Community Foundation Helps Raise over $314,000 for Local Nonprofits on Giving Tuesday
Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan Wins the Giving Tuesday Golden Goose

ALPENA – In its eighth year of providing the platform for local nonprofits to participate in the global Giving Tuesday movement, the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan (CFNEM) helped 62 nonprofit organizations to raise a grand total of $314,834 on November 29. The Community Foundation held a virtual Zoom and Facebook Live event on Tuesday, December 6 to announce the final totals, and totals raised for each individual organization. (See the top 25 listed below.)

“One of the best things about this giving event is that there is a story of caring and compassion behind every single donation received,” said Heraghty. “It is great to see our community show up with such incredible support for the nonprofits tirelessly serving northeast Michigan. Everyone who donated, no matter the size of the gift, should take pride in knowing they are part of that.”

Giving Tuesday follows the widely recognized shopping events, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, offering a dedicated day for charitable giving as the holiday season kicks off. The hope for this worldwide movement is that people will set aside a few minutes, and perhaps some shopping money, to give back to their community through the charities and causes they support.

Sixty-two nonprofits from Alcona, Alpena, Cheboygan, Crawford, Iosco, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Oscoda and Presque Isle Counties participated in the event through the Community Foundation and its three affiliate foundations, which provided the online platform, marketing tools and all recording efforts, free of charge to the participating organizations. Every penny of each donation received went directly to the organization chosen by the donor.

Grant, the Giving Tuesday Golden Goose, who was unveiled in 2017, was presented to Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan for raising the most funds ($32,920) during the 24-hour giving event. Funds raised on Giving Tuesday will help the organization with their new Discover Northeast Michigan History Exhibit. Grant will spend the upcoming year in residence at the Besser Museum.

The Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan is a charitable organization committed to providing people who care about the future of our area with unique and effective ways of supporting their community now, and for generations to come. Its three affiliate foundations include Iosco County Community Foundation, North Central Michigan Community Foundation, and Straits Area Community Foundation. Led by a volunteer board of local citizens, the foundation oversees a group of permanently endowed funds from a wide range of donors. Gifts of all sizes from individuals, families, businesses and agencies are invested in a balanced, well-managed portfolio to build endowments, enabling support for students and local community nonprofits now and forever.

PHOTO: Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan Executive Director Christine Witulski is presented with the Giving Tuesday Golden Goose. Besser Museum raised $32,920 on November 29. Pictured left to right are CFNEM Executive Director Patrick Heraghty, CFNEM Marketing Communications Director Christine Hitch, and Christine Witulski.
 

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