Making a difference: Colorado Gives Day underway Tuesday

Dec. 5—Tuesday is Colorado Gives Day, when 3,435 vetted and verified nonprofits statewide seek donations during an annual philanthropic push to end the year on a cheery note.

Beginning at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday and running for 24 hours through 11:59 p.m., charitable contributions can be made online at https://www.coloradogives.org/giving-events/givesday22.

Choices of which organizations to support are wide and varied, from small to large organizations whose missions range from rescuing homeless animals to supplying books for underprivileged kids to helping transport senior citizens to supporting families of ill children.

"There's a lot of excitement about people coming together on this one day to support nonprofits that work day-in and day-out to keep our communities healthy, safe and thriving," said Kelly Dunkin, president and CEO of Community First Foundation, which created and manages Colorado Gives Day and its Colorado Gives 365 platform.

"It's the ultimate feel-good event," Dunkin said.

Donors can search for nonprofits by name, ZIP code or causes, she said.

Colorado's 13th annual drive is one of 100 similar "giving days" in the nation, Dunkin said. It's also the second largest, after North Texas, which in September raised $62.6 million.

Colorado Gives Day raised $55 million last year, which is the goal organizers hope to top this year.

Despite record-high and persistent inflation on food, energy and other consumer goods, Dunkin is optimistic that nonprofits will realize the financial assistance they are requesting.

While giving days nationwide have been down anywhere from 5% to 20% this year, last Tuesday's National Day of Giving was up 15% over last year, raising $3.1 billion in the United Sates.

"That's a good indication that things might be getting better," she said.

Also, Minnesota's recent giving day raised almost the same amount as last year.

"We're seeing glimmers of hope in online fundraising," Dunkin said, "while demand for services in nonprofits is up and people are recognizing that and want to make sure people can access the services they need."

Online charitable giving increased by 5.6% in the 12 months ending Sept. 30, according to the Blackbaud Institute, which tracks philanthropic data and trends.

Donations fell by 3.7% nationally in the third quarter of this year over the third quarter of 2021, the institute reported, attributing the decline to ongoing economic recessionary effects.

Overall charitable giving, however, increased by 6.7% in the 12 months from Sept. 30, 2021, to the end of September of this year, Blackbaud said.

After dipping over the summer, individual donations increased at Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado in September, October and November, said Nate Springer, president and CEO.

"They recovered and exceeded our projections," he said, citing the community responding to the need.

The food-at-home price index rose by 12.4% in the 12 months ending Oct. 31, according to the Consumer Price Index.

"When people know there are others out there struggling, what better thing to get behind than making sure people aren't hungry," Springer said.

Care and Share set a goal of $100,000 for Colorado Gives Day this year, with Corwin Toyota matching contributions to Care and Share up to $25,000.

One dollar equals five meals for people across southern Colorado, Springer said, due to bulk buying power.

"Colorado Gives Day is kind of a destination day for people across Colorado," he said. "We normally have a good day and get a lot of donations."

Every donation made from Nov. 1 through Tuesday also gets a boost from an incentive fund, Dunkin said.

Community First Foundation and FirstBank contributed $1 million to "boost" donations this year, Dunkin said, with other sponsors raising the incentive fund to $1.4 million.

Without the boost funds, Coloradans already had donated $17 million, with the most donations coming in the 24-hour period that begins at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

PEAK Parent Center, which trains and assists families and caregivers of children ages birth through 26 with strategies to advocate for inclusion, has been participating for a decade and enjoys being part of the state's largest giving event, said Colleen Mortensen, digital content creator.

"We love that Coloradans come together in a very big way to support so many wonderful nonprofit organizations and strengthen our communities," she said. "We are honored to be one of them and represent some of the needs of the disability community."

Colorado Gives Day is meaningful because it raises awareness about supporting Pikes Peak Library District, said Lance James, chief development officer and executive director of the library's foundation.

The foundation uses donations for the areas of greatest need in El Paso County's public library system, he said, to support programs, services and facilities.

"Colorado Gives Day allows communities to support organizations where they live," he said. "It's always a win."

No matter the size of organization, Colorado Gives Day is important, Care and Share's Springer said.

"It really does make a difference," he said.