Omaha Gives! Breaks Records as 23K Donors Respond to Urgent Nonprofit Needs
Three records were broken as 23,375 individuals gave a total 65,160 donations to 1,010 nonprofits during the eighth annual Omaha Gives! (www.omahagives.org) On May 20. In total, this year’s 24-hour online giving day, presented by American National Bank, raised $8.5 million. The total number of donations, donors, and nonprofits outpaced every other year since the giving day began in 2013. Omaha Gives! has now raised more than $58 million from a cumulative 365,224 donations for nonprofit organizations throughout Douglas, Sarpy, and Pottawattamie Counties since it launched. This year’s total came close to the record set in 2016 of $8.9 million and surpassed the last three year’s donation totals.
The 2020 Omaha Gives! adapted to the impact of COVID-19. While much felt the same, the urgent needs of the local nonprofit community were highlighted throughout the event. Special “COVID-19 Alert boxes” on nonprofits’ individual pages alerted donors of needs related to the pandemic, and there was an option for anyone to give to the Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund. In total, $141,020 was donated from 5,117 individuals to the Response Fund which has already granted more than $1 million to provide food, assistance with rent or mortgages, paying utilities and providing health care and mental health services.
This year, $112,000 in prizes were given out to participating nonprofits. One hundred and twelve prizes of $1,000 each amplified the money organizations raised from individual donors. Nonprofits could win random hourly drawings or participation prizes based on the number of unique donors who gave to their organization. In addition to winning prizes, a record 80 nonprofits increased their giving totals by utilizing dollar-for-dollar matching Challenge Funds secured from individual donors. Together, these organizations pledged more than $890,850 in matching funds—another new record.
Nearly 800 community members also participated this year by setting up an individual Cheer Pages where they had the opportunity personally fundraise for their favorite nonprofit(s). Three prizes were awarded at the end of the night to individuals whose Cheer Pages boasted the most unique donors. Four new prizes this year included a #WhyIGiveOG prize where nearly 400 members of the community shared their personal giving stories in an effort to win an extra $1,000 for a favorite nonprofit.
Leading the way for Omaha Gives!, the Omaha Community Foundation is proud to help good grow in Omaha by helping more than 2,000 donors facilitate their charitable giving. Since its inception in 1982, donors have granted almost $1.8 billion to area nonprofits, supporting more than 3,000 local charities. To learn more, visit www.omahagives.org / omahafoundation.org.