{"id":156397,"date":"2026-02-08T22:47:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T22:47:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/156397\/"},"modified":"2026-02-08T22:47:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T22:47:13","slug":"amplify-austin-day-aims-to-raise-10-million-for-central-texas-nonprofits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/156397\/","title":{"rendered":"Amplify Austin Day aims to raise $10 million for Central Texas nonprofits"},"content":{"rendered":"

AUSTIN (KXAN) \u2014 As Central Texas prepares for one of its largest annual giving events, I Live Here I Give Here<\/a> is calling on residents across the region to help raise $10 million during this year\u2019s Amplify Austin Day.<\/p>\n

The 24-hour fundraiser begins at 6 p.m. on March 4 and runs through 6 p.m. on March 5, supporting over 700 nonprofits working across seven Central Texas counties.<\/p>\n

What is Amplify Austin Day?<\/p>\n

Amplify Austin Day gives residents a centralized, online platform to donate to organizations that align with their passions. From animal welfare and the environment to arts, veterans\u2019 services and basic needs. In addition to the main giving window, early donations opened Jan. 28 and count toward nonprofit totals.<\/p>\n

Piper Stege Nelson, Executive Director of I Live Here I Give Here, said the event has grown significantly since its launch more than a decade ago. \u201cAmplify Austin Day is the largest giving event in Central Texas. It\u2019s 24 hours and it\u2019s primarily an online giving day,\u201d Nelson said. \u201cOur goal this year is 10 million dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last year, the event raised $9.7 million, part of more than $122 million donated since the giving campaign began.<\/p>\n

Community Impacts<\/p>\n

Nonprofits of all sizes rely on the event\u2019s financial boost, Nelson said, especially smaller, volunteer-led organizations. \u201cThere are lots of nonprofits that really rely on this funding. About 25% of our nonprofits are entirely volunteer-led,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Nelson shared several examples of how Amplify Austin contributions directly affect the community, including a donation that helped a student supported by 100 Black Men of Austin stay in her home when she struggled to pay rent.<\/p>\n

One organization that relies heavily on this fundraising event is the nonprofit Meals on Wheels of Central Texas<\/a>. The organization delivers thousands of meals each day to older adults and homebound residents across Central Texas.<\/p>\n

Henry Van de Putte, CEO and president, said the organization\u2019s programs extend beyond meal delivery. \u201cHome-delivered meals are our largest program\u2026 It\u2019s about the knock. It\u2019s about the social connection to the volunteer delivering that meal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Meals on Wheels also operates home-repair and in-home care programs, all supported by a large volunteer network. The organization aims to raise $1000,000 during Amplify Austin Day this year, enough to provide 25,000 meals.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year we raised just under $80,000\u2026 that\u2019ll serve 25,000 meals,\u201d Van de Putte said. \u201cThat\u2019s real impact each and every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

How it works<\/p>\n

Through the Amplify Austin Days website<\/a>, donors can browse more than 700 organizations organized into 19 cause categories. Nelson emphasized how easy it is for anyone to participate.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndividuals can just go on and give a gift\u2026 they can search for that, find a nonprofit, and they can create a fundraising page and just go wild,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Businesses can also join in by creating company giving pages and encouraging employees to participate. Last year, corporate-giving efforts brought in more than $1 million.<\/p>\n

A growing need<\/p>\n

With rising costs, more Central Texans are turning to local nonprofits for support. Van de Putte said Amplify Austin Day brings attention to organizations that many residents may not know are quietly serving thousands.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmplify acts like the front porch or the front door to new folks,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need so many new voices each and every day, new eyes each and every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both leaders said even small donations can make a big difference. \u201cWhether you have $5 to give or 50 minutes to give\u2026 it\u2019s imperative,\u201d Nelson said. Van de Putte echoed that sentiment: \u201cIn this uncertain time, it takes more than money to move a mission. It takes heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

How to participate<\/p>\n

Amplify Austin Day runs from 6 p.m. March 4 to 6 p.m. March 5. Early donations are open on their website<\/a>. Community members can support nonprofits by donating, creating fundraising pages, joining employer giving efforts, or volunteering their time.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"AUSTIN (KXAN) \u2014 As Central Texas prepares for one of its largest annual giving events, I Live Here…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":156398,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[132,64389,134,133,2143,841,22121,64391,64390],"class_list":{"0":"post-156397","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-austin","8":"tag-austin","9":"tag-austin-day","10":"tag-austin-headlines","11":"tag-austin-news","12":"tag-central-texas","13":"tag-nonprofits","14":"tag-organizations","15":"tag-stege-nelson","16":"tag-van-de-putte"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156397"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156397\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/156398"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}