FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 22, 2017

PHOENIX — Arizona Gives Day is a grassroots, statewide day of giving that invites Arizonans to support their favorite causes by visiting azgives.org and donating either the day-of (April 4) or scheduling their gift in advance to be processed on April 4. Hosted by the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits and Arizona Grantmakers Forum and presented by
FirstBank, Arizona Gives Day has raised over $7.4 million for Arizona nonprofits since its founding in 2013.

On April 4, the public will be asked to “invest in Arizona” by giving to organizations that are doing important work to improve the well-being of our state. Participating nonprofits include large and small organizations dedicated to arts and culture, children and youth, community development, health services, animal welfare and more. Each one works to better our community, and all are in need of community support.

“Investing in our local nonprofits is critical to the success of our communities and our citizens,” says Laurie Liles, President & CEO of Arizona Grantmakers Forum. “Arizona Gives Day proves that anyone can be a philanthropist simply by participating on April 4.”

For participating nonprofits, Arizona Gives Day offers an opportunity to raise awareness about their work, connect with new donors and win prize money to supplement individual donations. Last year, Arizona nonprofits raised $2.84 million through the generosity of 16,450 donors, with many giving to multiple organizations. The prizes paid out to participating nonprofits totaled $175,000.

“Fundraising continues to be the number one issue facing the sustainability of our nonprofits,” says Kristen Merrifield, CEO of the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits. “Which is why one of the primary goals of Arizona Gives Day continues to be attracting new donors that may have never know about or considered giving to a nonprofit.”

In the past, donations large and small have combined to make life-changing advancements state, and this year, the event is poised to be bigger than ever. The number of nonprofits who received donations on Arizona Gives Day grew by 25 percent from 2015 to 2016. And given the early excitement among nonprofits this year, Arizona Gives Day 2017 is on
track to make an even larger impact.

“FirstBank is proud to be involved with such an incredible day of giving to local nonprofits,” says Bryce Lloyd, President-Phoenix Metro, FirstBank. “We believe in promoting strong communities through our support of the vibrant nonprofit sector in Arizona.”

Contact: Katie-Lee Faulkner
[email protected] | 480-274-5342

About the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits

The Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits is an action-oriented group of partners across Arizona — both nonprofits and those in the community who support them — dedicated to uniting, strengthening and advancing Arizona’s nonprofit sector. The Alliance envisions an Arizona where all nonprofits are valued, empowered and thriving, with support from grassroots efforts like Arizona Gives Day. For more information, visit www.azgives.org, or email [email protected].

About Arizona Grantmakers Forum

Arizona Grantmakers Forum is the regional association serving Arizona’s philanthropic community. Its mission is to empower members to transform Arizona through leadership and meaningful philanthropy. Member organizations make financial grants to nonprofit organizations throughout the state and represent the interests of private foundations, trusts, endowed community foundations, corporations, government agencies and individuals with organized charitable gift programs. For more information, visit www.arizonagrantmakersforum.org.

About FirstBank

FirstBank, the nation’s third-largest privately held bank with multiple banking locations in Arizona, operates more than 120 locations in Colorado, Arizona and California, and serves more than 650,000 customers. Since 2000, FirstBank has contributed more than $55 million and thousands of volunteer hours to charitable organizations. FirstBank is unique in that a majority of its stock is owned by management and employees. For more information, visit www.efirstbank.com.