An annual citywide campaign officially kicks off in Long Beach this week with the goal of helping a lot of nonprofit organizations in the community.
Last year, the city’s collective fundraising effort “Long Beach Gives,” brought in an impressive sum of over $2 million, supporting over 240 nonprofit groups, and Michelle Byerly with the organization tells KNX News’ Nataly Tavidian they hope to surpass that this year.
Byerly says it is always a challenge for nonprofits to focus on fundraising while also providing benefits to the community they serve, and that is especially true for some of the smaller organizations that “Long Beach Gives” helps.
“We have a lot of nonprofits that aren’t even $100,000 in revenue, so they’re small. They may be all volunteers and just doing what they can with the time that they have to give back to the community,” said Byerly.
The nonprofits that benefit from the blitz of giving include all kinds of initiatives, “Anything from social services and basic needs, like food and shelter and homeless services to education, youth, and community sport,” Byerly said.