Wednesday, Dec. 14 marks a new day in Miami’s arts community as power2give.org launches its online fundraising platform. Developed in partnership with Charlotte-based Arts & Science Council, power2give.org enables individuals to connect directly with arts organizations to help support individual projects.

Cultural organizations list projects on the site (i.e. instruments for children in a youth orchestra, costumes for an upcoming theater production) and interested individuals can contribute to help meet fundraising goals. power2give.org debuted in Charlotte this August and has raised over $200,000 to date.  Conceived and developed by Arts & Science Council, power2give.org is born out of the recognition that cultural funding requires increasingly diversified and innovative means. Giving from high net worth individuals is down 71% from 2007, while 2010 trends indicate an increased number of smaller gifts, growth in online donations and a strong donor desire  to see where their gifts go. power2give.org was created in part to meet these three needs.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has joined the Miami-Dade Department of Cultural Affairs and Arts & Science Council as a founding sponsor of power2give.org, providing each community $100,000 in matching donations to the first $100,000 in contributions made in Charlotte and Miami through the site.

“This new platform gives people a personal connection to the organizations that create culture in our communities,” said Dennis Scholl, Knight Foundation’s vice president/Arts. “power2give.org also strives to engage new audiences and donors – meeting them where they are, which is increasingly online.”

Currently, non-profit organizations that have received funding from the Department of Cultural Affairs within the past five years can post projects needing up to $10,000 on power2give.org. Organizations promote their projects to individuals through a variety of print, electronic and social media channels. Projects have up to 90 days to achieve their funding goals. The Department of Cultural Affairs and Arts & Science Council are assessing the possibility of extending the opportunity to artists and other non-profits to post projects on the site in the future.

Follow power2give.org on Twitter @power2give and ‘Like’ them Facebook at facebook.com/power2give.