Frequently Asked Questions

Nonprofits

If you are unsure about your organizations eligibility or have questions about your application, please message us in the chat box in the lower right hand corner of the page. You can also contact Niko Galvez, the Campaign Director by email at niko@longbeachgives.org or phone at 562-645-6476. 

Yes.

All nonprofit organizations must apply every year.

Yes, you must have a program site within the city limits of Long Beach and/or provide services to Long Beach residents to be eligible for Long Beach Gives.

An example of a program site can include an administration office in Torrance that provides after-school services at several LBUSD locations. Another example is a domestic violence shelter located at an undisclosed address but is active in the Long Beach social services network and receives many referrals from the Long Beach area (please note the application does not ask for any identifying information of clients).

These scenarios are just to serve as examples of how organizations outside of Long Beach are eligible and not inclusive of ALL eligibility parameters. If you think there may be some confusion about your services to the Long Beach community, please contact us, so we can discuss your eligibility and/or how to best complete your application to reflect your services to the Long Beach community.

An independent selection panel will choose from eligible organizations that submit applications by the deadline. Due to capacity limitation, some organizations will not be selected even though they may meet the criteria. Successful participants will be selected that: 

  • Represent a range of organizations from grassroots to national in scope, diversified funding base, variety of program types, fund development experience, program capacity, social media expertise, number of years delivering services, impact and demand of mission critical services. 
  • Represent a variety of populations served by your programs and services, including but not limited to,  age, race, zip code, and diverse communities.
  • Present a compelling appeal to donors.

Long Beach Gives is an exciting opportunity for nonprofits to leverage their fundraising efforts by capitalizing on the energy, publicity, and branding of a citywide campaign that encourages the community to give where they live, work and play. What sets Long Beach Gives apart from other giving days, is the level of support, training and mentorship provided to  participating nonprofits in building online philanthropy efforts and capacity. These skills focus on reaching new donors and increasing the number and amount of online donations.

The benefits of participating in Long Beach Gives Day extends well beyond the 24-hour giving period. Join a citywide movement on this inspired day of giving for Long Beach nonprofits to raise unrestricted dollars to support their mission critical services.

In conjunction with The Nonprofit Partnership, Long Beach Gives provides relevant training sessions, recorded webinars, social media mentorship and shares useful resource materials that equip them with marketing and digital philanthropy tools and techniques that support their fundraising efforts throughout the year.

Long Beach Gives provides an array of trainings, workshops and online resources for participants that cater to all levels, from novice to advanced marketers and fundraisers, to ensure you have the tools and resources to run a successful giving day. Additionally, many of our participants found the social media and marketing training tremendously helped their fundraising plans for year-round giving!

The  training schedule will be provided to selected participants at the orientation. Below is an example of the learning opportunities available to participants:

  • Marketing Bootcamp – Marketing strategy and online campaign development
  • Developing Your Story – Writing case statement and learning the craft of storytelling
  • Creating Digital Assets – Creating video and photography content for social media
  • Building A Following for Campaign Success – Increasing your social media presence
  • Building Your Team of Peer Fundraisers – How to recruit and support volunteer peer fundraisers
  • Facilitated Workgroups on a Successful Long Beach Gives Campaign – Join your fellow Long Beach Gives Champions and member(s) of the Long Beach Gives team for collaborative, hands-on workgroups to develop your content calendar, social media posts, email campaigns and more. 

There are no fees asked of nonprofits to participate, however, for contributions made through longbeachgives.org there is a 6% fee. This fee includes credit card, transaction, platform, and Long Beach Gives fees. Donors may choose to cover the 6% fee during the checkout process, increasing their donation by 6%.

Participants are highly encouraged to obtain an Organization Membership with The Nonprofit Partnership. Annual membership dues include all this and more and start at only $125 per year, based on your organization’s annual budget. Find out more and apply for membership HERE. Membership includes access to year-round benefits such as:

  • Training and workshop discounts
  • Networking events
  • Job postings
  • Free use of the Foundation Directory (a $1,295 value!)
  • Invitations to ongoing “members only” affinity groups
  • Priority notification of opportunities of interest to nonprofit groups including organizational resources and fundraising leads
  • Tangible connection to the greater nonprofit community conferred by membership in The Nonprofit Partnership.

 

Nonprofits will receive all online donations within 30-45 days of the event.

Participating nonprofits will have access to their own Long Beach Gives dashboard for donation tracking information in real-time as well as the donor’s contact information so you can thank your donors appropriately.

The Long Beach Gives fundraising platform sends an automatic donation acknowledgement with the donation amount(s) and name of the nonprofit(s).  As a best practice, we request that nonprofits send a donation acknowledgment and thank you for each donation (see below). 

