Vancouver, Wash., September 25, 2020 — More than 6,000 donors donated $2,901,280 to support 225 local nonprofits during the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington’s annual Give More 24! event. The 24-hour, online giving marathon kicked off at midnight on Thursday, September 24, with the goal of raising $2 million through the website, www.givemore24.org.
The Community Foundation and participating nonprofits work together to encourage giving. One incentive is the opportunity for donors to double their contributions with matching funds. This year, nonprofits secured more than $800,000 in matching gifts. In addition, the Community Foundation worked with its sponsors to provide sixteen nonprofit prizes that donors could help their causes win. Collective donations surpassed the $2 million goal around 5 p.m. and continued to come in steadily until midnight.
Jennifer Rhoads, President of the Community Foundation, said expectations had waned leading into this year’s effort. The $2 million goal was set before COVID-19 and wildfires had threatened the health, livelihoods and homes of area residents. Yet, this year became the most successful to date.
The event saw exponential growth in its seventh year, setting records for the number of organizations participating (229) and the number of donors making contributions (6,620) In fact, this year’s event attracted more than 2,200 additional donors—the largest increase in the event’s seven-year run.
“Challenging times often bring out the best in our communities and we saw that today,” Rhoads said. “People are looking to respond and make positive change in their backyards. Give More 24! proved to be a perfect outlet for that this year, because it offered nonprofits and donors an easy way to make a difference from a distance.”
Rhoads said that the support could not have come at a better time. In a year filled with adversity, many nonprofits were feeling the pinch of revenue shortfalls and increasing community needs. Many in the nonprofit sector are still adapting to this virtual world. which has been a challenge for traditional fundraising efforts.
“Nonprofits showed an incredible amount of resourcefulness and proved that virtual fundraising can be fun, heartfelt and effective,” Rhoads said. “There will always be a place for galas and auctions, but by changing how our sector operates in the short-term, the pandemic may have some lasting, positive effects on fundraising.”
Cause categories covered a full spectrum of interests, such as animal welfare, arts and culture, environment, housing and homelessness, social justice and veterans. Those that attracted donors most were Education, Health and Wellness, and Poverty and Hunger. These three causes also raised the most dollars.
When the event ended, Camas Christian Academy was the most popular organization with 321 supporters donating. The most successful fundraiser was Share, a large-sized organization with $96,614 in total giving. Options360° Women’s Clinic ($88,856.23) topped the medium-sized category in funds raised and iUrban Teen ($56,613) led all small-sized organizations.
“The most notable and inspiring result of this year was the number of people who chose to get involved,” said Jennifer Rhoads. “The increase in donors was twice that of our previous record, and the support extended beyond those giving online.”
Businesses, musicians, news anchors and comedians were just some of the many partners who pitched in to assist with this year’s event. Most of all, the community effort is made possible through sponsors like Davidson & Associates Insurance, which has served as presenting sponsor for the last five years. Additional support comes from Power Sponsors: Columbia Bank and Russell Investments. Boost Sponsor: Blue Blazes. Media Sponsors: Bicoastal Media (The Peak 98.3, Real Country 93.5, Rocket 107.1 FM); Cookin’ Country 105.5, 101.5 The Wave, KLOG 100.7; The Columbian; The Daily News; and Wager Audio.