Give BIG Green Bay reaches new record, raising over $2.4 million

Natalie Eilbert, Green Bay Press-Gazette
·6 min read
Dennis Buehler, president and CEO of the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation, presents the 45 nonprofits selected by Give BIG Green Bay on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at the Lambeau Field Atrium in Green Bay.
Dennis Buehler, president and CEO of the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation, presents the 45 nonprofits selected by Give BIG Green Bay on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at the Lambeau Field Atrium in Green Bay.

GREEN BAY — Most 24-hour periods don't end with over $2.4 million raised in the name of local nonprofits.

But between the lunchtime hours of Tuesday to Wednesday, 3,826 donors raised a record-setting $2,456,168, with the largest donations going to housing equity, food security, furry friends, supporting disabilities and brain health through Give BIG Green Bay.

Give BIG's sixth year hit differently than previous years. In addition to the Green Bay Packers Foundation giving an impact grant of $250,000 for a sixth year in a row, community donors matched the Packers' grant. But generosity is contagious, and the matching didn't end there. For every dollar donated in the last 24 hours, another one was matched.

Give BIG Green Bay, a partnership between the Packers Foundation and the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation, selected 45 nonprofits this year from a pool of 144 applications, Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy said, who offer a "diverse mix … that really tell the story of important work that's been done across our community."

In the last five years, Give BIG has generated $8 million from more than 28,000 donors to support 112 nonprofit organizations across Brown County. This year’s Give BIG Green Bay program included 12 nonprofits that participated for the first time, and invited back 33 other organizations.

The money went to a range of services, from animal welfare to community improvement, arts and culture to human services, military and law enforcement to environment and conservation, hunger and homelessness to youth development, recreation and sport to health and wellness, and education.

More:Here are the 45 nonprofits selected for 2023's Give BIG Green Bay

More:Give BIG Green Bay offers boost to nonprofits and creates community connections

One first-time organization, Brain Center of Green Bay, came within $590 of its $60,000 goal, and raised the 11th most money of any group. The nonprofit is committed to improving brain health, through nutrition, exercise, breathwork, cognitive stimulation, sleep and neurodegenerative prevention, said Kelsey O’Donnell-Mauthe, its communications manager.

"We're just so ecstatic. We all got on a Zoom today and we're just overjoyed by the love of this community," O'Donnell-Mauthe said.

O'Donnell-Mauthe said their big goal is to work within more schools in the Green Bay area on prevention education, far before brain health has a chance to decline.

Ecumenical Partnership for Housing raised the most money through donations alone, but that number rose even more when they won the $2,500 prize for Most Dollars Raised for a medium budget. The organization, which helps families with children experiencing or at risk of homelessness, took home a whopping $163,730, and even surmounted their lofty goal of $100,000.

"We are incredibly excited and so grateful for all the support," said its executive director, Crystal DeCleene. "All of the money raised will be used to help families that are in need of housing or eviction prevention services."

DeCleene said there's been a huge wave of people in need of housing, with more families looking for a place to go than there are housing units available. Ecumenical Partnership for Housing has the capacity to house 36 families at a time, with 20 units in transitional housing and 16 units in long-term supportive housing, which allows families to pay rent based on their income.

Access to affordable housing, and housing more generally, is top of mind for NeighborWorks Green Bay, said Noel Halvorsen, its president and CEO. After meeting its goal, the organization raised $61,830, putting it in the top 10 of nonprofits to receive money. While he's at it, Halvorsen wants to also bring housing construction and the trade to high school students.

"It's a great career and and it's so, so needed right now in our community," Halverson said. "We need more hands swinging hammers and designing houses and building and doing all that development work. We're really excited to be a part of that."

More:Green Bay Packers Foundation spurs additional investments in Give BIG Green Bay

More:Nonprofits touch everyone's lives; help out these organizations during Give BIG Green Bay

Curative Connections, which made it into the top three organizations to receive big bucks, raised $125,695 toward supporting the growing aging population and people with disabilities. That money, according to Kari Moody, director of donor engagement and marketing, will go into the general funding pot to support its 13 programs, including specialized transportation services.

"For our population aged 55 and older, or individuals with disabilities, we're driving them to critical doctor appointments and grocery shopping and social outings, sometimes bringing them to work," Moody said. "These rides are really important and something that an average person might take for granted."

Not every organization set a goal to reach during the Give BIG 24-hour program, but many did; of those organizations, 11 reached their goals, including Make a Wish Wisconsin, Junior Achievement, Wisconsin Humane Society, COMSA and Northeast Wisconsin Land Trust.

"This money is so important to us," said Shaina Allen, digital marketing coordinator for Wisconsin Humane Society Green Bay Campus, who said the bulk of the money will go toward veterinary expenses for all the companion animals — dogs, cats, bunnies, even a couple of errant pigs — that come through their doors.

Additionally, while it wasn't in the top-20 organizations to receive funding, myTEAM TRIUMPH Wisconsin received a $5,000 prize for Most Unique Dollars for a Medium Budget and surpassed its $20,000 goal.

Here's a look at the 20 organizations that raised the most:

Natalie Eilbert covers mental health issues for USA TODAY NETWORK-Central Wisconsin. She welcomes story tips and feedback. You can reach her at neilbert@gannett.com or view her Twitter profile at @natalie_eilbert. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Give BIG Green Bay 2023: record-breaking year over $2.4 million raised