Nonprofit Kickoff Training Set for Feb. 26; Deadline for nonprofits, schools, and religious institutions to register for CFMT’s giving day is March 31

With the deadline for registration just weeks away, hundreds of Middle Tennessee nonprofits already have registered for The Big Payback’s annual 24-hour online giving day.

Hosted by The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and made possible by the Kharis Foundation and numerous other sponsors, The Big Payback returns for its seventh year May 6-7 after a record-shattering 2019 giving day that brought in more than $4.1 million from 28,458 total gifts. Nonprofits — including schools and religious institutions — are encouraged to register now to participate at TheBigPayback.org.

The Big Payback is a community-wide online giving day designed to give the public the opportunity to pay back the nonprofits that make this a place we are proud to call home. Starting at 6 pm on May 6, we all have 24 hours to make donations to our choice of participating local nonprofits at TheBigPayback.org.

In its first six years, The Big Payback has helped Middle Tennessee charitable organizations raise nearly $17 million from 115,890 donations for more than 1,000 organizations, with gifts making possible awareness of and solutions to the pressing needs in our community. Last year a record 964 Middle Tennessee nonprofits registered to participate in the giving day.

This year’s Kickoff Training is set for 10 am-2 pm Wednesday, Feb. 26 at Wilson County Expo Center, 945 E. Baddour Parkway in Lebanon. Interested organizations need to register by Feb. 24 at thebigpayback.org/events.

Organizations interested in participating in The Big Payback on Wednesday and Thursday, May 6-7 must register by March 31. The last day to submit new, and required, GivingMatters.com profile requests is March 10. Details can be found at TheBigPayback.org.

“The Big Payback’s slogan is ‘Live Here. Give Here’ and provides an easy and fun way for our community to show our local pride and give back,” said Ellen Lehman, president of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

“Nonprofits do life-changing work every day across Middle Tennessee, and it’s important we recognize the positive impact they have in our own backyards by supporting their efforts,” Lehman continued. “It’s hard to imagine where we’d be without them and their work.”

Gifts from the public will be boosted with additional grant prizes from sponsors of The Big Payback. Nonprofits once again will have the opportunity to earn for financial incentives, donations and additional prizes. An online leaderboard will track donations in real time.

Donors will be able to view and select from participating organizations based on location and focus area, such as animals, education, health, and the arts. Donors can support multiple organizations and make gifts of any size, from $10 and up.

There is no cost for nonprofits to participate.

TheBigPayback-PhotoCollage