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The Big Give SA Opens Registration, Announces New Web Provider

Nathan Cone
/
TPR
Hundreds of nonprofits gathered to learn about The Big Give 2017.

The Sam Houston High School Marching Band and confetti cannons announced the kickoff of The Big Give SA 2017 at a rally held Wednesday morning at Whitley Theological Center. Hundreds of area nonprofits attended the event that served as an introduction to this year’s coordinated giving day, as well as a reassurance that problems that plagued the web interface of The Big Give SA 2016 wouldn’t be repeated this year.

“When the Big Give became the 'small give' last year, I realized the vendor wasn’t prepared for the volume,” said Harvey Najim, who chaired a committee on tech improvements for this year’s Big Give SA. “We evaluated four different companies,” he continued. Unconvinced that last year’s web provider, Kimbia, had made enough changes to perform well in 2017, The Big Give SA instead selected GiveGabto service donors and nonprofits participating in The Big Give SA.

GiveGab started off in 2011 as a social platform to help connect volunteers to nonprofits, and has since branched out into crowd funding, volunteer management, marketing and communications, event management, and giving days for nonprofit organizations nationwide.

For donors, the new Big Give SA web platform will offer real-time customer service support, which had been absent from previous Big Give SA websites. Participating nonprofits will also be able to use the Big Give SA’s website as a fundraising mechanism all year long.

For 2017, donation fees for participating non-profits have reduced from 8 percent to 6.2 percent. Because of year-round giving capabilities, there will be a $200 participation service charge. During a question-and-answer period, one audience member noted for some very small organizations, that figure represents a significant chunk of their Big Give SA total. But Scott McAninch, executive director of the Big Give, observed that perhaps some non-profits weren’t taking adequate advantage of the $850 in training that comes with signing up for The Big Give, and have the potential to perform better.

This year’s Big Give SA is set for Thursday, May 4.

Disclosure: As a non-profit organization, TPR will be participating in The Big Give.