Support Delaware nonprofits during Do More 24 March 3-4

United Way of Delaware and Spur Impact announced that Do More 24 Delaware, the state’s premier 24-hour charitable giving event, will be held from 6 p.m., Thursday, March 3, to 6 p.m., Friday, March 4.

Last year’s event saw more than 10,000 individual donations benefitting 412 participating nonprofits statewide. In 2021, Do More 24 Delaware raised nearly $2 million, totaling more than every previous year combined.

Throughout the 24-hour fundraising marathon, donors will be able to support their favorite Delaware nonprofits by donating through their individual fundraising pages on the DoMore24Delaware.org website. Each hour of the event will offer various cash prize awards to nonprofits based on different fundraising metrics, and all nonprofits that raise money will share in one of the event's stretch pools.

Among the many local nonprofits participating in DoMore24Delaware are Family Promise of Southern Delaware, Southern Delaware Therapeutic Riding, Read Aloud Delaware, Kent-Sussex Industries, CHEER and Pathways to Success.

Hiring a case worker to help prevent local homelessness is attainable this year with an additional $30,000 in funding for the local Family Promise chapter. Donate to Family Promise of Southern Delaware at domore24delaware.org.

For Southern Delaware Therapeutic Riding, returning to the new normal of post-pandemic service is about health and environmental benefits. SDTR’s fundraising focus is on horse care, and improving inside riding arena cross-ventilation for riders. SDTR is planning to install exhaust fans along with windows to increase both sunlight and cross-ventilation. Also, the organization is in need of horse feed and hay to keep its herd healthy and strong. To donate or learn more about this year's needs, visit the Southern Delaware Therapeutic Riding homepage at domore24delaware.org.

Read Aloud Delaware, a statewide children’s literacy program, will be a beneficiary of the event. “Last year, we had an anonymous donor who matched $2,500 of the first $8,000 donations,” said James Spadola, Read Aloud Delaware executive director. “Our staff is currently seeking another matching donor for this year’s efforts.” Spadola is encouraging supporters of Read Aloud Delaware to make their donations in the first hour of the fundraiser. “We’re hoping to receive at least 20 donations in that first hour,” he said. To support Read Aloud Delaware, find its home page on domore24delaware.org. Read Aloud Delaware is dedicated to ensuring that each preschool child in the state is regularly read to one on one. 

Kent-Sussex Industries is a nonprofit agency providing vocational training, employment, community integration, transportation, day habilitation, life enrichment, and nutritional services in its skill development center and in the community to individuals with disabilities throughout Kent and Sussex counties. KSI is committed to making all reasonable accommodations in order to ensure that its programs and services are as accessible as possible to as many people as possible. To donate, find Kent-Sussex Industries Inc. at domore24delaware.org.

CHEER ensures that Sussex County seniors are fed and cared for. Its mission is to promote and maintain the highest quality of life and independence by developing and providing services that meet the continuing needs of mature adults 50 and over. To support CHEER, go to domore24delaware.org.

Pathways to Success is a nonprofit that serves students attending Cape Henlopen, Milford, Seaford and Sussex Technical high schools who are at risk for not graduating. The event goal is to raise money for seniors going on to college and provide dorm baskets with the necessities to succeed in college. Many of the students are their family’s first generation to go to college, and are considered underserved and low income. The transition from high school to college is a challenge for all youth and especially these. Having the tools they need for college will promote confidence in their new environment and support their success. Items for the dorm baskets will depend on each student’s needs and can include quilts, pillows, desk lamps, and gift cards to purchase study supplies, personal hygiene items and more. Funds raised will also help to purchase books for their classes. 

Fay Blake, Pathways to Success founder and executive director, said, “We are so thankful for the United Way of Delaware and Spur Impact for creating and organizing DoMore24DE. Funds we raise will help these Pathways to Success students very much.” To donate, search for Pathways to Success at domore24delaware.org.

For more than seven years, the Milton Community Food Pantry has been committed to helping people in need get supplemental food. It  currently serve between 40 and 50 families at each distribution and has distributed a total of more than 540,000 meals. To donate, go to domore24delaware.org and search for Milton Community Food Pantry.

The Carl M. Freeman Foundation will be supporting Do More 24 Delaware. Eligible nonprofits located in and serving Sussex County will share up to $25,000 through a matching stretch pool and other prizes. The Sussex County stretch pool and donation bonus funds will be awarded by the foundation to eligible nonprofits that raise money through the domore24delaware.org website over the 24-hour fundraising period. Proceeds from foundation funds will be allocated to participating and eligible nonprofits in proportion to the donations they raise through the DoMore24 Delaware campaign, including bonuses for organizations with the highest number of donors.

Patti Grimes, Carl M. Freeman Foundation executive director, is excited about the potential the Sussex County focused prizes have for the giving day event, and how these funds can impact nonprofits March 3-4 and beyond. “We know that the major nonprofit organizations with visibility and ample support are at an advantage to win donors' attention,” said Grimes. “We envision this stretch pool and prizes will help level the playing field and motivate even more giving to our smaller and equally important grassroots organizations serving Sussex County.”

“We look forward to another highly successful event to provide support for Delaware’s nonprofits that contribute so much to the well-being of our communities. Last year’s amazing results demonstrated that their work is valued by thousands of donors statewide. Continued support is vitally needed by the hardworking organizations who are on the front lines changing lives and building communities every day,” said Dan Cruce, United Way of Delaware chief operations officer.

“As the pandemic continues to shift how services are delivered and how nonprofits operate, it is important to remember that nonprofits rely heavily on the support of individual donors. We are proud that so many Delaware nonprofits have activated their donors and supporters – particularly younger board members and donors – around this great event. With effectively 1% of the Delaware population donating last year, we hope that even more Delawareans will support and donate to their favorite nonprofits as part of this year's giving day,” said Charlie Vincent, Spur Impact Association executive director.

To receive a reminder to donate during Do More 24 Delaware, sign up at domore24delaware.org.