YORK COUNTY, Pa. — Give Local York, a day of philanthropy designed to support the nonprofits helping people right in your own community, will take place from May 4 to 5.
The event kicks off tonight. Once the clock hits 9 p.m., the donation window will be open for 24 hours.
FOX43 highlighted several of the nonprofits that will benefit from the donations in the weeks leading up to the event.
Those interesting in supporting any of the participating organizations can donate via credit card, bank transfer or mobile payment methods such as Apple Pay, Google Pay or Microsoft Pay. Anyone who has these services enabled on their device can text "GIVE" to 717-251-5003 to donate in this fashion.
In-person donations can also be made by cash or check by coordinating directly with the nonprofit you wish to support. More details on how to donate can be found on Give Local York's FAQ page.
Nonprofits can earn prizes for donor milestones, such as being the first to receive a donation when the window opens or receiving the most support over a one-hour period.
Kate Harmon, Give Day coordinator, says that this year, Give Local York set a donor goal instead of a monetary goal. They hope to see 12,000 different donors support nonprofits in York County.
Another change this year is that the event will take place from 9 p.m. on May 4 to 9 p.m. on May 5. In previous years, the giving ran from midnight to midnight.
"We really thought it was a great opportunity to change things up, get more people involved and also really tap into Thursday too... It's a great chance for people to be at businesses twice, restaurants twice and extend it and make it more of a party," Harmon said.
This year, there are a record 333 nonprofits participating in the event. Harmon says that half of the organizations are considered extra small or small nonprofits, and some have never participated in online giving.
Give Local York will be at First Friday tomorrow to provide live music, celebrate with nonprofits, encourage last-minute donations and reveal the final donation total at 9 p.m. Forty to 50 nonprofits will be at the Beaver Street square from 5 to 9 p.m.
For more details on what Give Local York is all about, instructions on how to make a donation and the full list of nonprofits that will benefit, click here. A printable list of the participating organizations can also be found here.