Kentucky: Facilitating Fund-raising On-line

The Kentucky Arts Council (KAC) and the Fund for the Arts are helping arts organizations in Kentucky and southern Indiana develop contributed income through power2give.org. Power2give is an initiative of the Arts & Science Council in Charlotte, North Carolina, designed to address changing trends in philanthropic giving. The initiative provides a mechanism for securing on-line donations, connecting local nonprofit arts projects with potential donors through a crowdfunding website. Since its debut in the Charlotte area, the service has expanded to Kentucky and Miami. The Kentucky hub is hosted by the Fund for the Arts in Louisville. The site was launched in December 2011 and in the first 84 days generated $322,000 in contributions to the arts. Gifts from 650 donors went to 122 projects posted by 55 different organizations. KAC provides matching funds for projects posted by current Kentucky Arts Partnership organizations, and coordinated a statewide series of workshops to help constituents learn how to take advantage of the new resource. For additional information on KAC’s rolein this effort, contact KAC Senior Program Analyst Dan Strauss.