As we approach one of the largest charitable giving events in the Southeast U.S and the most important giving day in Greater Miami, we asked some of our sponsors to share why they will give on Give Miami Day and what causes are close to their hearts. Their generosity has helped us raise a record $1 million in bonus funding to boost donations more than ever before. On November 19, they will join residents across Miami-Dade to support nonprofits after almost a year of heroically showing up while grappling with the devastating COVID-19 pandemic.   

Hearing the “why” behind what motivates individuals and sponsors to support Give Miami Day continuously inspires us. We are grateful for the overwhelming response of companies, foundations, media outlets and donor partners who have stepped up to make this Give Miami Day the most impactful one yet, especially our presenting sponsors: The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation and Related Group Philanthropic Foundation.  

“Nonprofit organizations work in every part of our community – and they do it for the sheer, civic purpose of helping, from homeless to the arts, from environment and public spaces to education. They’ve never been more important,” said Raúl Moas, Knight Foundation’s Miami Program Director. “By matching their contributions, Knight Foundation is following the lead of the many individual donors who contribute on Give Miami Day. This is our way of honoring their commitment to our community.” 

Jorge M. Pérez shared the reason why, even in hard times, arts and culture should not be forgotten.  

“There’s poverty, homelessness, education and transportation. There are so many needs that — particularly when the economy isn’t doing well — arts philanthropy gets cut. There must be some of us that believe the arts are just as important,” Jorge M. Pérez, Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation.

We are extremely grateful to another longtime sponsor of Give Miami Day, SEI, who underlined the tough year we have all gone through and the importance of partnership: 

“In a challenging year like 2020, we believe that the Foundation will continue to set records and demonstrate continued support and success for its community.  SEI will always be a champion of Give Miami Day in the years ahead as it has since 2016.  We are committed to helping achieve your goals and objectives and value our long-term partnership,” said Glenn Harris, Senior Client Portfolio Manager of SEI. 

To make it an even more meaningful experience, The Miami Foundation developed innovative ways to connect donors to the organizations working on causes they care about. In particular, we will launch POWER HOURS, a new feature to spotlight specific issue areas and nonprofit categories for one hour throughout the day. The aim is to boost awareness and fundraising for participating organizations.  

We are extremely thankful to the new partners that have joined us this year and decided to sponsor a specific cause through those Power Hours, notably by contributing to targeted bonus pools benefiting organizations spotlighted during their hour. Among them are AT&T and Microsoft – they shared why contributing to this year’s Give Miami Day was so important: 

“The women and men who work for AT&T and call the Miami area home have a strong commitment to community and a desire to cultivate a better and brighter future which is why we are honored to support Give Miami Day,” said Joe York, President of AT&T Florida. “Hundreds of local organizations work diligently every day to improve our community and the Give Miami Day program serves as a catalyst to ensure these groups have the resources necessary to continue making a positive impact.” 

– AT&T is a generous new Supporting Sponsor that will champion Civic Engagement, Advocacy & Equity  

“We at Microsoft believe that the key to an inclusive recovery are programs that provide easier access to digital skills for people hardest hit by job losses and disruption. Give Miami Day provides a critical platform to empower our nonprofits to provide added assistance to the people who need it most,” said Lucas Hernández, U.S. Corporate Partnerships Lead, Microsoft Philanthropies.  

– Microsoft is a generous Partner Sponsor, contributing to this year’s Give Miami Day supporting the Economic and Community Development Power Hour.
 

So many local organizations gave this year, and thanks to those mentioned above and the William R. Watts Foundation, Mitchell Wolfson Sr. Foundation, Richard A. Berkowitz Philanthropic Fund, Berkowitz Pollack Brant, Provenance Wealth Advisors, Stearns Weaver Miller, Miami HEAT Charitable Fund, Ortega Foundation, Helena Rubinstein Philanthropic Fund, and The Miami Foundation, every eligible donation between $25 and $10,000 will qualify for an additional bonus gift. It’s the one day when giving goes further, so do your part, champion a cause you care about and support a nonprofit on Give Miami Day! 

To become a Give Miami Day partner, email Victoria Mora, development officer at The Miami Foundation.

Pictured: Nathalia Arja via Miami City Ballet, a Pérez CreARTE grant recipient and 2020 Give Miami Day nonprofit.

Photo credit: Alexander Iziliaev