Wisconsin Roots Rising Day of Giving

media release: Embolden WI, a fiscal sponsor supporting community-driven organizations across Wisconsin, announced today that it is partnering with the Center for Community Stewardship (C4CS) to launch Wisconsin Roots Rising, a 24-hour online day of giving on October 14, 2026. The joint campaign will unite dozens of fiscally sponsored organizations from both networks around a single, statewide fundraising effort, giving Wisconsin donors one place to support grassroots work happening in communities across the state.

As fiscal sponsors, Embolden WI and C4CS provide the financial systems and administrative infrastructure that let community-driven organizations focus on their mission instead of their paperwork, without incorporating or filing for tax-exempt status of their own. Together, Wisconsin Roots Rising will bring visibility and donor support to sponsored organizations working across a wide range of issues, from immigrant rights and environmental sustainability to school nutrition and youth health advocacy, including Comité Sin Fronteras, Zero Waste Madison, Healthy School Meals for All WI, Parkinson’s Disease Alliance of WI, and Building Families Alliance, among many others.

"Every day, someone in Wisconsin sees a need in their community and decides to do something about it," said Sara Finger, Executive Director of Embolden WI. "Fiscal sponsorship is what lets them start that work today, without having to build an entire organization from scratch just to be allowed to help. Wisconsin Roots Rising is our chance to make sure that work has the resources to keep going. Every gift on October 14 is what makes that possible."

Starting October 14, donors can visit the Wisconsin Roots Rising campaign page at www.wirootsrising.org to give directly to participating organizations or start their own peer-to-peer fundraising page to rally friends, family, and neighbors. Early giving opens October 10, and all gifts made ahead of the 24-hour event will count toward each organization's total.

The campaign will also include a silent auction featuring gift cards, experiences, products, and event tickets donated by local businesses and supporters. Bidding opens October 1 and runs through the close of the campaign, with proceeds from each item going directly to the organization that submitted it.

Wisconsin Roots Rising is also an opportunity to raise awareness of the fiscal sponsorship model itself, which lets people start doing good in their communities without first incorporating, filing for tax-exempt status, or building financial infrastructure from scratch. By lowering that barrier to entry, fiscal sponsorship supports exactly the kind of close-to-the-ground, responsive work that often meets a community's needs fastest.

Members of the public who want to support a participating organization, become a team captain, or learn more about Wisconsin Roots Rising can visit www.wirootsrising.org or follow along on social media at #WisconsinRootsRising.