Giving for Great Fish Challenge ends Friday
Whitefish Community Foundation kicks off the ninth annual Great Fish Community Challenge on Thursday, Aug. 10 with the Great Fish Launch Party at First Interstate Bank in Whitefish.
The deadline to make donations to the ninth annual Great Fish Community Challenge is Friday, Sept. 15 at 5 p.m.
There are 78 Flathead Valley nonprofit organizations raising funds during this year’s challenge with the Whitefish Community Foundation. Nonprofits receive 100% of the gifts designated to them, as the costs of the campaign are covered by the Whitefish Community Foundation.
The list of participating nonprofits and how much each organization has raised to date can be found at whitefishcommunityfoundation.org/donation-leaderboard.
“Our nonprofit community needs help to fund critical projects and programs in the Flathead Valley,” Whitefish Community Foundation President/CEO Alan Davis said. “Now is the time to give because we are providing an additional percentage match on gifts received during the campaign.”
Donors can choose to give to multiple organizations with one transaction. Donations may be made online at whitefish community foundation.org, by check or cash accompanied by the official donation form, or through a gift of stock or distribution from an IRA.
Donors wishing to give over the phone can call Whitefish Community Foundation at (406) 863-1781. Donors wishing to give in person can stop by Whitefish Community Foundation's office at 214 Second Street West in Whitefish between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. or visit the Pop-up Donation Station on Friday, Sept. 15 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the south Kalispell branch of the Whitefish Credit Union.
At the conclusion of the campaign, Whitefish Community Foundation will award a percentage match on the first $20,000 raised by each organization. The match is made possible by Whitefish Community Foundation’s Circle of Giving donors, as well as donors who designate their gift to the Great Fish Match Fund. Last year’s match exceeded $800,000, allowing for an additional $11,800 for each nonprofit that raised at least $20,000.
The total amount raised and the final matching grant will be announced at the Great Fish Awards Ceremony on Oct. 24 at the Wachholz College Center in Kalispell.
Of the 78 organizations participating in this year’s Challenge, 46% are based in Kalispell and Evergreen, 41% are based in Whitefish, 10% are based in Columbia Falls and Hungry Horse, and 3% are based in Bigfork and Creston. Nearly 80% of participating organizations serve the entire Flathead Valley.