Erie Gives is Two Weeks Away!

July 31, 2024


The Erie Community Foundation Announces All That is NEW for ERIE GIVES 2024 New Partners! New Hours! Much More!

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From left to right: Erin Fessler (ECF), Jennifer Weigold Geertson (Erie Insurance),Shateria Franklin (Destiny of our Daughters, Inc. Founder), & Avery Sontheimer (Avery's Pawsitive Change Pet Food Pantry), Karen Bilowith (ECF), Steve Weiser (ECF).

With the support of corporate and community partners, The Erie Community Foundation announced many new changes to the 14th Annual Erie Gives 2024, which will take place on Tuesday, August 13th.

“We are excited about the 14th annual event! Every day at The Erie Community Foundation we inspire, engage and empower donors and communities to create a united, vibrant region for all,” said Erie Community Foundation President & CEO Karen Bilowith. “Erie Gives meets that mission, inspiring thousands of donors, engaging corporate and community partners and empowering hundreds of nonprofits, all leading to a healthier, more economically vibrant and culturally rich community.”

What’s new for Erie Gives?

  1. New Logo! The modernized logo represents The Erie Community Foundation in the center (navy color) surrounded by the colors of the four regional affiliates in Corry, Findley Lake, North East, and Union City and the Emerging Erie Fund, Erie Women’s Fund and LGBT Fund.

  1. New hours! To accommodate donors in different time zones and donors who work second and third shifts, the Erie Gives website will be open from midnight to midnight! The Erie Community Foundation and the Nonprofit Partnership staff will provide phone support, as always, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (814-454-0843)

  1. New relationships!
    1. Since April, The Country Fair Charity Pumps are dedicated to raise dollars for Erie Gives. The consumer/donor receives .13 off per gallon and .02 of every gallon will be donated to Erie Gives, which will be shared evenly. As of mid-June, Country Fair reported raising $55,000, to date, for Erie Gives.
    2. Effective August 6th through August 13th, Erie Apparel will sell Erie Gives t-shirts as part of their Good Cause program. Forty percent of proceeds will benefit Erie Gives nonprofits.

  1. New headquarters! The Erie Gives phone bank will be in “The Barn”— the newest building on The Erie Community Foundation campus giving the staff more space to better serve donors.

  1. New nonprofits! As of today, 500 nonprofits are registered and 25 are new. From housing the unhoused, feeding our hungry neighbors, educating our young, assisting our seniors, sheltering lost animals or improving our quality of life through arts and culture---Erie Gives supports a variety of causes.

  1. New sponsors! All our original sponsors are back, and new partners joined us to support the Bonus Bucks pro-rated match pool including LECOM Health, Logistics Plus and VNET. Plus, we now have in-kind support from Printing Concepts, LECOM Radio, Talk Erie and CAM.

Over its 13-year history, Erie Gives has raised over $56.6M for local nonprofits. The year 2024 marks the 14th anniversary of Erie Gives, which was first introduced in 2011 to celebrate the Foundation’s 75th anniversary. Erie Gives provides vital financial support to nonprofits and helps nonprofits cultivate lasting relationships with new donors.

“As of today, 500 nonprofits are registered for Erie Gives and 25 are new to Erie Gives,” Bilowith added. During the press conference, Bilowith introduced the corporate partners for Erie Gives Bonus Bucks pro-rated match pool.

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Those sponsors include:

Erie Community Foundation, Erie Insurance, Wabtec, Country Fair, Presque Isle Downs and Casino, Knox Law, UBS The Murphy Advisory Group, Logistics Plus, ERIEBANK, Printing Concepts, LECOM Health, Talk Erie, CAM, National Fuel, Custom Engineering Co., GEEDC-Greater Erie Economic Development Corporation, Bill and Becky Hilbert and VNET Fiber.

“Their collective support has generated a remarkable BONUS BUCKS match pool of $480,000!” Bilowith said. “Those dollars will be distributed to the participating nonprofits based on percentages of dollars raised at the end of the day.”

The Foundation also recognized the community partners who provide the hourly extra incentives for Erie Gives. Throughout the day, Erie Gives nonprofits will be randomly selected to receive $500 grants, which will total $6,500 provided by

Altair Real Estate, Erie Beer, LECOM Health, MacDonald Illig, Marquette Savings Bank, Merrill-Pfeffer/Stockard/Cacchione/Bauer Wealth Management Group, Red Letter Hospitality and SKM & Co.

The Erie Community Foundation representatives announced the details of the Parking Lot Party, which will take place on Erie Gives, Tuesday, August 13th from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. During that timeframe, donors can enjoy lunch from the food truck, Food for Thought, which is coordinated by students from the Charter School of Excellence, take photos with local Erie mascots to post on social media, enjoy fun yard games with co-workers and other community-minded members, see performances by local bands and cheerleaders and drop off any last-minute check donations.

Donors also can submit the name of a favorite nonprofit to win a random drawing of a $500 grant, compliments of LECOM Health, which will take place on Facebook live at 1:30 p.m.

The community-spirited day of giving always takes place the second Tuesday in August online at www.ErieGives.org, and at the Foundation, 459 West 6th Street, where donors can drop off checks in support of their favorite nonprofits. Donors can give online, by check or by using their IRA’s RMD.

Erie Gives has raised over $56.5 Million for local nonprofits as follows:

Year

Nonprofit

Donors

Amount Raised

2011

212

2,770

$776,435

2012

257

3,843

$1,233,888

2013

301

4,613

$1,738,236

2014

313

5,465

$2,271,693

2015

336

6,466

$2,843,371

2016

354

7,395

$3,451,087

2017

374

7,685

$4,427,877

2018

386

7,945

$4,471,123

2019

393

8,976

$5,569,161

2020

422

11,482

$6,358,146

2021

438

10,808

$7,057,176

2022

467

11,234

$8,178,207

2023

492

10,234

$8,269,362

For more information about Erie Gives 2024, including how to participate and support favorite nonprofits, please visit ErieGives.org.

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The Erie Community Foundation’s mission is to inspire, engage and empower donors and communities across the region, today and tomorrow. We envision a united, vibrant and thriving region for all.

The Foundation signed the Nonprofit Partnership’s Diversity Equity & Inclusion Pledge in 2019 to demonstrate our commitment to our community. To learn more visit www.ErieCommunityFoundation.org.