NEWS

Just how big was Nashville's Big Payback?

Jessica Bliss
jbliss@tennessean.com

The Big Payback was better than big, it was momentous.

Over a 24-hour period that began at 6 a.m. Tuesday, 525 nonprofits across Middle Tennessee received a total of 11,468 donations generating just shy of $1.5 million.

The community-wide effort far exceeded the expectations of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, which organized the inaugural online giving campaign.

The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee topped the donation leaderboard with $74,054. CASA Nashville, The Salvation Army, the Nashville Public Library Foundation and Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee all raised more than $30,000 during the 24-hour period.

The Community Foundation now is verifying all gifts and incentives for participating organizations, so results are subject to review. The organization anticipates the verification process to be completed by May 31.

Local nonprofits couldn't be happier, and their joy permeated social media channels Wednesday morning.

"Good morning amazing people! Look what you did!" Derri Smith, founder and executive director of End Slavery Tennessee posted on Facebook. The organization, which works with survivors of human trafficking, was the top fundraising nonprofit in the small organization category with $25,071.

"Wow! All I can think is how much good this will do for our survivors and how generous and kind you all are. I read every name on the donor list and pray rich blessings on each of you."

More than fundraising, The Big Payback was fun.

Creative awareness campaigns popped up across Middle Tennessee, including in Centennial Park and on Broadway, where Alive Hospice gave out hugs to anyone who wanted them. It was a visual that tied in with organization's theme for the day: Alive Hospice Embraces Life.

The intent was to change perceptions of hospice care, which organization spokesman Jared Porter said, is not just about dying and death. "It's about embracing life," he said, "because how we live is so important at the end of life."

The organization raised $10,050.

Across Middle Tennessee, nonprofits got creative with their social engagement. Even as many saw their tallies rise as a result of their efforts, a few still were surprised.

Just before 11 p.m., Hands on Nashville — which first worked to raise money to cover the cost of 200 bicycle helmets for its Recycle for Kids beneficiaries and then to support its youth leadership programming — received an unexpected and generous donation.

"We were all ready to settle in for the night, and then we happened to check out our #BigPayback tally," a Facebook post recounted. "Had to do a double take and make sure we weren't just seeing things: $14,875!"

That came thanks a single $10,000 donation to the organization.

Hands on Nashville's 24-hour fundraising total was $14,975.

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee administered the TheBigPayback.org site, which provided an online donation platform and house a live leaderboard showing each participating nonprofit's fundraising tally.

The foundation provided The Big Payback event as a community service at no charge; it took no administrative fees. However, credit card transaction and processing fees were paid to the website host, and those are estimated at 6 percent.

In addition to individual donations, the Community Foundation awarded an additional $168,000 in cash prizes through sponsor support.

Organizations that received gifts from the most unique donors or raised the most money during pre-specified blocks of time received the additional incentive rewards.

The Big Payback party bus bopped around town surprising winners with balloons and big honorary checks.

At one such stop, Laws Rushing, minister of the Lindsley Avenue Church of Christ, summed up the whole effort with a single motion.

He looked up at the bus and gave a big thumbs up.

Reach Jessica Bliss at 615-259-8253 or on Twitter @jlbliss.

How to help

Still feeling generous but your pocketbook is empty? Here are three ways to volunteer your time this week.

1. East Nashville Chicken Chase

At the first annual East Nashville Chicken Chase, Urban Green Lab will educate volunteers and provide them with everything they need to spread the word about how people can learn to live more sustainably. Focus will be on chicken-related themes, like raising your own hens, eating local, and sustainable chicken and eggs. There are four volunteer training sessions Saturday.

When: 10 a.m.-noon, noon-2 p.m., 2-4 p.m., and 4-6 p.m. Saturday

More info:www.urbangreenlab.org

2. North Rutherford YMCA Golf Scramble

The North Rutherford YMCA Golf Scramble is a community event hosted for its annual giving campaign. Volunteers will be responsible for various tasks, including setup, registration, trash duty, hole monitor and rover. All volunteers will receive a free lunch. There are six available shifts

When: 5-8 a.m., 7:30-10 a.m., 9:30 a.m.-noon, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., 1:30 p.m.-4 p.m., and 3:30 p.m.-6 p.m., Saturday

More info: www.hon.org

3. Dinner for Renewal House

The women and children of Renewal House, a residential program for women in recovery, are interested in what you bring to the table. Help the organization prepare dinner for approximately 35 people. Each volunteer is required to provide a menu item for the meal. Items should be made offsite and brought in warm and ready to serve, as they do not have a large kitchen area.

When: 5-6:30 p.m., Monday

More info: www.renewalhouse.org

To receive announcements about The Big Payback 2015, like The Community Foundation's Facebook and follow its Twitter.