The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County has made it easy for individuals  to make a difference in local arts and cultural programs through a new online giving platform called power2give.

The Arts Council conducted a briefing about the project on August 14. Wells Fargo and the North Carolina Arts Council are supporting the launch. Projects marked with a Wells Fargo logo qualify for a Wells Fargo Arts and Education dollar-for-dollar match.

Donors with as little as $5.00 can give directly to local arts and cultural projects they feel are worthy and are encouraged to use social media to get their friends on board to help out, also. Studies show remarkable growth in online giving and that younger donors especially often like to have a personal connection to specific projects where they can see a tangible result.

Dara Silver, Arts Council Grants Director, said that for as little as $5, anyone can be a ‘philanthropist’ and support arts and cultural projects in Forsyth County.  “Our goal is to broaden our giving base and generate new dollars in an imaginative way. Through power2give we hope to reach a whole new generation of donors who would like to support specific projects and invite family and friends to join them through their social media contacts,” she said.

“This is an exciting giving concept for our community aimed at a whole new demographic,” said Peggy Joines, Wells Fargo Community Affairs Officer for the Triad and Western North Carolina.  “Wells Fargo is pleased to be a part of this initiative to connect donors with the projects and activities of our local nonprofit arts and cultural organizations. There are compelling projects posted on the site, and we are pleased to match donations up to $20,000 to help arts-in-education projects posted on power2give make their goals,” she said.

There are currently 13 projects posted on power2give–Winston-Salem. Two other projects, Authoring Action and Piedmont Opera, already have reached their goals.  Others are close.  BookMark’s Give A Book A Kid project seeks to raise $2,500 to purchase books to be given to kids who attend and participate in Bookmark’s annual book festival on Saturday, September 8.  Give A Book A Kid qualifies for the Wells Fargo Arts and Education dollar- for-dollar match. Delta Fine Arts was one of the first organizations to post a project on the new giving platform. It’s Cool Clear Water project hopes to raise $1,100 to replace its water fountain.

The 88 Arts Council member organizations, which are all 501c3 arts and cultural nonprofits, can post projects in need of funding on power2give.org for up to $6,000.  Organizations promote their projects to individuals through a variety of print, electronic and social media channels.  Projects have 90 days to reach their requested funding level.

The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County was established in 1949 and was the first locally established arts council in the United States. The Arts Council enriches the quality of life for people in Winston-Salem and neighboring communities by raising funds for the arts, advocating for the arts, sponsoring events in conjunction with other arts organizations, providing arts education in schools, strengthening cultural resources, developing social capital, and aiding economic development.  The Arts Council made $2,008,000 in awards in its last grant cycle.  Forty-two organizations and 26 individual artists received grants, with some receiving multiple awards. www.intothearts.org.

For more information, please contact

Dara Silver

winstonsalem@power2give.org

336.747.1426.