Private Donors Set Matching Challenge of $155,000 for IOCC’s Year-End Push

Inspired Individuals Set Bar for Seasonal Giving, Supporting Worldwide Humanitarian Aid

Baltimore, Md. (December 21, 2023) – With the generous support of anonymous individual donors, International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) announced an inspiring matching challenge—one of the largest in IOCC’s history—that doubles gifts up to a total of $155,000 and will support the agency’s vital programs into 2024 and beyond.

An initial gift of $5,000 from one long-time donor set the tone for generosity as IOCC launched its year-end match in early December. The original goal was to raise $150,000 before 2024. The momentum of that first match inspired another supporter to meet the goal and raise the stakes with a $150,000 gift—multiplying the matching challenge 30 times.

Gifts to IOCC through midnight, December 31, 2023, will be matched by these two anonymous donors. IOCC now aims to raise over $300,000 before year’s end. Supporters can give with confidence knowing that their impact is being multiplied by the match.

“We are incredibly humbled by our donors’ generosity,” said Katrina Straker, IOCC’s Director of Development. “IOCC is blessed to have leaders like our match donors who inspire and challenge others to support the vital work we’re doing in the spirit of Christ’s love. I know this is what drives so many of IOCC’s supporters. This is a great opportunity for that love to go twice as far, all over the world.”

Under the tagline “Let’s do more in 2024,” funds from the initiative will support IOCC’s worldwide humanitarian and development programs, which shift as needs change and new emergencies arise. IOCC is now responding to immense immediate needs created by conflict in Ethiopia, the Holy Land, and Ukraine, as well as building long-term resilience in communities feeling the impact of various crises, such as Greece, Lebanon, and Syria, and supporting disaster response and recovery here in the US.

To support IOCC’s worldwide humanitarian work and to have your impact doubled, visit iocc.org/yearend23 and give before midnight on December 31.

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International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) is the humanitarian relief and development agency of the Assembly of Canonical Bishops of the United States of America. Since its inception in 1992, IOCC has provided more than $800 million in humanitarian relief and sustainable development programs in over 60 countries worldwide. Today, IOCC applies its expertise in humanitarian response to natural and human-caused crises in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States, offering assistance based solely on need. Learn more at iocc.org and follow us @IOCCRelief on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.