DEADLINE: By midnight July 31, 2021. No exceptions. Any application received after the deadline will not be considered.
ABOUT MONTEREY COUNTY GIVES!
The pandemic, shelter-in-place and three local wildfires made 2020 arduous and surreal. Thankfully in mid-2021 we’re slowly returning to a new, new normal. Hopefully your organization is recalibrating for your continued success.
As difficult as 2020 was, one shining light was the unprecedented generosity of locals to support Monterey County Gives! MCGives! surpassed all previous records and raised over $7.9 million from over 7,500 donors during the six-week year end campaign. MCGives! leverages the editorial and advertising support of Monterey County Weekly, pro-rata matching funds from all our major partners, plus nonprofit organization-generated challenge gifts — all to stimulate broad donor support.
A special print edition in the Weekly in early November highlights each participating organization’s mission and their ‘Big Idea’ proposal for MCGives!. The campaign directs the Weekly’s readers and donors to the MCGives! website that enables online donations. Monterey County Gives! will kick off in November with a matching fund of approximately $500,000.
Monterey County Gives! is a shining example of collaboration — great partners committed to supporting a unique program to benefit local nonprofits and their missions. MCGives! was conceived as a Special Project of Monterey County Weekly, in partnership with the Community Foundation for Monterey County (CFMC) and the Monterey Peninsula Foundation. Its success is also made possible thanks to the support of our other major partners including the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel, Colburn and Alana Jones Foundation of the CFMC and the Cannery Row Company. Monterey County Gives! has raised and donated over $35 million dollars since its inception in 2000.
HOW MCGIVES! WORKS
We will choose a select number of nonprofits to be in this year’s Monterey County Gives! We have traditionally based this selection on the soundness of the organization, their track record for success in past campaigns and the perceived impact of your proposal. We are looking for Big Ideas in 2021. We also recognize, because of the stress on nonprofit budgets over the past year-plus, all support, unless otherwise specified, can be for general operating. In other words, your organization is its own Big Idea.
The campaign takes flight with a special Monterey County Gives! issue in the Weekly on November 11, the same day the website goes live. The MCGives! campaign runs through midnight December 31.
Readers will have the opportunity to read about your organization in both the MCGives! edition of Monterey County Weekly and online at www.montereycountygives.com where they are directed to donate to the nonprofit(s) of their choosing. The most successful organizations utilize MCGives! for their year-end fundraising, thereby increasing their opportunity for obtaining MCGives! Organization Challenge Gifts Special Awards and maximizing matching funds.
Monterey County Gives! generates a matching fund to encourage more giving. Each nonprofit will receive their prorated share of the match based on the first $75,000 your organization raises in MCGives!, to ensure the overall match fund is shared most equitably among all participating nonprofits. Last year the match was 9.32%.
SPECIAL MCGives! AWARDS ($5,500 total)
$2,500 Ingenuity Grant
This grant is awarded to one nonprofit that demonstrates ingenuity and creativity through their approach in resolving their sector’s challenges.
$1,000 Most Donors Award
This award will be given to the nonprofit that generates the most donors during MCGives!
$1,000 Most Young Donors Award (from 18-35 Year Olds)
This award will be given to the nonprofit that receives the most donations from those who are between 18 and 35 years old. This award is meant to challenge our younger readers and the organizations participating to help stimulate more contributions. This is a way to generate excitement around philanthropy and to inspire the next generation, to experience the feelings of joy and reward that accompany acts of generosity. Plus, the goal is to jumpstart vital lifelong partnerships between younger donors and the local nonprofit community, with the hope that as their financial position grows so will their contributions and involvement.
$1,000 The Florence Haspel Zeve Award for Women, Families and/or the Arts
This award, created in memory of Florence Zeve, will be given to one nonprofit for their initiative for women, families and/or the arts, a program that deserves special recognition.
WHAT IS YOUR BIG IDEA FOR 2021?
Whether it’s a new project or old, or money needed for operating support, we want to tell your story. Be creative and thoughtful. Clearly state your Big Idea and demonstrate that you can deliver on the program you propose with your proposed budget. The more original and specific you describe your work and your Big Idea, the more likely your group will spark the interest and attention of the Weekly’s editorial staff for Spotlights published during the campaign.
APPLICATION DEADLINE
The deadline for application submission is midnight on July 31. (NOTE: You must include your high-resolution photos and most recent IRS 990 form as the final step of your application, or your application will be considered incomplete).
THE PROCESS
Our committee will review all proposals. We are seeking proposals that are innovative, mission-critical and have the greatest opportunity to make an impact. There is nothing that prevents you from pursuing any other fundraising while you participate in Monterey County Gives! campaign. If chosen to participate, you may be required to submit additional due diligence documents prior to the public announcement of the campaign, in order to be included.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF YOUR SELECTION
Organizations selected for the Monterey County Gives! Campaign will be notified by September 10, via email. The final award your organization receives, including the pro-rata match, will be determined once all donations are tallied in January after costs for production of the special MCGives! Special Issue, development of the website, credit card fees, and administrative/accounting costs are deducted. Last year’s costs for running this campaign were 2.65%.
Your group will receive funds by the week of March 1. All donations are handled by the CFMC, and directly deposited into the Monterey County Gives! Fund of the Community Foundation for Monterey County. Online donors will receive an email receipt immediately after making an online donation. This email serves as the official tax receipt for the charitable gift (for IRS purposes). Online donors will not receive an acknowledgement in the mail, so they need to print or save this email for their records. Donors of checks, cash or stock will receive an acknowledgement letter from the Community Foundation for Monterey County. However, it is our recommendation that you send a personal thank-you to each donor.
IMPORTANT: DEADLINES AND THE APPLICATION FORM
Your application, including attaching both your photos and most recent 990 form, must be completed by the deadline or your application will not be considered.
SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION BY MIDNIGHT ON JULY 31
Questions? Email: [email protected]
FINAL NOTES
- Please add [email protected] to your email list and/or be sure to check your spam folder to not miss any important updates from the Monterey County Gives! team.
- You can work on this document and save (and resume) as you need to. But only submit your 990 form and photos at the very end, THEY WILL NOT BE SAVED if you attach them before your final submission.
- All fields with an *asterisk must be completed.
TIPS
For fields requiring NUMBERS OR DOLLAR AMOUNTS, only use numbers. Do not use commas, dollar signs, percent signs or text, or any decimals, as these will cause an error.
Word Count & Other Punctuation Issues
Because this is an online form, each field has a different space for your responses (the "word count"). In some circumstances, the form may seem to indicate there is more space for additional text, but when you press Submit you may receive a notice you are over the word count. In this case, please edit/shorten your response.
NOTE: Due to the slightly different ways the online form reads your text and punctuation, e.g. the way in which hyphens are counted, long dashes, numbers, $ signs, or commas, you may get a different word count on this form than in Microsoft Word. Please be patient and cut/edit as necessary. If you get stuck, we can assist.
Technical Challenges?
Email: [email protected]. We are available for RFP support between 9:00am-Noon and 1:00-4:00pm Monday-Friday. Really stuck? As a last resort call 831-394-5656, but first email your technical challenge and give us a chance to respond. Thank you!
