Prize Opportunities


Overview

Prizes awarded during the 2024 Giving Challenge are an engaging way for nonprofit organizations to dive deep into their capacity building efforts and explore partnerships, opportunities, and connections that last far beyond the 24-hour challenge. Of course, prizes also provide a fun, friendly outlet for those organizations with fierce competitive spirits.

Whether you’re in for the competition or camaraderie, there are plenty of prize opportunities to discover and apply for that celebrate your organization’s campaigns and achievements. Good luck and let your creative flag fly!

View Prize Recipients Here!


Automatically Eligible Prizes


Automatically Eligible Prizes

Every nonprofit organization participating in the 2024 Giving Challenge is automatically eligible for the following prizes. No application is required. These prizes will be awarded during the 24-hours of giving.

50 Prize Awards: $250

$250 prize each to the 50 nonprofit organizations that are the first to get 50 donors to give online at www.GivingChallenge.org.

Automatically awarded during the Giving Challenge


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24 Prize Awards: $100

$100 prizes made to 24 random nonprofit organization that post on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and/or X using #GivingChallenge2024 and recognizes a donor.

Automatically awarded during the Giving Challenge


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Total Prize Awards: $2,500

Prizes awarded on-air on iHeart radio shows to random nonprofit organizations throughout the duration of the Giving Challenge.

Automatically awarded during the Giving Challenge


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Total Prize Awards: $2,500

Prizes awarded on-air on SolMart radio shows to random nonprofit organizations throughout the duration of the Giving Challenge.

Automatically awarded during the Giving Challenge


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Automatically Eligible Prize – if specific criteria is met 

Every nonprofit organization participating in the 2024 Giving Challenge is automatically eligible for the prizes below if they meet the criteria for that prize. No application is required.
25 Prize Awards: $500

$500 prize awarded to 25 nonprofit organizations through random drawing. 

To be eligible for the random drawing the participating nonprofit must meet one of the below criteria:

  • The organization’s profile in The Giving Partner is updated as of 5:00 pm Tuesday, Dec 12, 2023.
  • The organization has fully completed all key requirements and updates (refer to Nonprofit Toolkit - Checklist) to their profile in The Giving Partner AND has clicked on “Submit for Review" or "Submit for Re-Verification" (for the Community Foundation team’s review) as of 5:00 pm Tuesday, Dec 12, 2023. No application is required. These prizes will be awarded prior to the Giving Challenge


Awarded prior to the Giving Challenge


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16 Prize Awards: $250

$250 prize awarded via random drawing to 16 nonprofit organizations run by all volunteers. ‘All Volunteer’ eligibility is based on organization’s profile in The Giving Partner.

Automatically awarded after the Giving Challenge


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Total Prize Awards: $4,000

$4,000 stretch pool of funds, divided equally among all first time Giving Challenge organization participants who have a minimum of 20 unique donors. Prize amount awarded to each eligible organization will depend on the number of organizations that qualify.

Automatically awarded after the Giving Challenge


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Total Prize Awards: $4,000

$4,000 stretch pool of funds, divided among all organizations both based in and doing work in DeSoto County. Prize amount awarded to each eligible organization will be a percentage of the stretch pool, based on the number of unique donors for all eligible organizations.

Automatically awarded after the Giving Challenge


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Application Prizes


Pre-Giving Challenge 

Each prize listed below requires online application submission before the 2024 Giving Challenge. Application for these prizes opens Thursday, Feb 1, 2024. Links to the online application forms will be emailed to Team Leads and posted below.

Pre-Giving Challenge Application Prizes
Applications Open: February 1, 2024
Application Deadline: March 5, 2024 (5:00 PM EST)


5 Prize Awards: $1,000

$1,000 prize each to the 5 nonprofit organizations with the top blog post, newsletter block, or email campaign published between Feb. 1, 2024 and March 5, 2024 that tells the nonprofit organization’s 2022 Giving Challenge story. How did its donors make a difference in 2022? Why is it important for donors to support the nonprofit organization again this year during the Giving Challenge?


PDF Outline of Application Questions
Applications Open: February 1, 2024
Application Deadline: March 5, 2024 (5:00 PM EST)
Judged by committee before the Giving Challenge


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10 Prize Awards: $1,500

$1,500 prize each to ten recipients with the best videos produced in-house or professionally. Judges are looking for short videos (30 seconds) with the following qualities:

  • The video tells a compelling story about what the nonprofit organization achieves for their clients or the community
  • The video makes use of data and/or stories from the organization's profile in The Giving Partner and/or Giving Challenge donation page
  • The video incorporates the “Be The One” concept

Video Submission Requirements: Videos will be submitted by uploading to the nonprofit organization's YouTube channel or Vimeo account AND providing the link/URL in the application form. It is highly encouraged to use YouTube or Vimeo's video requirements (posted below).

YouTube Video Guidelines:

  • Recommended dimensions: 426 x 240 (240p), 640 x 360 (360p), 854 x 480 (480p), 1280 x 720 (720p), 1920 x 1080 (1080p), 2560 x 1440 (1440p) and 3840 x 2160 (2160p)
  • Aspect ratio is 16:9
  • Max file size is 128GB
  • Accepted video formats include: .MOV, .MPEG4, MP4, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, .FLV, 3GPP, and WebM

PDF Outline of Application Questions
Applications Open: February 1, 2024
Application Deadline: March 5, 2024 (5:00 PM EST)
Judged by committee before the Giving Challenge


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Post-Giving Challenge 

Application Limit (up to 3): In an effort to maximize time, resources, and capacity, nonprofit organizations will be able to apply for up to three post-Giving Challenge application-required prize opportunities during the 2024 Giving Challenge. Automatically eligible prizes, pre-Giving Challenge application-required prizes and Best Giving Challenge Photo are not included in this "up to three" limit. This decision came from thoughtfully reviewing nonprofit and community stakeholder feedback received from several post-Giving Challenge surveys conducted over the years.

