Fifth annual Arizona Gives Day to take place in early April

PHOENIX — The fifth annual Arizona Gives Day, an event that has helped raise over $10 million for Arizona nonprofits over the years, will take place on April 3.

Arizona Gives Day is a statewide, 24-hour, online giving campaign in which businesses and the public donate to local nonprofits. The day is meant to spread awareness and to connect the public with businesses that help support critical organizations.

Arizona Gives began in 2013 as a partnership between the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits and the Arizona Grantmakers Forum.

“Over $2.7 million was raised last year for participating nonprofits,” Joel Johnson, east valley market president of FirstBank, one of the sponsors of the event, said in a press release.

“This reflected the incredible generosity of Arizonans, and we’re hoping this next ‘Give It Forward’ event will inspire a little more generosity on April 3,” he said.

According to the Arizona Foundation, in 2014 Arizona’s nonprofit sector contributed about 8 percent of the state’s gross domestic product — more than $22 billion — and was responsible for 325,000 jobs.

More than 1,000 nonprofits that will participate in Arizona Gives Day this year, with causes that ranged from education to poverty to animal welfare.

Arizona Gives’ website allowed users to enter a zip code or keyword to help connect people with a cause they believe in. Donors could even find which organizations qualified for tax credits in the state.