Yes! Long Beach Gives recommends you send a thank you/acknowledgement, which includes your address, tax identification number, the amount of the donation.  A sample letter can be found in the campaign guide, but we encourage you to be creative!

Last year many donations came from donors making their first-ever gift to the organizations they supported. A heartfelt thank you can be a key strategy in turning a donor from a one time Long Beach Gives supporter to a regular investor in your cause. Thanking your donor this year and developing a relationship with them over the year may encourage them to set up their own peer fundraising page! Some donor-centered best practices include a short turnaround time in acknowledging donations, stories and statistics that demonstrate impact, and clarity on how their gift will be put to use. Thanking donors is also a great way to engage your board in fundraising with an evening of thank you calls or the opportunity to send hand-written notes to your Long Beach Gives supporters.

If an organization actively solicits for contributions from outside of California (individual donors, foundations, and/or corporations via email, post, phone, or text), they should check with that state’s guidelines to see if registration is required and comply.

If an organization receives a contribution from outside of California (individual donors, foundations, and/or corporations) at or above $250, it is recommended that the organization check with that state’s guidelines to see if registration is required and comply. 

It is suggested that nonprofit organizations discuss this further with their finance department for guidelines.

Donors

Long Beach Gives provides an easy-to-use platform for donors to search, support, and donate directly to their favorite nonprofit(s). Each nonprofit organization provides a summary of the designated program or area where your donation will be directed.

This year Long Beach Gives is Thursday, September 23, 2021 from 12:00am to midnight. 

However, to give nonprofits and donors more opportunities to give, the donation button is live for Early Giving on Thursday, September 16th at 12am through Extended Giving which ends on Friday, September 24th at 10am.

One of the primary goals of Long Beach Gives is to activate community members, business owners and employees,  along with local residents to support nonprofits. Businesses and  foundations can join the Long Beach Gives campaign through various opportunities such as sponsorships, setting up employees matching programs, or hosting virtual  and creative events at your restaurant or business! 

We are forever grateful to our founding sponsors who believed in the value and mission of Long Beach Gives in its first year including the Josephine S. Gumbiner Foundation, the Rudolph J. and Daphne A. Munzer Foundation, Crail-Johnson Foundation, Laserfiche, and the Port of Long Beach. Last year was the second annual Long Beach Gives and the outpouring of support raised $1.7 million for over 150 nonprofits. 

Long Beach Gives is fiscally sponsored by The Nonprofit Partnership, a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization. Contact Niko Galvez, Campaign Director at niko@longbeachgives.org to see how you can become a sponsor for Long Beach Gives.

Join a citywide movement on this inspired day of giving for Long Beach nonprofits to raise unrestricted dollars to support their mission critical services. Donations will be increased through the use of agency specific matching dollars and prizes from individuals, families, businesses, donors and foundations throughout Long Beach.

One of the primary goals of Long Beach Gives is to activate community members, business owners and employees,  along with local residents to support various community based organizations. Last year was the second annual  Long Beach Gives and the outpouring of support raised  over $1.7 million for over 150+ participating nonprofits.

Yes! Most donors give to more than one organization. Long Beach Gives has a shopping cart feature, allowing you to donate to multiple organizations in a single transaction. Just choose “View Additional Nonprofits” instead of “Checkout.”

All major credit cards are accepted. An e-check (ACH) option, requiring you to enter your banking account information, is also available. Checks or cash contributions should be sent directly to the nonprofit of your choice.

Yes, Long Beach Gives emails all donors a transaction receipt for their donation(s) within minutes of their transaction. Donors will also receive a follow-up acknowledgement from the selected nonprofit(s). Please contact the nonprofit directly regarding an acknowledgement of your donation.

The fee on contributions made through longbeachgives.org is 6%. During the donation process, you will be asked if you would like to cover this fee for your chosen nonprofit(s). If you select yes, 6% will be added to your total. Your entire contribution is tax deductible, including the processing fee!

Yes, please ask your employer to send the donation directly to the nonprofit(s) you are supporting.

ATTN Employers: Please contact Niko at niko@longbeachgives.org or 562-645-6476 if you would like to partner with Long Beach Gives and set up an employee matching effort on behalf of your company.

The nonprofit will only receive your name, donation amount, email and mailing address. If you would prefer your donation to be anonymous, check that box on the website donation form.

If possible, please contact the nonprofit(s) you selected to receive your donation prior to the annual giving day to make arrangements. We will still happily receive donations on the annual giving day, so please contact your nonprofit(s) of choice.

Starting on Thursday, September 16, 2021 a donor can visit the website and make an early gift. Early gifts are processed on a donor’s credit card immediately, but may not reflect on the organization’s goal thermometer until after 12am on September 23, 2021.

Millennials, Xennials, and Gen Z volunteer and donate differently than their parents’ generation. One of our campaign goals is to provide an actionable way for younger generations to build a relationship with a nonprofit that aligns with their sense of social consciousness.

