The Freeborn County Historical Society has a unique opportunity through the end of the month to raise money for its building expansion.

Razoo.com, the company that headed up the online giving program called GiveMN across the state, is now doing another promotion throughout the country called the March Goodness campaign.

Freeborn County Historical Museum & Historical Village Executive Director Pat Mulso said the Historical Society was chosen as one of 16 nonprofit organizations to participate in the campaign in the Midwest region. Organizations had to apply to be a part of the campaign and then found out a week ago if they were chosen.

They will compete for grants based on prize money.

The campaign started online Monday and will continue through March 30.

Mulso said to donate, people can go to the museum’s home Web site at www.smig.net/fchm and then click on the link for the March Goodness site. Or they could go directly to www.razoo.com/p/mg-midwest and click on “Freeborn County Historical Society.”

Once people get to the project page, there will be a box that says “Donate.” After clicking on that button, they will be taken to a page where they can fill out their donation information.

Donations start at $10.

“A lot of people can afford to give $10 but maybe not $100,” Mulso said.

Four out of the 16 organizations in the Midwest will receive prize money that is put up by foundations, and then the top organization out of the 16 will go into a final four with the top organizations from the other regions for a chance at a larger prize fund.

“It’s pretty neat we got picked out of the Midwest,” she said.

She noted the first session of the campaign will not be focused on the dollar amount each organization raises, but on the number of donors each organization gets to participate.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean that the person who gets the most is going to be the winner,” she said. “Everybody’s donation is important, whether it’s $10 or $10,000.”

Mulso said the Historical Society has raised about $440,000 out of a total of $1.7 million estimated cost for the building expansion project.

The project will help with handicap accessibility, including a new elevator and a new entrance near the parking area. It will also include a new library and a safer environment for archives.

According to a Razoo news release about the campaign, the top three organizations by number of unique donors will receive prize money of $1,250 for regional winner, $750 for runner-up and $500 for third place. The regional winners then compete in the final four, where the top organization by dollars raised will receive the $10,000 grand prize.