A special day to give back to local orgs

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Tuesday is Arizona Gives Day. An initiative of AZ Impact for Good, dedicated to helping non-profits across the state continue their missions, especially as many face uncertainty with funding.

From social services to wildlife rehabilitation, organizations rely on this annual event to stay afloat.

But with recent cuts… non-profits are worried they won't be able to meet the needs of the communities they serve. 

"There's an unfortunate situation where in a lot of cases when non-profits funding starts to go down through loss of grants or loss of federal funding, their need for their services goes up," says Michael Morefield of AZ Impact for Good.

From human services to wildlife conservation, non-profit organizations say flexible funding is crucial to their survival. Events like Arizona Gives Day provides unrestricted dollars—funding that can be used where it’s needed most.

Arizona Gives Day allows non-profits to raise funds for critical programs without restrictions.

"All these non-profits, their need is growing very significantly, so Arizona gives day, a day like today, it provides those unrestricted dollars and funds to this non-profit to fulfill their mission," said Michael Morefield of AZ Impact for Good.

As nonprofits across Arizona struggle with increasing needs and unstable funding, Arizona Gives Day offers a lifeline to keep their missions alive.

One organization that relies on these donations is Vida Wildlife, a Yuma-based rehabilitation center that rescues, rehabs, and releases injured or displaced wildlife.

President of Vida Wildlife, Albert Ustaszewski says, "We solely rely on donation from the public, we have grown beyond the point of self funding, so Arizona gives day is major factor for us here, it's a big money maker for us to help us continue our mission."

Nonprofits say every donation, big or small, makes a difference. To learn more about Arizona Gives Day go to AZGives.org.