By Jim Speirs, Executive Director, Arts South Dakota

The South Dakota Day of Giving is a new statewide program launched to promote local philanthropy across the state. Led by South Dakota Gives, the program enables local nonprofits—including community arts councils—to get involved in this new campaign and leverage the marketing around the event to promote the work being done at the community level.

For the first time ever, nonprofits and communities from across the state are uniting to celebrate generosity in South Dakota. All the details are available at www.southdakotagives.org, including ways for arts councils and community groups to get involved. Mark your calendars now and plan to participate in South Dakota Day of Giving on #GivingTuesday, November 27, 2018. The plan is to come together to raise as much money as possible in one 24-hour period.

If your local arts council is a registered nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, or if you have a working relationship with another nonprofit group providing services to your hometown, you are eligible to take advantage of the excitement surrounding the South Dakota Day of Giving. Nonprofit groups that register will be listed on the South Dakota Gives website and will be eligible for prize money. 

Arts South Dakota has already signed up to participate in the Day of Giving, and you can, too! Arts South Dakota will be focused on soliciting funds from Veterans Day, November 12, through the Day of Giving, November 27, to launch a campaign supporting the State Veterans Home Arts Initiative. This will kick start our efforts for a two-year pilot program to bring additional arts programming to our South Dakota Veterans.

The statewide campaign gives each of us a chance to partner with other groups in our hometowns to leverage the power of community pride to boost the vitality of our arts organizations and our local services. Communities that invest in themselves are stronger and more able to leverage local action to build a brighter future for the arts.

You can energize your hometown around the South Dakota Day of Giving and ways in which your community can take part in this statewide effort. Getting people involved can build new partnerships, boost participation, enhance programming and strengthen your local arts scene. Check out www.southdakotagives.org, or check out the Arts South Dakota website, www.artssouthdakota.org for updates on the Day of Giving.