May 7 will be here soon and we want everyone to have the opportunity to plan accordingly. As a result, yesterday the Give DeKalb County Committee agreed on these changes due to COVID-19:

• Walk-in donations at the Community Foundation and Sandwich Public Library are canceled.
• Offline donations will be accepted by mail (postmarked April 16-May 7).
• Online donations can still be made on May 7 (midnight to midnight).

Your Next Steps

• Complete your profile ASAP. Our timeline is moving up since donations begin in mid-April. We ask that you please finish your profile by April 10—remember, this is in your best interest since donors will start browsing the website earlier this year.
• We need your help—please share accurate information about the mailed donation option with your donors!
  • Here is a step-by-step guide for you to follow and to share with donors (also outlined below).
• Stop using promo/materials that included walk-in donation options. We have updated the downloadable files on our website so you all have the latest promo items.

Our Next Steps

• Share this information with all stakeholders (e.g., Media Sponsors, Community Partners, etc.).
• Implement a revised communications strategy to broadly spread the word (e.g., press release, radio, newsletters, social media, etc.).
• Create a donation form for donors to download/print from the website and include them with their mailed check. Note: The form is not available on the website yet.
• Make a final determination about giving day yard signs—we will communicate information about this as soon as possible.

Last year, nearly $300,000 was raised through offline donations. This is part of what makes Give DeKalb County special and we are disappointed to have to cancel our walk-in options. It was especially disappointing because of how excited we were about the addition of a walk-in donation site in Sandwich this year. Yet, for the safety of all and so you can begin communicating this new plan with donors, we felt the need to make these changes now. Our hope is that your offline donors will still participate by giving via mail.

Mail Donation Process

1. Go to GiveDeKalbCounty.org.
2. Review nonprofit profiles and decide on a donation(s).
3. Print and complete a single donation form, write in the nonprofit(s) and amount(s) you plan to give.
4. Write one check for the total donation amount—make checks payable to “DCCF.”
5. Mail form and check to DCCF, 475 DeKalb Avenue, Sycamore, IL 60178.

Volunteers and staff will take the appropriate precautions when handling mailed donations. For the safety of our volunteers and staff, we ask that donors not mail donations if they are feeling sick.

We recognize this is a substantial change; but, we are doing all we can to position this giving day for success despite the various challenges we all face. Thank you for everything you do and for your flexibility during Give DeKalb County 2020.

Thank you,