NWA Gives: From Single Giving Day to Year-Round Giving Platform 

NWA Gives is a 12-hour online giving campaign hosted by the NWA Gives Board of Directors, managed by the event’s Executive Director, Laura Dietrich. First launched in the Spring of 2018, the regional day of giving sees over 160+ nonprofit participants each year from across Benton and Washington County. 

NWA Gives made the transition to the Mightycause platform in 2021. Since hosting their first event in 2022, NWA Gives has seen its total raised doubled, growing from $602,553 in its initial year on the platform to surpassing the million dollar mark in 2024 raising $1,222,332 this past spring. 

Pre-Event Trainings and Education

One of the signature emphases of NWA Gives is providing a variety of fundraising training opportunities and resources to nonprofits in Northwest Arkansas. 

In partnership with Mightycause, two customized webinar trainings are provided to NWA Gives nonprofits geared towards helping the organizations learn how to effectively use the fundraising tools available to them on the platform. Key focus has been placed on peer-to-peer fundraising tools, communication strategy and fundraiser support, as well as how to set up and market matching grants. Through these training sessions nonprofits have become increasingly confident at incorporating these tools into their campaign strategies. In addition, Mightycause provides a comprehensive library of support articles, how-tos and blog posts.

“Mightycause has been an invaluable partner in driving the success of NWA Gives. Their platform offers a seamless, user-friendly experience for the nonprofits we support, allowing them to focus on their missions while leveraging the powerful tools and resources provided by Mightycause.” 

Laura Dietrich, Executive Director of NWA Gives

NWA Gives also hosts a one day intensive training for their organizations each year. This in-person event provides a morning session for new participants and an afternoon session geared towards returning participants, creating valuable education and networking opportunities. Complementing this are a series of casual in-person coffee meetups, as well as a structured 9-week intensive offered to a select group of 9 nonprofits, providing a diverse range of training opportunities.

Leveraging Technology and Fostering Community

NWA Gives is dedicated to fostering community and connection among their participants. One key highlight is their in-person Rally, which kicks off at 8am at the start of early giving, celebrating the launch of the week-long giving period. Nonprofits and community members are invited to attend this free event to celebrate the start of their campaigns with food, prizes, and a live DJ. 

During the Rally’s kick-off, the platform begins accepting donations and a real-time giving activity feed turns on — showcasing incoming contributions and adding an exciting technological element as donations roll in. NWA Gives sees a majority of mobile givers during their event, with 76% of their 2024 gifts made via mobile device. Mightycause helps streamline the mobile giving experience by offering a variety of mobile wallet options, including PayPal, Venmo, Google Pay and Apple Pay. Approximately 37% of NWA Gives’ online donations came through during their 2024 week of early giving. 

As a further perk of participation, NWA Gives provides nonprofits access to Mightycause’s advanced text-to-give functionality. This fundraising tool allows organizations to set up unique keycodes for donors to text, providing yet another easy and convenient avenue for support. Nonprofits can easily track donation data through the text-to-give tool.

The NWA Gives Rally is an event nonprofits look forward to each year as they launch their fundraising campaigns. The seamless real-time donor experience on the platform combined with the vibrant energy of the in-person gathering creates a dynamic partnership in the lead-up to their live event. 

1M Milestone Achievement

During the live event the NWA Gives team was busily on the move during their Generosity Tour, making in-person rounds to nonprofit sites helping motivate the participants. With livestream check-ins on Facebook during the day there was an added personal connection allowing supporters and organizations to cheer each other on. As donations steadily pushed the event total toward the million-dollar mark, a livestream announcement celebrated NWA Gives reaching this incredible milestone. Emotions ran high, with joyful tears on display. The total continued to climb, with the final tally coming in at over 1M with $1,222,332 raised by 3,506 generous donors.

Year-Round Impact

As NWA Gives continues to grow, so has their platform role. What began as a single Giving Day has grown into a year round network of support for nonprofits. Post-giving event, NWA Gives effortlessly transitions into a year-round giving platform on Mightycause. NWAGives.org serves as a nonprofit directory for the Northwest Arkansas community year-round, enhancing donor engagement and increasing awareness for nonprofits throughout the year.

Nonprofits are encouraged to remain active on the site and leverage the platform’s fundraising tools throughout the year to continue sustaining the momentum they’ve worked hard to build during the live event. A robust search feature empowers donors to filter and continue to discover causes that resonate with them, while NWA Gives grows donor awareness and brand trust. 

Participating organizations can take the tools and fundraising training they’ve received with them through the rest of the year. With continued access to their fundraising tools, including peer-to-peer campaigns and matching grants, they can continue to invest in their missions and fundraise long after the event, ensuring they are well-equipped to maximize impact year-round. 

In addition, Laura creates and sends out monthly generosity guides – a PDF filled with community news and nonprofit stories that help maintain connection after the event.

Conclusion

A blend of diverse educational training opportunities, powerful online fundraising tools, a modern mobile-friendly giving experience, and a year-round support network has helped enable NWA Gives to achieve significant growth over the past three years. The success of NWA Gives is further enhanced by its commitment to providing a year-round giving platform and meaningful in-person connections for its expanding network of nonprofits. 

The NWA Gives team continues to create an impactful event that not only raises essential funds for nonprofits but also strengthens the Northwest Arkansas community year-round and Mightycause is proud to be able to provide a technology platform that can help NWA Gives grow with their evolving needs.

“Beyond just technology, the relationship we’ve built with their [Mightycause] team has been instrumental in our growth. They’ve gone above and beyond to help us establish comprehensive training and provide ongoing support, which has empowered our nonprofits to engage more effectively with donors. This collaboration has directly contributed to our Giving Day success, where we exceeded $1.2 million in donations in 2024. We’re grateful for the innovation, guidance, and partnership that have helped us elevate our impact across the community.”

Laura Dietrich, Executive Director