The Heart that Gives, Gathers - 2022 Gala Recap
The Giving Exchange held our third annual Gala on GivingTuesday, November 29, 2022.
It was our first ever in-person event, held at the Lesher Center for the Arts in downtown Walnut Creek. At the same time, we couldn’t host this event without including our supporters around the world, so the Gala was also live streamed to a virtual audience tuning in from their own homes.
In the end, our Gala donors did it AGAIN and helped us exceed our ambitious fundraising goals for the THIRD year in a row. We couldn't be more grateful.
Here’s Rod sharing the numbers, and expressing his thanks: https://youtu.be/mTS4xCExZL4
Thanks to 165 individual donors, we raised $240,00!
Who we are
The Giving Exchange is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization focused on connecting need with supply for good, with an emphasis on self-sustainability.
Because our overarching goal is to strengthen communities for generations to come, most of our projects are long-term, income-generating programs such as chicken coops, greenhouses and dairy cow production. However, we understand that innovation is dependent first on survival. Therefore, some of our projects focus on basic human rights, such as access to clean water, good hygiene and education.
We proudly collaborate with applicants on every project to fill a need they have identified; and we use in-country staff, partners, and resources to enact the solution they have engineered.
What we do
Mission Statement: to implement small-scale, high-impact, self-sustaining programs in under-resourced communities around the world and deliver measurable results.
The Giving Exchange is committed to improving the lives of people in need – not just for today, but for tomorrows yet to come.
We work with beneficiaries around the world to provide critical lifesaving resources and implement self-sustaining certifiable programs complete with training and measurement.
The Gala Event:
With so many non-profits holding very important fundraisers on GivingTuesday, one of the largest days of impact in the year, The Giving Exchange was proud to off our supporters something to physically DO on GivingTuesday this year. Hundreds of supporters chose to TAKE ACTION by attending our Gala.
114 guests joined us in-person at the theater and about 100 more supporters joined us virtually online.
The program for the evening consisted of:
5:30-6:30p Welcome Reception (both in-person and virtual)
6:30-7:30p Main Event - details to come! (both in-person and virtual)
7:30-8:00p After-Party (in-person only)
(^All times in California, Pacific Time)
During the main event, our Director of Operations, Reanna Placide, delivered a passionate keynote speech about the impact that our donors have made on communities in Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe in the last 12 months, and how we hope to accomplish so much more in the weeks to come.
You can watch her presentation here: https://youtu.be/5G1fdv0Gzf8
We would like to thank our event sponsors:
Opportunity Sponsors
Drew and Susan Hagen, Paul Salinger, Rod Mickels
Sustainability Sponsors
The Edgar Family, Jenkins Street, Laura Cervelli, Lilian Tsai and Steve Richie, Suzanne Geoffrion, Union Bank
Impact Sponsors
Amy Alanes, Bett Mickels, Bruce and Lise Cacho-Negrete, Christopher Revetria, Terri and Bill Wygal
Growth Sponsors
Alexandra Howar, Chloe Hull, Jill Tanner, Jim Carlin, Kristen Radakovich, Maddie and Jamis Spalding, Michael Berta, Raymond Brown
We are also infinitely grateful to our two production sponsors: InVision Communications and Large Screen Video. It was thanks to their professional teams that our event was elevated and exceptional, and only because of the two companies’ generosity and donations that we were able to produce it.
Some of the great feedback we heard from guests in attendance that night:
“Really great job! I've attended many galas and was very impressed by the efficiency and professionalism. And thank you all for your great work!”
“Wonderful event, great hearing about the projects and hearing directly from those who are benefitting from the The Giving Exchange's incredible projects.”
“It was a a beautiful live event in every way possible. Thank you!”
“This is a wonderful charity that is making a difference. You all are doing a great job.”
“You did an amazing job and are doing a great thing to help humanity!”
These comments bring joy to our hearts, but we are not the ones that should be thanked! Thank YOU so much. It is because of these donors that we are able to create lasting change for thousands of people every year.
How you can help:
If you missed the event, there are still many ways you can help and get involved:
1. Donate: By contributing financially today, you help ensure we have an even more significant impact in the years to come.
2. Engage: Follow us on social media @TheGivingExchange - this is free and so helpful to us as a small organization. Help us spread the word!
3. Explore: The Giving Exchange’s virtual world created for this event! Open to the public, this world is a place for you to learn, interact and play. World Password: tge2022. Let us know what you think with an e-mail to: info@thegivingexchange.net
4. Travel: The Giving Exchange is headed back to Kenya in August 2023 – you can come with us as a TGE Ambassador! Express interest here.
Remember, 100% of every dollar donated to The Giving Exchange goes directly to our projects.
Thank you for supporting our mission and programs.
You are the lifeblood of our organization and impact.