Carrie: Know what May 7 is?

Jerry: Thursday?

Carrie: Very funny. It's "Idaho Gives."

Jerry: Remind me what that is?

Carrie: "Idaho Gives" is the third annual statewide giving day for nonprofits and it's all done online. Last year, it raised $782,000 for more than 500 nonprofits throughout the state. This year, close to 600 Idaho nonprofits are participating. Now all we need are generous Idahoans like our newspaper readers to help.

Jerry: How does it work?

Carrie: Go to www.idahogives.org and search your favorite charities by name, ZIP code or category such as "animals" or "arts." Click on their name and a webpage will pop up describing projects they need help with. Click the donation button for whatever amount you want, enter your credit card number (it's a secure site) or use Paypal and they'll get the money. You can give as little as $10 and give to as many groups as you'd like. You can even use your smart phone to make a donation.

Jerry: Will $10 really make any difference?

Carrie: It really adds up when lots of people give. You can, of course, give $25, $50, $100, etc. Last year, I think some rich person gave $5,000 to one of the nonprofits. But what's really cool is the $55,000 prize award pool.

Jerry: Donors get prize money? Now, that's my kind of charitable giving!

Carrie: No, the award money goes to charities. My favorite is the "golden ticket" where, once an hour, a donor's name is drawn. Whomever they donated to gets $1,000 from the award pool. Thus your $10 gift can turn into $1,010 for your favorite charity. In fact, some cash awards are reserved exclusively for North Idaho nonprofits.

Jerry: Are there other prizes?

Carrie: Yes! They are drawing the donor name of every 500th donation and whichever charity they gave to gets an extra $250. Last year, more than 17,000 donations were made so a lot of nonprofits got an extra $250. Charities can also get extra cash for being on the top 10 list of nonprofits with the most donors. On May 7, go to www.idahogives.org and you'll see a scoreboard showing how much money, so far, each charity has raised. You can give anytime during the day, from midnight until 11:59 p.m.

Jerry: Suppose I don't have a computer or smart phone?

Carrie: You can call your favorite charity and see if they are participating. If they are, stop into their office and donate on one of their computers. I'm sure they'll show you how. Or, if you don't like online giving, write them a check. I bet you'll get a lot of love, no matter which way you donate!

Jerry: Who came up with this idea?

Carrie: It was started by the Idaho Nonprofit Center which is our statewide association of nonprofits. I volunteer on their Board of Directors. But "Idaho Gives" wouldn't happen without donations from its major sponsors: The Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Central Credit Union and PacificSource Health Plans. By putting up this year's seed money, they are helping donors generate thousands of dollars for nonprofits across the state.

Jerry: I like it. So is this like "putting all your begs in one ask-it?"

Jerry Scheid is a retired farmer/rancher and native Idahoan. Carrie Scheid is a retired nonprofit administrator. They live in Idaho Falls.