WHEN IS THE AMAZING PRAISE?
The Amazing Praise is a 48-hour online giving celebration of God and the transforming work being done in Jesus' name across Richmond. In 2023 it will run from 12:00 PM ET on Tuesday, September 19 through 12:00PM ET on Thursday, September 21.
WHAT IS THE MOTIVATION BEHIND THE AMAZING PRAISE?
The Amazing Praise is designed to provide a common platform through which donors can learn about and provide support to Christian-based nonprofits serving the greater Richmond area. The Amazing Praise was initially inspired by the Amazing Raise, organized for five years by The Community Foundation Serving Richmond and Central Virginia.
WHAT PRINCIPLES UNDERGIRD THE AMAZING PRAISE?
The Amazing Praise is:
● Praise-focused—intentionally and unashamedly celebrating God and the transformative work being done in Jesus’ name across the Richmond, Virginia region.
● Collaborative—non-competitive partnership designed to draw attention, funds, people,
and urgency to the causes of the participating nonprofits committed to carrying-out
their work based upon Christian motivation and practice.
● Growth-oriented—a scalable vehicle for annually expanding the number of participating nonprofits and the number of donors.
WHICH NONPROFITS HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE AMAZING PRAISE?
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The inaugural 2016 year included four nonprofits: Boaz & Ruth, Richmond Christian Leadership Initiative (RCLI), Sweet Monday, and Youth Life Foundation of Richmond
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For 2023, the participating nonprofits are: Assisting Families of Inmates, Belmont Community Resource Services, Boaz & Ruth, Grace Inside, Into the Neighborhood, Northside Outreach Center, Real Life, Richmond Hill, Strategies to Elevate People, Sunodia Prayer Counseling, Urban Hope, Woven Circle, Young Lives Metro Richmond, and Youth Life Foundation of Richmond.
HOW ARE THE NONPROFITS SELECTED?
Common threads across the self-selecting nonprofits include:
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Shared commitment to carrying out their work based upon Christian motivation and practice
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Signed Memorandum of Agreement guiding the method, timeframe, and implementation of the Amazing Praise
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Established reputations for integrity of stewardship, as documented principally through the Nonprofit Directory maintained by ConnectVA.org
HOW MUCH MONEY HAS THE AMAZING PRAISE RAISED?
Over $1,800,000: In 2016, the four participating nonprofits raised $55,000. The amount doubled to $111,000 in 2017 with the participation of ten nonprofits, $204,000 in 2018 with seventeen nonprofits, $256,000 in 2019 with twenty nonprofits, $369,000 in 2020 with seventeen nonprofits, $435,000 in 2021 with nineteen nonprofits, and $403,156 in 2022 with seventeen nonprofits.
HOW DOES A DONOR PARTICIPATE IN THE AMAZING PRAISE?
Between 12:00PM ET on Tuesday, September 19 and 12:00PM ET on Thursday, September 21, donors visit TheAmazingPraise.org to learn about and to contribute to one or more of the participating nonprofits. Internet access and a credit/debit card are required to participate on each of the nonprofits’ individual donation pages. Matching gifts are welcomed; the required documentation should be directed to the individual nonprofit(s) to which a donation is made.
ARE CONTRIBUTIONS THROUGH THE AMAZING PRAISE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE?
All participating nonprofits are recognized by the IRS as tax-exempt 501c3 charities. Each donation is processed via the respective nonprofit’s website and secure service provider and will generate a tax receipt in accordance with IRS regulations.
WHO SPONSORS THE AMAZING PRAISE?
Each year, the Amazing Praise is organized and staged cooperatively by the participating nonprofits. However, financial and promotional sponsors are critical partners. Last year, the Presenting Sponsor was the Wheless Family Stewardship Fund, the Amazing Sponsors were Mosquito Squad and The Main Street Group, and the Praise Sponsors were ValleyStar and Wise Enterprises Inc.
HOW IS THE AMAZING PRAISE ORGANIZED?
The Amazing Praise is itself not an organization or nonprofit. Rather it is the collective banner under which participating nonprofits cooperatively celebrate God’s work in Richmond and raise funds to carry-out their respective missions. The work is guided by a Steering Committee consisting of a representative from each nonprofit. A fiscal agent acts on behalf of the nonprofits to receive sponsorship funds, pay expenses, and distribute remaining proceeds.
WHO DO I CONTACT IF I STILL HAVE QUESTIONS OR TO EXPLORE A SPONSORSHIP?
Please contact info@TheAmazingPraise.org or (804) 592-1551.