Give Ozarks beats prior year fundraising

Community Foundation of the Ozarks’ second-annual 24-hour Give Ozarks fundraiser beat the 2015 total and is likely to grow.

Online donations made at GiveOzarks.org totaled $1.04 million through midnight via 11,804 donors. Participating nonprofits have until 5 p.m. tomorrow to turn in cash or check donations collected during the day that weren’t made on the crowdfunding website.

The final total, which also includes prizes awarded during the day, is expected to be announced Friday afternoon, according to a news release. CFO officials are targeting a $1.5 million goal.

During its inaugural year, Give Ozarks contributions totaled $1.02 million. The online portion of the fundraiser gathered 7,649 donations for 150 organizations and netted $910,000.

This year, nearly 225 organizations participated.

The Horses Assisting Youth Foundation yesterday garnered the largest online total, at $36,900 via 18 donors.

Rounding out the top five online fundraisers were:
    •    The Arc of the Ozarks, $33,154, 331 donors;
    •    Isabel’s House, $28,002, 359 donors;
    •    Good Shepherd Community Care and Rehabilitation, $23,494, 149 donors; and
    •    Springfield Little Theatre, $22,730, 870 donors.

GiveOzarks.org utilizes Mostly Serious LLC’s crowdfunding portal Cause Momentum, of which CFO is a partner.