August 15 marked the last day of a six month campaign for more than 100 participating Sagebrush nonprofit organizations in Central Oregon. And a huge day it turned out to be! Almost $50,000 came in on the last day of their campaign as the nonprofits descended on the Sagebrush office Monday with smiles on their faces and checks in their hands.
To bolster the nonprofits’ campaign, Sagebrush simultaneously created a ‘Match Fund’, which is funded through the Sagebrush 2011 events and direct donations. The Match Fund dollars raised by Sagebrush will then be used to match, at a percentage, money raised by the participating nonprofits, making each organizations fundraising efforts go further.
Fourteen years ago when this model began in Jackson Hole, Wyoming about 5-10 percent of the Jackson Hole community was giving to area nonprofits. Now it is more than 80 percent. Sagebrush’s intent is to engage Central Oregon in that same capacity, helping widen the donor pool to give to nonprofits much needed funding.
“In order for this model to work here in Central Oregon, the entire community needs to get more involved and give”, says Gary Fish, president of Deschutes Brewery and Sagebrush. “If it’s $10 or $10,000, we are working hard to continue to build the match fund pool so that our local nonprofits can thrive and provide services to our community. Should this model be successful, it could augment the heavy load that the small pool of donors are currently carrying by dispersing it community-wide”.
Donations to the Match Fund can be made at www.Sagebrush.org through August 30th, where giving just $10 can make a big difference.
About Sagebrush
Deschutes Brewery and the Sagebrush Classic restructured the event for 2011, expanding it from the long-renowned feast and golf tournament to also include a community challenge scavenger hunt race and a downtown street fare. Sagebrush provides a matching grant opportunity, while simultaneously providing fundraising materials for Central Oregon nonprofits to raise funds in the community. Donors are able to designate funds to any participating nonprofit, and also donate to the match fund being raised by Sagebrush. After the fundraising campaign closes, each nonprofit receives 100 percent of their designated funds, plus the additional Sagebrush match funds. For more information visit www.sagebrush.org or contact Aimee Baillargeon at 541-408-6341 or aimee@sagebrush.org.
