At the beginning of April 2017, nine specialists from Bulgarian NGOs took part in a one-week trip to Denver, capital city of Colorado. During their visit, the fundraisers met with representatives of various American organizations and examined local examples of fundraising campaigns.
The trip was attended by representatives of For Our Children Foundation, the Bulgarian Fund for Women, WWF – Bulgaria, The World of Maria Foundation, Bcause Foundation, Muzeiko, TimeHeroes, Bulgarian Donors Forum, and the National Network for Children. The experience of meeting and exchanging ideas with good American examples of NGO funding in Denver is part of America for Bulgaria Foundation’s effort to support NGOs in Bulgaria in expanding their ability to diversify their sources of funding.
One of the most impressive initiatives was the Colorado Gives Day, where on a single day, residents of Colorado donate money to organizations and causes. Colorado has promoted this day for seven years, with each consecutive year reporting revenue growth. The most recent Colorado Gives Day gathered donations of nearly $34 million! There is a website where an e-shop has information about various non-governmental organizations and their causes.
Donors can choose the NGO’s who best meet their interests or inspire them and donate online an amount at their discretion. Most often, an individual donates $100, allocating the money among three to five organizations. The Colorado Gives Day website is open all year round and users have the opportunity to donate at any time, but the idea of donating is promoted specifically on that day. The site lists the efforts of nearly 2000 NGOs as well as details of the organizers.
The awareness-raising element in setting up such an event was taken further by developing a version of the website for children, Kids for Coloradogives.org. Through various games and opportunities to donate, children are introduced to the idea of donation from the earliest age.
