By Scott Provancher, Arts & Science Council

Three weeks ago the Arts & Science Council (ASC) launched power2give.org, an innovative new way for people to give to arts, science and history/heritage projects in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. The launch was the culmination of more than a year of work by ASC and the power2give team to address changing trends in philanthropy. After a thrilling launch week, we are excited to report that the response to the site has been fantastic.

Since August 29 the site has had:

• 451 gifts
• 62 multiple givers
• 357 individual donors
• $51,047 in gifts
• 26 projects fully funded

Further building on the momentum of the site and helping to support the completion of projects is a significant investment from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation which made a 1-for-1 matching pledge, up to $100,000, for every project on the site. With the help of Knight Foundation’s founding sponsorship, a total of $102,094 has been given to Charlotte’s cultural community. This is a significant milestone for the site and there is still almost $50,000 in match dollars remaining!

In addition to the great response from donors there has been a lot of interest and coverage from local media and bloggers about power2give. We’ve had opportunities to talk about the site on local television news and radio and it’s been prominently featured in the Charlotte Observer and Charlotte Business Journal. power2give.org has also been mentioned frequently in various national trade publications since earlier this year. Here are some of the highlights:

• Website aims to boost giving to culture (Philanthropy Journal)
• I am the emperor of tubas! Join me (Charlotte Observer)
• power2give (Americans for the Arts)

We continue to be amazed by the success of the site and the interest from arts organizations around the country. There are still opportunities for you to take advantage of the Knight Foundation match so check out the site and support a project you’re passionate about.

Stay tuned in the coming weeks and months for updates on power2give.org and to find out when it’ll be coming to a community near you.