Communitywide holiday fundraising campaign GiveOrcas starts Dec. 3

December 3, 2024 1:30 am
Friends of the San Juans Gathering of the Eagles Canoe Journey, a former grantee and a current grantee in this holiday’s campaign.
Friends of the San Juans Gathering of the Eagles Canoe Journey, a former grantee and a current grantee in this holiday’s campaign.

The Orcas Island Community Foundation Holiday GiveOrcas campaign kicked off Dec. 3 and runs through Thursday, Dec. 12, at www.giveorcas.org.

This year’s Holiday GiveOrcas campaign features 30 local nonprofit organizations. Each organization’s proposal was vetted and approved by the OICF Community Grants Committee composed of local volunteer members. The overall request from organizations is $284,303, and with your contributions, OICF’s goal is to fully fund every proposal.

Every dollar donated supports life-enhancing programs and critical services vital to the Orcas Island community including organizations in the sectors of education, health and medical services, food support, arts and cultural, athletic, environmental and more. One hundred percent of your contribution goes directly to the grantees’ programs.

“GiveOrcas has become a familiar and trusted means to support our island community and meet a wide variety of needs in a timely and caring way. GiveOrcas has benefited so many of us directly – and probably all of us indirectly – in supporting connections that are so vital for our community, and these connections are far-reaching,” said David Heister, GiveOrcas donor.

Mark your calendar to join the collective community giving online where every donation of $10 or more is welcome and meaningful.

This year’s Game Days kick off with “Flat Person” guessing. Daily “flat hints” will be shared on OICF’s social media between Friday, Nov. 22 to Dec. 3. People can submit guesses to guess@oicf.us to be entered to win $500 in campaign dollars. Unique Donor Day is on Dec. 5 (the grantees with the most unique donors will receive $1,000, $500 and $250 from OICF for first, second and third places) and the beloved Ben Franklin Day is on Dec. 11 when grantees with the most $100 donations will receive bonuses of $1,000, $500 and $250. New this year, FunDay Monday will be on Dec. 9. The game day will be structured around all previous weekend donors (prior to Dec. 9) being entered into a hat draw on Monday, Dec. 10 for $500 to distribute among grantees in the campaign catalog.

All GiveOrcas contributions can be made online at www.giveorcas.org, by cash or check to The Orcas Island Community Foundation, P.O. Box 1496, Eastsound, WA 98245 or dropped by the OICF office at 33 Urner #4, Eastsound. For more information about the campaign and programs/funds featured, visit www.giveorcas.org, or contact OICF at info@oicf.us or 360-376-6423.

The Orcas Island Community Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) founded in 1995 to help build and strengthen the Orcas Island community by encouraging and supporting local philanthropic efforts, connecting people and organizations who want to make a difference to improve the quality of life for all on Orcas Island.