Minnesota charities stung by a peak-time website crash during "Give to the Max Day" last year will have a new technology firm handling its annual day of mega-giving in 2014.
GiveMN, the St. Paul nonprofit that oversees the one-day online giving blitz, announced Thursday it has contracted with a Texas-based firm called Kimbia to run its giving platform.
The announcement was made at a technology conference sponsored by the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. When GiveMN director Dana Nelson told the crowd that this year's website would be more "reliable," the nonprofit leaders broke out in applause.
"Hopefully this will turn the ship around," said Cathy Maes, director of Loaves and Fishes, a meals program for Minnesota's needy.
Since 2009, Minnesota has hosted Give to the Max Day, a wildly popular event designed to promote online charitable giving.
Last year, even with a five-hour website crash, it raised $17.1 million from 52,000 donors.
But the downtime left many charities frustrated and worried. Many, such as Loaves and Fishes, rely on the day as a major part of its annual fundraising efforts.
GiveMN recognized the seriousness of the problem and took action, said Nelson. It decided to end its contract with Razoo, a fundraising firm based in Washington, D.C., and search for a national group with a track record for handling the volume of donations that flood the website within 24 hours.