Early giving begins March 16 for individuals wishing to make donations toward the ninth annual Arizona Gives Day, a 24-hour statewide online fundraising event on Tuesday, April 6.

The public and individual businesses also can create their own fundraising page for a specific nonprofit, “which is a great way to show their support for their favorite nonprofit agency,” said Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits CEO Kristen Merrifield. Simply go to the specific organization’s profile page at www.AzGives.org and click on “Create A Fundraiser” to get started.

Starting Tuesday, March 16, donors can make early donations by visiting the Arizona Gives Day website at www.AzGives.org and donate immediately by selecting the “Today” button at checkout. Since 2013, Arizona Gives Day has raised more than $23 million for Arizona nonprofits, including a record $6.1 million raised in 2020.

Donors preferring to donate during a specific block of time on Arizona Gives Day to help a nonprofit earn additional funds from the prize pool by winning a “Power Hour,” can give on April 6 during the designated time. This year, $160,000 is available in prize pool incentives. Additional funds also are distributed based on categories determined through random drawings, most donors or most dollars raised.

“Our statewide nonprofit community continues to struggle to overcome the devastating impact of the COVID pandemic,” Merrifield said. “While we know that every year’s Arizona Gives Day participation provides vital funding for these organizations doing great work, even during unprecedented times, this year’s event could not be more important, not just for the nonprofits but for the individuals, families and communities they serve.”

Arizona Gives Day, the annual online giving movement uniting nonprofits, big and small, new and established, to celebrate and increase philanthropy in Arizona through online giving, is a collaboration between the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits and the Arizona Grantmakers Forum. FirstBank, one of the nation’s largest privately held banks with a focus on “banking for good,” is the Presenting Sponsor.

So far, more than 900 Arizona nonprofits have registered and been certified to participate in Arizona Gives Day.

Arizona Gives Day is not possible without the support of sponsors FirstBank, Arizona Community Foundation, BHHS Legacy Foundation, Freeport McMoRan Foundation, Hickey Family Foundation, Intel Corporation, Vitalyst Health Foundation, Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, Salt River Project (SRP), Southwest Gas Corporation, Tucson Electric Power/UniSource Energy Services and Sechler Morgan CPA. In-kind promotional partners are Frontdoors Media and InBusiness Magazine.