More donors give less money to this year's Colorado Gives Day

Debbie Kelley, The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
·2 min read

Dec. 7—More donors gave to nonprofits during Tuesday's Colorado Gives Day, but they handed over less money than last year, according to results organizers released Wednesday.

Colorado Gives Day, a massive 24-hour online push to benefit more than 3,400 nonprofits statewide, ended at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday with $53.2 million in donations.

That's down from more than $55 million in 2021.

But 38% more unique donors gave this year over last year, said Kelly Dunkin, president and CEO of Community First Foundation, which created and manages Colorado Gives Day and its Colorado Gives 365 platform.

Some 101,900 unique contributors gave money to 3,336 nonprofits across the state.

"In many ways this is even more valuable for nonprofits," she said. "New donors are vital to nonprofit sustainability so we are thrilled to be able to help donors find the organizations and causes they care about most."

Colorado's giving day is one of 100 in the nation, Dunkin said, with most giving days experiencing decreases in contributions anywhere from 5% to 20%, Dunkin said.

"Colorado once again showed they care through their generosity," she said.

Early giving opened Nov. 1, and the drive continued through Tuesday, with the bulk of donations coming in the final 24-hour period. Each donation received a percentage of a $1.4 million incentive fund that increases every dollar donated.

Ninety-nine of the 3,435 nonprofits that registered to receive contributions this year did not collect any donations, statistics show. Donors can choose by name, cause or location which nonprofits they want to support.

Also from this year's event:

* Donations came from all 50 states and seven U.S. territories.

* The largest give made on the site was $200,000.

* The most common donation was $100.

* The top categories receiving donations were human services, $12 million; education, $8 million; youth development, $5 million; arts, culture and humanities, $5 million; and animal-related, $5 million.

Since the fundraiser began in 2010, more than $410 million has been raised for a variety of charities, from teen mental health to local animal shelters to services for seniors to the environment.

Donations that will go toward next year's drive can be made year-round at coloradogives.org.