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Whether or not you’ve already filled out a March Madness bracket (or 20), you have an even better reason to tap into your competitive spirit this season. Indianapolis-based nonprofit Brackets for Good has invited 27 local nonprofits to join in a bracket-style fundraising tournament to help build awareness for their causes. The tourney is six rounds (the first round kicked off March 9) and will end with two nonprofits competing head-to-head in the final round during the first week of April.
“A lot of people don’t know about the causes and charities that exist in their own backyard,” says Matt McIntyre, cofounder and executive director of Brackets for Good. “This gives people an opportunity to discover new organizations working toward causes that matter to them.”
Each participating nonprofit creates a profile on the Brackets for Good Denver website, which includes their story, mission, funding and volunteer needs, and contact information. Visitors can then read about the nonprofits and make a donation. The organizations earn one point per one dollar donated, and the winner of each pairing advances to the next round. “It’s set up sort of like speed dating for charities,” McIntyre explains. “You can quickly read through their stories and see which organizations complement your own passions and goals.”
Competing teams will take home whatever funds their organization raised, and the winning team will also receive a $10,000 first-place prize provided by the food delivery service, ClusterTruck. To get as much coverage as possible, Brackets for Good Denver has partnered with the mobile fundraising platform mGive, which will provide the nonprofits with free marketing materials and templates to spread the word. ClusterTruck will also be promoting the tournament through various marketing campaigns (for example, providing donors with a special promo code in their donation recipient email).
Since its inception in 2012, Brackets for Good has raised over $6 million for charities across the country. Brackets for Good currently hosts 13 tournaments in various U.S. states and cities. In 2017, Bracket for Good’s first year in Denver, more than $160,000 was raised for the participating local charities and 34 percent of those donations came from first-time donors. Last year’s winner, Promise Ranch Therapeutic Riding, raised $52,718 in addition to earning the $10,000 first-place prize. The runner-up, Children’s Future, finished with $45,000. Both organizations have signed up to compete again this year, along with 25 other Colorado-based nonprofits.
Check out all the competing Denver teams here, and take part in a March Madness bracket where everyone wins.