here are some sample posts that you can share on social media:

• Giving back to help others is important to me. [Nonprofit] is a cause that's close to my heart, because [reasons]. I encourage you to think about the causes that matter to you and your loved ones, and share them, too!
• Let's spread generosity! [Nonprofit] is a cause that's close to my heart, because [reasons]. I challenge [tag your friends] to share what causes they care about next!

Another idea we love is to center conversations with family, friends, and loved ones around generosity. Consider these sample conversation starters for your next gathering, group chat, book club, and more:

• What cause is close to your heart? Do you have a lifelong love for a particular cause? Have you been introduced to new causes recently?
• What's your earliest memory of volunteering? 
• Do you remember the first donation you ever made? What did it support?
• What does "generosity" mean to you? Who's modeled that behavior in your life? Who inspires you to live with a generous spirit?

Volunteer

Research has shown that volunteering can help you make friends, learn new skills, and feel happier, healthier, and more connected to your community! Many of the nonprofits on GivingEdge are entirely volunteer-run or rely significantly on the kindness of volunteers to help run their programs, provide administrative support, and more. To find nonprofits with volunteer opportunities, you can visit the "Search for a Cause" page and select the "volunteer opportunities" field or go to the "Get Involved" page. You can also visit sites that aggregate volunteer opportunities, like HandsOn Sacramento and Idealist, for example.

Donate

Many organizations accept the donation of tangible goods — new or gently worn clothes or furniture, for example — to pass along to those they serve. To find nonprofits on GivingEdge that have listed donated goods among their top needs, visit the "Search for a Cause" page and click the "organization need" field. Of course, to advance their missions in our community, nonprofits need financial support, too. We encourage you to give to nonprofits working on the causes you care about — the organizations you know and love, and new nonprofits, too. There are many ways to make financial gifts:

• Give to causes you love on GivingEdge: It's easy to search the profiles of hundreds of Sacramento area nonprofits to find and support causes you care about on this website.
• Start a fundraiser: You've likely seen friends and family members host online fundraisers for nonprofits they care about to celebrate birthdays or major life events. You can do the same by clicking "Fundraise" on the page of any organization on GivingEdge. Fill out the required information and share the link with your network to let others know about your effort.
• Attend nonprofit events: Keep an eye on local event calendars to see when nonprofits in your community are holding events (virtually, or safely in-person). Attending nonprofit events can be a great way to meet new people, discover new interests, and offer financial support to a good cause.
• Establish a charitable fund: These philanthropic solutions offered by the Sacramento Region Community Foundation help many individuals, families, and businesses maximize their giving — immediately and in the long term. Learn more >>

Are there other resources we should list here? Please let us know.

Frequently Asked Questions: GivingEdge and Big Day of Giving

What is GivingEdge? What is Big Day of Giving?

Good questions! Both GivingEdge and Big Day of Giving are programs of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation that aim to connect local people with local causes and foster our community's philanthropic spirit.

• GivingEdge is this website — which is accessible via givingedge.org and bigdayofgiving.org! GivingEdge is a year-round resource for information on hundreds of local nonprofits, and the backbone of our region's annual giving day, Big Day of Giving. We built GivingEdge to help everyone in our community discover organizations that match their interests. The nonprofit profiles in the searchable database are updated annually and include information on each organization's programs, governance, financial management, impact, and more. 
• Big Day of Giving is a once-annual, day-long celebration of giving to local causes that matter to you and your loved ones! GivingEdge is the hub of activity during Big Day of Giving. Not only is it easy to find and give to participating nonprofits, but all gifts made through the website are eligible for prizes and match funds, and they're tallied in real-time! It's a super-fun 24 hours that engages our entire community. Since the first giving day in 2013, more than 50,000 donors have helped hundreds of local nonprofits raise $65 million through the effort. The next Big Day of Giving is Thursday, May 4! You can register to receive an email or text message reminder on the Foundation's website.

How do I search for a nonprofit to support?

You can search GivingEdge in a number of ways. You can use the "Find a cause to support" field on the front page or browse and filter the complete list of organizations straight from the Search for a Cause page. If you choose to make a gift, the minimum donation on GivingEdge is $15 and all major credit cards (Mastercard, Visa, Discover, American Express) are accepted. 

Where does the information in the nonprofit profiles come from?  

Profile information is provided by each nonprofit, which is required to update the information annually. The Sacramento Region Community Foundation reviews the information, including financial data, but does not guarantee the accuracy of that data, make any representation or warranties with regard to nonprofits in the database, or independently verify they are in compliance with all state and federal requirements.

How do I make donations on GivingEdge? 

Every profile on GivingEdge conveniently has a donate button! Find an organization you want to support and click "Donate." If you'd like to give to more than one nonprofit, you can fill out the amount and select "Add to cart and checkout later," then continue "exploring" more organizations to support. Once you've added all of your donations to your cart, you can click the shopping cart icon in the top right corner of the screen and enter your payment information once. The minimum donation is $15 and all major credit cards (Mastercard, Visa, Discover, American Express) are accepted.

What is the transaction fee for donations made through GivingEdge?  

The transaction fee is 5.2% for all credit card donations made through the system, which covers credit card processing and technology platform fees (4.2%), and event management fees (1%). You can opt to offset the fee; if you choose to do that, your donation will increase by 5.2%. For example, if you make a $100 gift and opt to offset the fee, your total donation will be $105.20. Learn more here.

Will the nonprofits I support receive my contact information?  

Yes, the nonprofits you support will receive your contact information. If you'd like, when you make a donation on the website, you can hide your name and donation amount from public display.

Will I receive a receipt for donations made through GivingEdge?  

Yes! An official donation tax receipt is emailed to you within minutes of the credit card donation. If you do not receive the email or you're in need of a duplicate receipt, you can log in to your donor account to access the receipt, or contact us to request a copy at givingedge@sacregcf.org or (916) 921-7723.

I made a fundraising page for a past Big Day of Giving, but I don't see it listed in my account. Can I get access to it?

Sure! In October 2021, we made some significant changes to GivingEdge and, as a result, any fundraising pages donors built before October 2021 were removed. If you'd like to see any of the information from your past fundraising pages, we are happy to help! Please contact us at givingedge@sacregcf.org.