SML Gives is an annual online giving day, which is a specific type of fundraising event held entirely online.  On this day, local nonprofits from Bedford and Franklin counties come together to raise money, gain exposure, and build relationships with potential donors in the community.

An online giving day is a powerful way to raise funds for charity in a short amount of time. During SML Gives, people can visit smlgives.org and donate to any of the participating nonprofits that they choose. This makes it easy for people to support the causes they care about, and it allows nonprofits to reach a wider audience than they might be able to on their own.

Franklin and Bedford Counties in Virginia are two rural counties with a combined population of about 135,000 people. Like many rural areas, they face a number of challenges, including poverty, lack of access to healthcare, limited educational opportunities and neglected or abandoned animals. Nonprofits play a vital role in addressing these challenges by providing essential services to the community. SML Gives is a call to action to give back to the community we love. 

SML Gives 2025 is on Wednesday, March 19, 2025 from 12:00am to 11:59pm Eastern Time. Early giving is open March 17 - 18, 2025.

A previous regional giving day was discontinued and a local nonprofit decided to launch SML Gives in 2022 to provide a continued opportunity for local nonprofits to raise funds and exposure in the Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia area. 

Organizations that are verified public 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofits* and that are headquartered or provide services in the Smith Mountain Lake region of Bedford or Franklin County, Virginia may apply to participate. Participating organizations must apply by January 10, 2025 and meet the requirements outlined in the application. Registration opens November 1, 2024. There is no fee to participate, but there are processing fees for each transaction.

*Private 501(c)(3) organizations and other 501(c) categorized organizations may participate but they MUST find a public 501(c)(3) organization to be their fiscal sponsor and submit an MOU to MightyCause in order to participate. For assistance registering, please contact support@mightycause.com.  

501(c)(3) chapter organizations MUST provide a letter from the national foundation verifying your chapter status. Within the letter, please request that the national foundation clarify where funds should be disbursed to your chapter (directly to the national foundation or directly to the chapter).

Anyone may donate. Donations made through SML Gives are made to MightyCause Foundation which directly donates to the donor’s chosen charity. Donations made through SML Gives 2025 are tax deductible and cannot be refunded. Contributions may be made through the SML Gives website on MightyCause using the donate button on each organization’s respective page. There also is an add to cart option to donate to multiple organizations at once. Donors may choose to donate to a participating charity via check or cash but must designate that the donation is to be applied to SML Gives in order for it to be counted towards the total raised through SML Gives. Check and cash donations may not be taken into account for any prizes or incentives that may be offered unless they can be verified through the hosting organization. Each participating organization is responsible for providing receipts and donation acknowledgements for offline donations. Receipts for online donations will be sent by MightyCause Foundation. 

SML Gives Event Sponsorship funds will be used to cover any costs incurred by the hosting organization (SML Good Neighbors) for hosting the event. These expenses include covering the cost of using the MightyCause platform, advertisements, marketing materials and more. Charity obtained sponsorships will be applied to that charity’s funds raised for SML Gives 2025.  

Participating charities will use the MightyCause platform for SML Gives. Total fees on each transaction are 6.9% plus $0.30. Donations are processed through MightyCause Foundation and disbursed to the participating charities. Donors will be given an option at checkout to cover the fees. Alternatively, participating charities may take offline donations in the form of checks, cash or as designated by each charity to avoid the fees. Those donations can be entered by the receiving charities into the platform to count towards their overall goal without incurring fees on those offline transactions.  

The participating organizations that you choose to support will have access to your name, email address and mailing address and/or phone number if you choose to share that information when making your donation. This information is used to send receipts, donation acknowledgements and future information about the organization. 

Donations can be made online from any internet connected device by visiting smlgives.org. 

An in-person donor hospitality and nonprofit fair will take place during SML Gives 2025 on March 19, 2025. Please feel free to visit the event to learn more about the participating nonprofits and sponsors, or to make a donation in-person. You may also arrange to drop off or mail a cash or check donation directly with the organization(s) of your choice. 

No. SML Gives will not be arranging for scheduled donations. However, you may contribute to the participating organization of your choice before or after the event by contacting the organization directly or via the SML Gives website during early giving March 16 - 18, 2025).

If you cannot find your preferred organization on the SML Gives website, then the organization is probably not participating or does not meet the requirements to participate. You can encourage them to apply by passing along the website url smlgives.org.

No. Every dollar counts! You may make donations of any size during SML Gives. 

Nonprofits are held to a high standard of government regulation and public scrutiny. And that is with good reason. Eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofits are exempt from federal corporate taxes and have access to public funding. These benefits are not typically available to for-profit businesses, so laws are in place to protect the public and ensure nonprofits do not abuse their financial advantages. The IRS and states all have requirements for nonprofits. Every participating nonprofit is responsible to ensure they are in compliance with any federal or state laws regarding solicitation. When a nonprofit applies to participate in SML Gives, they are attesting that they are in compliance with Virginia charitable solicitation law.

Visit our resource page or reach out to support@mightycause.com.