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SALT LAKE CITY — The fourth-annual Love UT Give UT online giving campaign starts at midnight Thursday, seeking to raise $1.6 million for nearly 460 Utah nonprofit organizations and schools in just 24 hours.
"To us, it's just a great way and a great day to come together and show our love for Utah," said Katherine Fife, director of philanthropy for the Community Foundation of Utah, host of the campaign.
To contribute, go to loveUTgiveUT.org, point, click and donate.
Fife said the online giving platform is designed to encourage donations large and small. The minimum contribution is $10, but organizations will compete for the highest numbers of unique donors, making them eligible for additional "leaderboard prizes."
"Everybody can give and every gift will make a difference," Fife said.
Donors are also providing $310,000 in matching grants to participating nonprofit organization or schools that reach certain benchmarks.
According to the Community Foundation of Utah, the platform enables donors to search for the organizations and issues that are important to them. In 2015, 22 percent of donors were new contributors to the causes they supported.
Last year, Love UT Give UT raised more tha $1.2 million for nearly 500 charities.
"We know the impact can be even greater this year,” said Alex Eaton, executive director of the Community Foundation of Utah.
While the Love UT Give UT website will provide running totals of contributions throughout the day, Publik Coffee Roasters at 975 S. West Temple, will serve as "Love Central" from 6 a.m. to noon Thursday. The public is invited to visit to support the giving campaign. The Community Foundation of Utah will also be providing nonprofit organizations help with social media and other tips to enhance contributions.
Now that Love UT Give UT is in its fourth year, many Utah nonprofit organizations have incorporated the giving campaign into their fundraising efforts by hosting their own events on Thursday.
The program has been refined each year, Fife said. This year, there is a giving category for very small nonprofit organizations, dubbed "micro," to help them obtain the financial footing they need to do their work, she said.
Large or small, the campaign is an opportunity for Utahns to learn more about the work of nonprofit organizations statewide and to support their efforts, Fife said.
"This is a great way to come together and show through our collective voice how much we love our state," Fife said.
