South Dakota Giving Day hopes to raise the philanthropic bar

Amid the frenzy of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, South Dakota’s nonprofits hope shoppers will set aside some money for a new tradition: the first South Dakota Giving Day.

South Dakota Giving Day on Tuesday is a day for nonprofits to celebrate the good work they do to enrich the state’s communities and to reach out to donors for support. Statewide, nearly 400 nonprofits that assist children, seniors, veterans, animals, the arts, physical and mental health and much more will take part in Giving Day.

“Giving Day was created in response to the consumerism (of the season). We’re setting aside a day to draw attention to the important nonprofit work that happens in communities and give the public a chance to support it. Nonprofits are such a critical part of our community,” said Kelly Gibson of The Numad Group, which is helping to publicize South Dakota Giving Day.

To donate online, go to southdakotagives.org, where a complete list of participating nonprofits is provided. Donors can find their favorite, click the nonprofit’s name and access a page with a “Donate” button; 100 percent of money donated goes directly to the nonprofit.

In western South Dakota, some of the nonprofits participating in Giving Day include The Matthews Opera House and Arts Center, Northern Hills Training Center, Meade County Senior Center, Dakota Resources, Historic Homestake Opera House, Northern Hills Area CASA Program, Black Hills Playhouse, Sioux Council Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts Dakota Horizons, Lifeways, Black Hills Center for Equality, Fork Real Community Café, Allied Arts Fund, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology Foundation, Northern Plains Eye Foundation, The Club for Boys, Rural America Initiatives, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Black Hills, and Storybook Island.

Several are gearing up for Giving Day with creative, interactive ways to meet and greet donors.