Great Fish challenge kicks off Tuesday

Whitefish Community Foundation will launch the Great Fish Community Challenge on Tuesday, July 12.

The second annual giving campaign features 40 nonprofits and begins with a $200,000 match fund. The community foundation organizes the challenge and provides the matching funds to inspire the community to give to the participating nonprofits in order to help them receive a matching grant.

The challenge will run 10 weeks and culminates with a community celebration Sept. 10 at Depot Park in Whitefish with the Great Fish 5K Color Run and 10K run and nonprofit fair.

In 2015 the challenge raised $1.1 million for the 32 participating nonprofits and started with a match fund of $150,000. The final match came out to 53 percent and was applied to the first $15,000 raised by each nonprofit. Sixteen of the 32 nonprofits raised more than $15,000 and received the maximum matching grant along with their designated donations.

“The challenge exceeded our expectations in the first year,” Foundation President Linda Engh-Grady said. “We are hoping that now more individuals understand the challenge and will help us exceed the first year of record giving in the second year.”

The Whitefish Community Foundation will continue to grow the match fund. The final match percentage will be announced at the awards celebration Oct. 10 at Casey’s. The fund is established by the foundation’s Circle of Giving donors. Additional money comes from Great Fish challengers who give directly to the fund through the campaign. When donors give to the match, they are essentially giving to all 40 participating nonprofits.

Whitefish Community Foundation organizes the campaign free of charge to the participating nonprofits. Even the credit-card fees are covered by the foundation, with help from the major sponsor, BNSF Railway Co., and six title sponsors.

The foundation created the campaign to inspire a giving season and promote awareness about the work local nonprofits do in the community. The campaign helps large and small nonprofits raise the vital support they need. The majority of the nonprofits have limited staff and resources for fundraising.

Donors can start making gifts on Tuesday by sending in an official donor form, which will be available throughout the summer at the Whitefish Community Foundation office, local downtown businesses, Whitefish Chamber of Commerce and from participating nonprofits. Online donations are accepted at www.greatfishchallenge.org.

The website also will feature a leader board updated daily to show how much money the nonprofits have raised and how many donations they have received. Incentive grants will be awarded throughout the campaign based on the number of donors and the amount raised by each nonprofit. Donors are encouraged to donate early to help their favorite nonprofits earn even more money. The campaign ends Sept. 16.

For more information about the Whitefish Community Foundation and the Great Fish Community Challenge visit www.whitefishcommunityfoundation.org or call 406-863-1781.