Philanthropitch Austin presented by Legacy Collective made its seventh appearance on Tuesday, May 7, 2019. Not even the rain could deter hundreds of social impact minded folks from coming to see seven nonprofits pitch their ideas live on the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs stage at UT Austin.

Finalists, host, and judges join each other on stage.

The Philanthropitch 2019 finalists included organizations focused on everything from prison reform to animal rescue. This year’s seven pitching organizations were Partnerships for Children, Austin Pets Alive!, Deeds Not Words, The SAFE Alliance, JUST, Partners in Parenting, and Lone Star Justice Alliance.

Attendees consisted of business and nonprofit CEOs, students, champions of social impact, and past Philanthropitch winners, like Code2College, half Helen, PeletonU, and College Forward. The evening kicked off with a VIP happy hour, allowing time for attendees to interact with representatives from each nonprofit. Meanwhile backstage, the finalists were working hard practicing and perfecting their pitches using the skills they learned through the Philanthropitch journey. Months of workshops, pitch practices, and mentorship later, our seven finalists were ready to take the stage.

As the VIP reception wound down, the audience took their seats and got ready to learn about the 7 nonprofits that they could choose to support with their ticket purchase. After every pitch, the audience responded with roaring applause and the judges provided positive, constructive feedback to better understand how to allocate their money. This year’s panel of judges included David M. Porter III, Karrie League, Clayton Christopher, Dr. Collette Pierce Burnette, Sushma Zoellner, And Carla Piñeyro Sublett.

Year after year, one of the most exciting parts of Philanthropitch is the audience vote; each attendee donates the cost of their ticket by voting for their favorite nonprofit. This year’s Audience Choice Award was sponsored by Blackbaud. Audience members also have the chance to donate funds that determine the recipient of an additional $2,500 check presented by Notley. This year, Lonestar Justice Alliance drew in the most additional donations, awarding them the Notley gift.

After all was said and done, the Philanthropitch community awarded a total of over $110,000 that will go on to fund innovative community projects throughout Austin.