Yes, donations begin at $5.00. We love support of any kind. In 2020, Long Beach Gives received over 8,518 individual donations ranging from $5 to $25k.

Peer Fundraisers

Peer Fundraisers are members of the community, board members, or businesses who raise funds on behalf of causes they care about. They create custom fundraising pages on the Long Beach Gives website and share their personal fundraising appeal to their network of friends and family. Last year, these individuals, families, and groups of supporters helped to raise over $609,343 to lift up their neighbors and celebrate causes they believe in.

Long Beach Gives believes that when we all come together, anything is possible. With over a quarter of all online donations deriving from peer fundraisers, this type of fundraising is more important than ever. We encourage you to involve your biggest believers like staff, advocates, activists, volunteers, board of directors, patrons and clients. They are your greatest campaign supporters!

Peer fundraisers can begin signing up to raise essential funds for their cause in Summer 2021. We will provide instructions and online live and pre-recorded webinar trainings to help you create your peer-to-peer pages. Please subscribe to our mailing list if you would like to be notified when the peer pages are available and to be notified about FREE trainings on setting up peer fundraising pages.

Yes!

We will provide several resources to help guide and inspire your peer fundraisers. They will be provided with their own live (and pre-recorded webinar) to help them set up their peer pages and support in promoting their nonprofit(s) of choice. We will also provide participating organizations with resources and tips on recruiting and setting up your peer fundraiser for success!

About Us

Long Beach Gives is an annual, citywide giving day that provides an easy and fun way for our entire city to give together. It helps generous donors and innovative nonprofits come together to improve the quality of life and create positive change for Long Beach. The goal of Long Beach Gives is to inspire individuals and businesses in our community to come together to make a difference in the exemplary work of nonprofits making a difference in Long Beach.

Last year was the second annual Long Beach Gives and the outpouring of support raised over $1.7 million for 150+ local nonprofit organizations. Long Beach Gives is returning on Thursday, September 23, 2021 with a $2 million dollar goal and 200+ nonprofits!

This year Long Beach Gives will take place on Thursday, September 23, 2021 from 12:00am to midnight.

However, to give nonprofits and donors more opportunities to give Early Giving begins on Thursday, September 16th at 12am and Extended Giving ends Friday, September 24th at 10am.

Long Beach Gives started as a graduate school project by Julie Meenan, the Executive Director of the Josephine S. Gumbiner Foundation (JSGF). With the support of the JSGF Board and in collaboration with The Nonprofit Partnership, a Steering Committee was formed in March 2018. These members included: Long Beach Community Foundation, Munzer Foundation, The California Endowment, and Arts Council for Long Beach. Along with the Josephine S. Gumbiner Foundation, these foundations supported this new online, citywide fundraising effort.

The Steering Committee continues to seek additional funding and sponsorship to grow the number of agencies that can participate, the number of new donors we can reach through promotional efforts, and the number of marketing trainings we can provide for participating organizations.

Long Beach Gives is fiscally sponsored by The Nonprofit Partnership, a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization.

While Long Beach Gives is an annual, online, fundraising effort located at www.longbeachgives.org, our team of year-round champions for nonprofits and digital philanthropy is located right here in Long Beach, California! 

Long Beach Gives is located at 333 W. Broadway, Suite 312, Long Beach, CA 90802. The Campaign Director, Niko Galvez can be contacted at niko@longbeachgives.org.

One of the primary goals of Long Beach Gives is to activate community members, business owners and employees, along with local residents to support various community based organizations. Last year was the second year of Long Beach Gives and the outpouring of support helped surpass our first year’s fundraising total by 116% with over $1.7 million in donation for 154 nonprofits.

Follow Long Beach Gives on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

You can also subscribe to our mailing list. During the months leading up to Long Beach Gives Day, email communication will increase but we promise we will only send the most useful and exciting news about this year’s giving day.

Participating organizations will be on a separate mailing list and communications will be filled with critical information regarding campaign updates, deadlines, and exciting opportunities and events promoting Long Beach Gives. Visit the Campaign Resources page* frequently as it will contain updates on a consistent basis with important marketing materials, and toolkits. *This page is only available to participating nonprofits. Please contact your organization’s Champion for the password.

Learn more about all that is behind a gives day

Terminology guide

A specific response or ‘action’ you want to elicit from your audience, i.e.
Donate, Volunteer, Register, Share, Like, Comment. Also known as a CTA and often shown as a button on a webpage or an overlay in fundraising event videos.

A member of your organization who has committed to leading the Long Beach Gives fundraising campaign effort. This can include mobilizing other staff and board members, attending training sessions, and implementing your strategy.

A story describing how a client came to need your services and the impact of those services on their life.