By limiting the number of post-Giving Challenge application required prize submissions to three per nonprofit organization, participating nonprofits will be able to devote the time and resources necessary to submit quality entries, and this in turn allows judges to go deeper into each application. Crucially, this update also gives smaller nonprofits with limited capacity the chance to compete alongside organizations with larger budgets or staff sizes.

Size Categories: In effort to create an equal opportunity for nonprofit organizations to compete for Giving Challenge prizes, size categories are established based on a nonprofit organization’s Expenses. Each prize category – small, medium, large – includes roughly the same number of Giving Challenge nonprofit organizations, ensuring each organization can compete equally among its peers with similar financial resources. The 2024 Giving Challenge size categories are: 

Small: Under $80,000
Medium: $80,000-$650,000
Large: More than $650,000

Post-Giving Challenge Application Prizes
Applications Open: April 11, 2024
*Best Giving Challenge Photo Submission Open: April 9, 2024

Application Deadline: April 25, 2024 (5:00 PM EST)
*Best Giving Challenge Photo Prize Deadline: April 16, 2024 (11:59 PM EST)


20 Prize Awards: $250

$250 prize each to the 20 nonprofit organizations with 2024 Giving Challenge photos that receive the most public votes for their photo submission. Photo submissions MUST include organization’s name and a brief caption of what is happening in the photo. Photos should capture the fun and excitement of the 2024 Giving Challenge.


Applications Open: April 9, 2024
Application Deadline: April 16, 2024 (11:59 PM EST)
Judged by public online voting April 17 - May 1 via this link to the Observer website after the Giving Challenge

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6 Prize Awards: $1,000

$1,000 prize awarded to two recipients per category (small, medium, large) who utilize social media the best during their Giving Challenge campaign. Judges are looking for how clear, intentional, and unique the campaign is, and how well did it incorporate the “Be The One” concept. Judges will also consider how much reach, interaction, and engagement the campaign generates.


PDF Outline of Application Questions
LINK TO ONLINE APPLICATION
Applications Open: April 11, 2024
Application Deadline: April 25, 2024 (5:00 PM EST)
Judged by committee after the Giving Challenge


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3 Prize Awards: $4,000

$4,000 prize equally split between nonprofit partners in a collaboration. Judges are looking for each partner to bring something unique or creative to the table; each partner achieves more than it would achieve alone; partnership incorporates the concept of “Be The One;” and the partnership has the potential to extend beyond the Giving Challenge.

PDF Outline of Application Questions
LINK TO ONLINE APPLICATION
Applications Open: April 11, 2024
Application Deadline: April 25, 2024 (5:00 PM EST)
Judged by committee before the Giving Challenge


Sponsored By

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6 Prize Awards: $2,000

$2,000 prize to two recipients per category (small, medium, large) with the best business partnership. Judges are looking for the nonprofit / business relationship to be something creative or unique; by working with the business, the nonprofit achieves more than it would achieve alone; the partnership incorporates the concept of “Be The One;” and the partnership has the potential to extend beyond the Giving Challenge.


PDF Outline of Application Questions
LINK TO ONLINE APPLICATION
Applications Open: April 11, 2024
Application Deadline: April 25, 2024 (5:00 PM EST)
Judged by committee after the Giving Challenge


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3 Prize Awards: $2,000

$2,000 prize to one recipients per category (small, medium, large) with the best board member engagement. Judges will be looking for 100% giving by board members during the Giving Challenge and for creative ways the board and individual board members contribute to the success of the nonprofit organization’s campaign.


PDF Outline of Application Questions
LINK TO ONLINE APPLICATION
Applications Open: April 11, 2024
Application Deadline: April 25, 2024 (5:00 PM EST)
Judged by committee after the Giving Challenge


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6 Prize Awards: $1,000

$1,000 prize to two recipients per category (small, medium, large) with the best Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Fundraising campaign. Judges are looking for how the nonprofit organization recruited supporters to become P2P fundraisers and supported them along the way; creativity of the campaign; and whether the campaign incorporates the concept of “Be The One”.


PDF Outline of Application Questions
LINK TO ONLINE APPLICATION
Applications Open: April 11, 2024
Application Deadline: April 25, 2024 (5:00 PM EST)
Judged by committee after the Giving Challenge


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9 Prize Awards: $4,000 first place, $3,000 second place, $2,000 third place

$4,000 prize to first place recipients, $3,000 prize to second place recipients, and $2,000 prize to third place recipients per category (small, medium, large) with the best overall campaigns. Judges will be looking for pre-determined goals and strategies before the Giving Challenge; a variety of communication tools are used in a campaign with integrated messaging; how well the nonprofit organization’s campaign incorporated the “Be The One” concept; and inclusion of references to the nonprofit organization’s profile in The Giving Partner. Remember, this isn’t about spending money!


PDF Outline of Application Questions
LINK TO ONLINE APPLICATION
Applications Open: April 11, 2024
Application Deadline: April 25, 2024 (5:00 PM EST)
Judged by committee after the Giving Challenge


Sponsored By


View Prize Recipients Here!