GlobalPittsburgh Kicking Off Year-End Equipment Campaign on Pittsburgh Foundation's Day of Giving Oct. 3

GlobalPittsburgh will launch a special fundraising campaign on Oct. 3, the PittsburghGives Day of Giving, when all donations will be partially matched by the Pittsburgh Foundation.

Money raised on that day and through the end of the year will go toward the purchase of two important pieces of office equipment to increase the efficiency of producing program materials for GlobalPittsburgh's visiting international delegations, and two custom-made signs to raise our visibility at community events. You can learn more about our entire wish list below.

Your investment in GlobalPittsburgh will help us continue the momentum that we have been building in our three core programs: 

•  Hosting international delegations through the U.S. Department of State and other programming organizations, and encouraging ongoing economic, educational and cultural linkages between these visitors and our community.
• Working with area colleges, universities and English Language programs to attract international students to the region through our Study Pittsburgh initiative.
• Arranging homestays and connecting international students and professionals with Pittsburgh families and individuals, companies and organizations through our GlobalPittsburghCONNECT events and activities.

Last year, GlobalPittsburgh had a banner year of programming, arranging 40 itineraries for 235 emerging leaders from around the world.  We also arranged 137 homestays (totaling nearly 5,000 nights) throughout our last fiscal year. Our international delegations spent more than 800 hotel nights in the Pittsburgh area totaling more than $108,000 at the government room rate, including more than $14,000 in local taxes.

Please keep GlobalPittsburgh in mind as you plan your year-end giving. We appreciate your support of our programs, which provides valuable benefits and international contacts for the companies, organizations and people of the Greater Pittsburgh Region. Our work relies on having the technology to communicate and send information to hosts, professional resources, and visitors in our region and throughout the world.

Your investment will go even further on Wednesday Oct. 3, 2012, the Pittsburgh Day of Giving, when the Pittsburgh Foundation will be enhanced by a pro-rated portion of matching funds totaling $750,000. You must pay with a Visa or MasterCard, and the minimum donation is $25. Only donations made on Oct. 3 will be matched. Just go to http://pittsburghgives.org/ and click on DONATE NOW. Then type in GlobalPittsburgh.

Donations can always be made to GlobalPittsburgh by going to www.globalpittsburgh.org and clicking on SUPPORT GLOBAL PITTSBURGH on the right side of the home page and using our secure credit card payment system.

And what better way to join or give the gift of a GlobalPittsburgh membership than on the Oct. 3 Day of Giving? If you join or buy a gift membership on that day, your membership will extend until the end of 2013 (a two-month bonus). Just let us know after you make your on-line contribution.

Our wish list:

Printer/Copier – GlobalPittsburgh’s operations, particularly preparing for the visiting international delegations that we serve, would be far more efficient if we had a color laser printer/copier capable of collating pages. We currently use a low-end laserjet printer to make large print runs of program packets. As a small, three-person organization, we currently spend an excessive amount of time printing and collating our documents. A higher-quality printer would enable us to produce more materials in-house, allowing us to put more staff and volunteer time into our programs, which produce economic and cultural benefits for the people, institutions and businesses of the Pittsburgh region.

Estimated cost (with service agreement): $3,500

Digital Projector – We often need a digital projector to make presentations to visiting delegations in our office or to outside groups to convey information or publicize GlobalPittsburgh and regional activities. We currently have to borrow a projector or check with hosts to see if they have compatible equipment. Owning our own digital projector would enhance the quality of services we provide to visiting delegations, and reduce staff time spent coordinating the use of third-party equipment.

Estimated cost: $500

GlobalPittsburgh Banner – We would like to have a large (6 feet long), heavy-duty, all-weather banner with the GlobalPittsburgh name and web address to use at events where we may have a table and need to draw attention to our location. This would help us increase our visibility and improve our ability to serve the community.

Estimated cost: $100

GlobalPittsburgh Floor Display Sign – We would like to have a roll-up floor display sign to highlight our services and benefits to use at events where we may have a presence. This would help us increase our visibility and improve our ability to serve the community.

Estimated cost: $400