Strengthening Local Nonprofits Through Uncertain Times

When the pandemic hit in early March, Teena Belcik, executive director at Boys and Girls Club of Oklahoma County, remembers receiving a call that she was not going to have to face this alone.

One of the first calls I got was from the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. They made sure we had all the resources and tools we needed to navigate this crisis and successfully continue our capital campaign.

One of the tools that Belcik has found vital to their fundraising success is GiveSmartOKC. The platform, designed to provide vetted nonprofit information and community data to interested community members, went through a major upgrade earlier this year, sporting increased functionality and search filters.

It is such a great way to tell a story about our organization while giving people a chance to learn about us prior to engaging in a donation.

Belcik believes that the true strength of GiveSmartOKC lies in the ability to demonstrate transparency and fiscal responsibility to potential donors.

“We just finished an $8 million fundraising campaign at the Boys and Girls Club, and we’re absolutely convinced that by having an updated GiveSmartOKC profile, we attracted more donors by giving them the confidence to consider a larger contribution than perhaps originally planned,” said Belcik. “This will certainly help us continue our work and keep our doors open throughout this difficult time.”

Staff and children at the Boys & Girls Club of Oklahoma County meet Rumble the Bison, official mascot of the Oklahoma City Thunder. (Picture taken prior to pandemic.)