What is GivingTuesday?
GivingTuesday is a Global Day of Giving created in 2012 to encourage people to do good and give back.
After the big holiday shopping days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, GivingTuesday invites individuals to support the causes they cherish by donating or volunteering.
How has GivingTuesday impacted Lakeside?
Lakeside Chautauqua is a nonprofit, and the spirit of giving and volunteering is the heartbeat of our community. Since 2013, hundreds of Lakesiders have graciously chosen to support our Chautauqua on GivingTuesday.
This community spirit has impacted every facet of Lakeside – enhancing children’s programming at Bradley Temple, establishing a teen space at The Underground, upgrading the courts in Bettinger Park, and improving experiences at the Pavilion and bandstand. Most recently, Lakesiders supported upgrades to Orchestra Hall, which are set to begin construction in January.
How Can I Participate in GivingTuesday 2024?
This year, GivingTuesday will be celebrated on December 3, 2024. You’re invited to give two special gifts on or before Dec. 3.
Lakeside Impact Giving
Support an area of Lakeside you cherishHotel Lakeside
Celebrate the 150th Anniversary of this Lakeside iconLakeside Impact Giving
For more than 150 years, people have been coming to Lakeside to experience enriching programs. The have traveled from around the country and the world, arriving by steamboat, horse and carriage, train and, eventually, automobile, seeking rest, renewal and reconnection.
These experiences are supported by the tremendous generosity of Lakesiders. Lakeside Chautauqua is a nonprofit, and generosity plays an integral part in creating these transformational moments. You can enrich your life and the lives of all who visit through Impact Giving.
Impact Giving is one of the most beneficial gifts you can give. These donations directly and immediately support the Chautauqua experience, daily operations, ongoing maintenance and care for our grounds and facilities – all of which allows Lakesiders to grow closer to God, each other and our world through the Chautauqua programs. You can give directly to your Lakeside passion or contribute an undesignated gift that will go toward Lakeside’s greatest need.
Here’s how your donations can make a difference
- $25,000 fills Hoover Auditorium with classical music performed by the Lakeside Symphony Orchestra.
- $5,000 invites a Preacher of the Week with an inspiring message to strengthen one’s faith journey.
- $2,500 allows individuals to welcome new perspectives and explore the world through a Chautauqua Lecture Series speaker.
- $1,000 sparks wellness and friendly competition through a sailing race or tournament on the shuffleboard, tennis or pickleball courts.
- $500 purchases Rhein Center art supplies so adults and children can create one-of-a-kind masterpieces together.
- $100 purchases basketballs and gaga balls so that more youth can step on the courts and connect.
We need the support of every Lakesider, every year. This year, our Impact Giving goal is to raise $950,000. Thank you to the more than 500 families and individuals who have joined our circle of generosity, donating $360,000 toward Impact Giving. We still need to raise $590,000 more by March 31, 2025, so that Lakesiders of all ages can continue to explore, create, love, grow and reconnect. Every person matters and each donation truly makes an impact on the Lakeside experience.
Hotel Lakeside Celebrates 150 Years
The iconic landmark Hotel Lakeside will celebrate 150 years in 2025.
Taking a leap of faith, Hotel Lakeside was built in 1875 and opened to provide guests with an overnight stay on the shores of Lake Erie. The original structure housed 37 sleeping rooms, and later, rooms were added to a total of 75.
This timeless treasure has been central to a good night’s rest, dining on the waterfront and relaxation on the front porch. Hotel Lakeside been a home away from home for thousands of Lakesiders seeking rest, renewal and reconnection on our shoreline.
The Hotel Lakeside 150th Celebration Planning Team
A team of community members, Board and staff have come together to plan this milestone anniversary in 2025. The celebration will include multi-generational events, learning experiences and activities throughout the summer. As the team works to plan the celebration, we will announce these opportunities, and we encourage your family to save the date
Hotel Lakeside Lobby Refresh
Another part of the celebration is working together to refresh the Hotel Lakeside lobby. The lobby has been a community gathering place, welcoming guests for 150 years. Families have celebrated birthdays. Children have gathered to play cards. Grooms have seen their brides for the first time. Grandparents have spent time with grandchildren. Milestone anniversaries have been celebrated. Today, the lobby needs a refresh so that more families can enjoy it for years to come.
Currently, the team is investigating the possibility of new paint, cozy seating areas, carpet and enhanced lighting. While planning is just starting, you and your family can help make this possible by giving a gift to support the Hotel Lakeside Lobby Refresh on or before Dec. 3.
You and your family will have an opportunity to see what a refreshed lobby could look like with rendering pictures in Hotel Lakeside during all the celebration activities. We want to give everyone a chance to be involved and support this project. After the 2025 summer season, the project will get underway, ready to welcome guests in 2026.
Your gift to the Hotel Lakeside 150th Celebration this GivingTuesday will help support the refresh of the Hotel Lakeside Lobby. As we look to the future, we want to steward this timeless treasure for the next generation to enjoy.
Support the Future of Lakeside with an Endowment Gift
Imagine 50 years into the future when your family and friends experience Lakeside, when newcomers stumble upon our beloved Chautauqua on Lake Erie. What do we hope for them to see and encounter? How do we ensure those hopes and dreams become a reality?
One way is to give to the Endowment. Today, it totals $10 million and provides more than $360,000 to the budget every year. Growing the Endowment helps to ensure the Lakeside experience remains for decades to come. You can give a gift to the Endowment today or plan a gift for the future.
Plan a Legacy Gift Just by Signing Your Name
Retirement Plans
IRA, 401 (k), 403 (b), or other tax deferred plan. You can name Lakeside as a beneficiary of all or some percentage of your retirement plan account.
Life Insurance Policies
You can add Lakeside as a beneficiary of your life insurance if it’s outlived its original purpose and you no longer need the policy.
Donor Advised Funds
You can designate Lakeside to receive remaining funds in your donor advised fund account after your lifetime. You can ask your financial manager for a beneficiary designation form.
Lakeside recognizes these types of gifts as part of our Founders Society. We hope you will share about this gift with us so we can thank you.
Volunteer at Lakeside Community Days in May!
Volunteers are an essential part in creating the Lakeside experience. They give their time to help welcome people at Hoover Auditorium shows, lead lectures like the Foreign Affairs Forum, help in the gardens, work on a Task Force or volunteer at special events.
Volunteers help in every area of Lakeside. You may not even know that some individuals you see working are volunteers! Next summer, Lakeside is working to make volunteerism more visible in the community and encouraging more Lakesiders to get involved.
On Friday, May 2, May 9 and May 16, Lakeside volunteers, staff, Board and community members will be working hand in hand to prepare our grounds, open our buildings and get Lakeside ready the 152nd Chautauqua season.
These three Fridays in May will be central to making sure Lakeside is ready to welcome thousands of families for the summer. They’re called Lakeside Community Days and they’re a great way to meet new people while giving back!
Sign up to learn more about these volunteer days. You’re invited to bring your company or group for a great team building experience. Not available in May? Use the sign-up form below and share when you can volunteer any time of year. We will be in touch.
GivingTuesday is Dec. 3, 2024
Give Online
Use the form below to give your donation securely online. Let us know in the comment box how you’d like your gift split and the area of Lakeside you want to support with your Lakeside Impact Gift.
Mail a cash or check gift
Include a note or write in the memo where you’d like your gift designated and how it should be split. Mail to Lakeside Chautauqua Foundation, 236 Walnut Ave. Lakeside, OH 43440
Call the Lakeside Chautauqua Foundation
Call our office at (419) 798-4461, ext. 246 and give your gift over the phone.