Your nonprofit or peer fundraiser’s fundraising link to share within emails, social media, on your website, etc., so anyone who sees the link can easily access the resource. It will look like this “https://www.donate.longbeachgives.org/nonprofit-name” or “https://www.donate.longbeachgives.org/peer-fundraiser-name“.

Make this customized URL something your potential donors will search for you. For example, don’t call your fundraising page “/my-favorite-fundraiser-of-the-year” or “/join-me-in-raising-money-for-my-favorite-nonprofit”.

Keep it unique and simple by customizing your URL to include the nonprofit name (or acronym) and for peer fundraisers it should include their first and last name, since the system won’t allow you to have duplicate URLs like several “/join-me-in-fundraising-for-long-beach-gives”. 

Here are a few examples:

  • https://www.donate.longbeachgives.org/boys-and-girls-club-of-long-beach OR 
  • https://www.donate.longbeachgives.org/bgclb
  • https://www.donate.longbeachgives.org/jon-duke-loves-bgclb (peer fundraiser page)

A story describing how a donor was positively affected by supporting your organization and the impact of that support on your organization’s work. Use the hashtag #WhyIGive for these posts on your social media accounts.

Early giving begins on September 16, 2021 at 12:00 am and ends on Wednesday, September, 22, 2021 at midnight. Early giving offers nonprofits and their peer fundraisers additional time to encourage donations, recruit peer fundraisers to help meet their fundraising goal, and to gain momentum for the big day on September 23.

Displaying a form or video within a web page so that people can access it without having to go to the site that hosts it (i.e., donation form, YouTube or Vimeo video).

The number of viewers, donors, comments and/or registrants and their interactions with your content on social media. Often calculated as a percentage of the total audience.

The method by which you track the number of viewers, donors, comments and/or registrants for your social media.

  • Comments – What viewers write online in response to a livestream, video or post.
  • Likes – A form of communication, typically an emoji, on social media and broadcast sites like YouTube allowing users to signal their feelings, validation, approval, or disapproval, with a single click (thumbs up, heart, smile).
  • Page Views – The number of times a web page has been viewed.
  • Unique Views – The number of unique individuals who have viewed a web page. For example, if an individual clicks 5 times on a link, the server will record 5 views and 1 unique view.

While the official gives day ends at midnight on September 23rd, nonprofits are provided a time-buffer until Friday, September 24, 2021 at 10:00 am to make corrections and ensure all donations are entered into the system.

On the Long Beach Gives website, each organization and peer fundraiser creates a profile for themselves, containing information used to create their public facing campaign page. This provides potential donors the information to learn your fundraising story and any fundraising goals that you have. Personal testimonials and photos help inform potential donors as well!

The use of game thinking and mechanics to engage viewers and create interaction during the gives. Can also be when you do a stunt or something special when reaching a goal or milestone, such as jumping in a lake or shaving your head. The leaderboard is an example of system-wide gamification that shows the total number of dollars raised by each nonprofit and peer fundraiser.

Gives days (or giving days) can be a 24-hour period or longer and is a great on-line, crowdfunding event to acquire new donors, kick-off year end giving, or motivate your supporters to donate to a cause they are passionate about!

A word or phrase preceded by a pound sign or hash sign (#); used on social media sites and applications to identify digital content on a specific topic.

A large image prominently placed at the top of your fundraising page, generally front and center, and displaying across the entire screen.

Leaderboards are designed as a way to bring an element of competition to Long Beach Gives by highlighting recent donations, highest donations, most donations, prizes awarded, and more.

To transmit or broadcast an event on the internet while it is taking place in  real-time; also known as livestream or stream.

A matching fund is a $1 to $1 donation match raised with the support of a sponsor or donor (or a pool of donors). If your organization secures a donor who agrees to match up to $xx.xx, other donors can participate in donating with the understanding that their donation will be matched. The Challenge then is to reach the maximum amount of donations to earn the full matched donation.

The celebration of reaching a specific goal by triggering a response, gift or event.

For example, when reaching 50 donors you unlock a special video, if you raise $xx.xx the board of directors will sing a song or fireworks appear on the in-person thermometer.

Community donors are able to contribute for Long Beach Gives and still have their contribution count toward their organization’s goal. Please see more information on our FAQ webpage and the updated policy will be sent to you before the gives day.

An individual, member(s) of the community, board member(s), team(s), or business(es) who raises funds on behalf of causes they care about. They create custom fundraising pages for a specific organization on the Long Beach Gives website and share their personal fundraising appeal to their unique network of friends and family. Peer fundraisers may also be called peer-to-peer fundraisers, P2P, fundraisers, FUNdraisers, etc.

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333 W. Broadway, Suite 312

Long Beach, CA 90803

Call us at (562) 645-6476

Email us at info@longbeachgives.org

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