Helping Hearts: Helping is What We Do Best

If years of Dakota Medical Foundation's ever-growing Giving Hearts Day has taught us anything, it's that we live in one of the most generous regions in the country.

Working quickly to address community needs in the wake of COVID-19, Dakota Medical Foundation launched a new giving platform, Helping Hearts.

Since 1962, Dakota Medical Foundation has been connecting people to opportunities to help others. So in response to the COVID-19 crisis, the Dakota Medical Foundation (DMF) team established a nonprofit needs survey, a critical needs fund, education and training for nonprofits and a new website, DMFHelpingHearts.org.

When the pandemic hit, DMF needed to quickly pivot and do something to help the community and the nearly 500 nonprofit organizations that are within their Giving Hearts Day framework. In just two quick weeks, they developed a crisis response platform specifically for COVID-19 relief, but also equipped to be switched on for any future crisis.

COVID-19's presence has sent ripples into all spheres of life and business. And non-profits have especially been hit. There is always a financial need for charities. But as fundraising events have been canceled and economic hardships have shown themselves, nonprofits who depend on such donations are hurting. Galas and fundraising events are a primary way for many local organizations to

raise money, awareness and excitement around their cause. With the inability to gather together right now, those opportunities are lost. According to DMF's Nonprofit Survey Summary Report ran in April, 65 percent of charities have canceled a significant charity event and 49 percent of charities don’t have a plan to replace that lost revenue. We can only imagine those numbers have increased since the report was run in April.

Not only are nonprofits seeing reduced donations and canceled events, but they are also seeing an increase in demand for their services and the need for more funds on hand. As more people are facing financial or health hardships, the critical needs nonprofits in our area are needed more than ever.

Through this platform, nonprofits can outline a clear message of their mission, but also tell how they have been impacted by COVID-19 and what your dollar can do to help them, specifically.

Amber DeKrey, Director of Programs at Dakota Medical Foundation, shared that they want to make sure people give in a way that fulfills them too. Because the act of giving needs to be impactful for both the donor and the nonprofit. Showing how their dollars will help helps donors feel more confident in their donations. And for those who are fueled by physical or time donations, there are options for them as well. With their hands full with essential work, nonprofits are able to receive aid from Helping Hearts with little-to-no additional work. Utilizing the existing GivingHeartsDay. org site and donation functionality, the framework is already all there. All they need to do is make sure their messaging is relevant and on par with their current needs.

With DMFHelpingHearts.org set up and running, the community was given a platform in which they could help. Oftentimes, many in the community want to help a good cause, they just don't know how or where or what is needed. With this easy to navigate platform, community members can see what types of gifts are needed and how they can fulfill them.

DeKrey noted that one thing they are finding nonprofits really need right now is volunteers. And volunteering looks quite different in a pandemic. Nonprofits in need of volunteers have been on top of ensuring all their protocol and safety measures are top-notch. While it still should be addressed with caution, know that there are safe opportunities to get out there and make an impact.

In addition to in-person options, many nonprofits are in need of remote volunteer help. As we all are depending on technology a lot more now, new systems and protocols are needed and many charities need help implementing such new systems. If you want to help from afar, don't hesitate to reach out and see where your skillsets can help out. From accounting to social media management, you never know what a nonprofit could be needing the most right now.

"I think we can rethink what volunteering looks like right now. How can we think differently? Maybe now more than ever, charities need a voice and for you to be one of their biggest advocates and be an ambassador for communicating their mission to your network," said DeKrey. This shifting set of circumstances have allowed us to think outside of the box and think of alternative ways to make an impact, which is certainly a silver lining.

"If you aren’t able to contribute financially, or you want to do even more to find purpose, I think volunteering is a huge thing and a great opportunity for people to be looking for," said DeKrey. People still need to feel connected right now and, through the Helping Hearts platform, they can find a charity to love and listed opportunities to lend a hand...financially, inperson or from afar.

Further helping nonprofits, DMF pivoted their webinars for their High Impact Institute members to include relevant, critical topics. Leading in turbulent times, how to host a virtual event

and what to do next were all topics discussed in these educational trainings. By surveying nonprofits, DMF was able to really understand the greatest needs and challenges of the nonprofits so that the curriculum could be better tailored and focused. In addition to launching the online giving and guidance platform, DMF decided to run a 19-day Helping Hearts Giving Campaign. Beginning on April 20 and running through May 8, this focused campaign wanted to rally the community together, shining a light on the stories, missions and urgent needs of local nonprofits.

Just two months after Giving Hearts Day raised over $19.1 million, Dakota Medical Foundation was blown away by the amount of support they received with this additional giving campaign. In 19 days, over $1 million was raised for local charities through Helping Hearts. "We were so pleased and overjoyed with the generosity," said DeKrey. Through online donations and grants, DMF feels fortunate to have seen a rapid response in distributing emergency grants to critical needs nonprofits.

Shortly after this first 19-day campaign, Helping Hearts teamed with Bell Bank, Inforum and WDAY for a second 19-day giving campaign called Play it Forward. Play It Forward was a charity golf event featuring Tom Hoge, Amy Olson, Josh Duhamel and Matt Cullen. The match was broadcast on May 31 and in the weeks leading up to it, money was donated to help North Country Food Bank, Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch, The Village Family Service Center, The New Life Center and The Great Plains Food Bank.

In total, both of these campaigns raised over $1.2 million for local nonprofits. Three major giving campaigns right in a row is ambitious, but our community has shown that we know no bounds when it comes to generosity. Echoing that sentiment, DeKrey said, "It’s neat to see everyone coming together in a time of need, and I think that’s exactly what our community and North Dakota and Western Minnesota do. It’s part of who we are. We help someone in the time of need."