Published in Durango Herald December 3, 2014

On Tuesday, which will be the fifth annual Colorado Gives Day, nine local nonprofits will discover just how generous our state is.

United Way of Southwest Colorado, Habitat for Humanity of La Plata County, Great Old Broads for Wilderness, Music in the Mountains, Boys and Girls Club of La Plata County, Durango Adaptive Sports Association, Planned Parenthood of Southwest Colorado, Mountain Studies Institute and the La Plata County Humane Society have been reviewed and accepted for inclusion in the statewide initiative.

“This is a good start, as there were only two last year,” said Kayla Arnesen, director of strategic communications for the Community First Foundation. Colorado Gives Day is a program of the foundation. “In 2013, all together they received 11 donations for a total amount of $1,635.”

Why should people donate through Colorado Gives Day rather than just sending a check to the nonprofit directly?

“Two reasons,” Arnesen said, “first, there’s a $1 million incentive fund attached to the day, so say the organization takes in 10 percent of the donations that day, then they get 10 percent of the incentive fund.”

The other reason regards state and community pride.

“This is an opportunity to give where you live, and support the great work Colorado nonprofits do,” she said.

Why should a nonprofit participate?

“The application process is quite comprehensive, and they do a lot of screening of organizations before they are accepted,” said Tim Kroes, executive director of Adaptive Sports. “Their goal is to become a clearing house for Colorado nonprofits and potential donors. They function a bit like Charity Navigator or Guidestar but on a state level…”