Giving Tuesday marks the start of CoMoGives to support non-profits across Mid-Missouri

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Giving Tuesday marks the start of CoMoGives, a nearly decade long program dedicated to raising funds for non-profits across Mid-Missouri.

This year marks the ninth campaign of CoMoGives and the program that started with 30 organizations and raising $62,400 has now turned into 148 organizations and last year raised $1.6 million.

John Baker, executive director for Community Foundation of Central Missouri and founder of the CoMoGives campaign, said as of one o'clock on the first day of the 2021 campaign, the program has already collected $190,000.

"A lot of times it's these nonprofit organizations that step up, they have the people who have the heart, the willingness, the person power, and they ask for money to help you know make it work, and people give because they want to see that stuff in their communities," Baker said.

Baker says the program is done virtually and donors can go to the CoMoGives website to see all of the non-prrofits to donate to.

Donors can make a single donation to one or a numerous number of organizations from Nov. 30 till Dec. 31.

Once the donation is made to a specific organization, that nonprofit has the freedom to spend the money however it chooses.

Voluntary Action Center has been apart of this program since it began eight years ago. Director of VAC, Ed Stansberry, says last year the non-profit raised the most it ever has with 56,000 and this year the goal is set to $40,000.

"We use those funds to provide the basic needs services that we do here at back," Stansbury said. VAC is set to use these funds for things like its food bank and hotel/motel assistance.

Salvation Army raised $30,000 last year through the CoMoGives program prompting them to set the bar higher this year and shoot for $35,000.

"We have lots of families who come in and it's important to us to be able to help them put a really nice Christmas dinner on their table but also to have toys and gifts for the children and warm clothing and those kinds of things," said Curtiss Hartley with Salvation Army.

Central Missouri Community Action has been involved with the program for the past five years and have set their goal at $50,000 this year.

"I like to say that the focus of our work is really on children. So, we want to make sure that children are ready for school and that they are in stable households that their parents are doing well and can support them," said Darin Preis with CMCA. "The funding we're raising really fills gaps, so if we have a family that's enrolled in headstart and they need help with rent one month, we can help help with rent, if they need supplies for their house, we can help them with that."

Coyote Hill also set a goal of $30,000 and by 5:30 p.m. on the first day of the program, they have already raised more than half of that.

"Coyote Hill exists to get children in foster care a safe place to be a child and we are supporting over 80 families across our Mid-Missouri area, serving over 130 children in those homes," said Kari Hopkins with Coyote Hill.

Hill says the non-profit wants to pour this money into programs to restore families, raise up greater connections and advocate for foster families.

Baker says with each non-profit doing their own part of the process in spreading the word to get donors, it is actually helping all of them.

"It's a collaborative effort because people find that once they get to the website and they went there get to their one organization that they have decided to give to, they then say, oh look all this other great stuff is happening. I'm going to give to this, that, and that as well," Baker said.

This year, its goal is to raise $1.25 million.