Coloradans raise an inspiring $54.2 million for Colorado nonprofits  

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ARVADA, Colo. (Dec. 6, 2023) – A wave of generosity spread across Colorado on Tuesday, Dec. 5 when donors gave more than $54.2 million to support 3,682 nonprofits on Colorado Gives Day. 

Coloradans came together for one of the largest giving events in the nation to celebrate giving by donating to Colorado nonprofits to help local communities thrive. 

“Colorado Gives Day was easily the best day to give and today people across Colorado are feeling the joy and generosity that is Colorado Gives Day,” said Kelly Dunkin, president and CEO of Colorado Gives Foundation, the organization behind Colorado Gives Day. “It’s humbling to have 91,346 people come together to find the causes they care about and donate to the nonprofits that lift our communities – every day. Because of their kindness, Colorado nonprofits are closer to achieving their missions.” Hear a special thank you message from Kelly Dunkin.

The online giving platform, ColoradoGives.org, is free for nonprofits to use for online fundraising and makes giving easy and safe. For many small and medium nonprofits, Colorado Gives Day is the largest giving event of the year. All nonprofits on the platform are vetted to confirm their charitable status and that they are in good standing with the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office.   

FirstBank helped launch and is the presenting sponsor of Colorado Gives Day, providing cash prizes, event support, incentive fund contributions and advertising. 

“The results of Colorado Gives Day are a reflection of the generosity of Coloradans,” said Kelly Kaminskas, chief digital officer at FirstBank. “Over the past 14 years, we’ve come together to make a huge impact on various causes – and I couldn’t be more inspired by the community’s spirit and commitment to ‘doing good’. Thank you, Colorado!”  

Facts from Colorado Gives Day 2023: 

  • $54,216,361 million raised through 237,722 donations.  
  • 91,346 people donated.  
  • 96% of participating nonprofits received a donation. 
  • The most common donation amount was $100. 
  • The top 5 nonprofit categories receiving donations were: 
    1. Human Services – $10 million 
    2. Education – $6.2 million 
    3. Animal-Related – $5.2 million
    4. Youth Development – $5.1 million
    5. Arts, Culture & Humanities – $4.9 million 
  • The first donation of the day came in at 12:02 a.m. to Colorado Public radio in the amount of $250.  
  • The last donation of the day came in at 11:59 p.m. to A Precious Child in the amount of $50.  
  • 123 companies raised more than half a million (includes one anonymous corporate challenger not reflected on the website leaderboards.) 
  • Donations came from all 50 states and 7 U.S. territories. 

Preliminary numbers as of 11:59:59 on Dec. 5, 2023. 

Colorado Gives Day is made possible by Colorado Gives Foundation and presenting sponsor, FirstBank, with support from other sponsors including: Delta Dental of Colorado; Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA); Gary Community Ventures; Janus Henderson Investors; Woodnext Foundation; Amazon; Southwest Airlines; Trinchera Blanca Foundation; Graystone Consulting; Noodles & Company; Ireland Stapleton Pryor & Pascoe, PC; 9News; Entravision; Colorado Public Radio; Rocky Mountain Public Media; BizWest; Colorado Parent; Mile High Outdoor Advertising; iHeart
Radio; Comcast; 5280 Magazine; Lamar Outdoor; PBS12; and Mountain Pearl.

About Colorado Gives Foundation

Colorado Gives Foundation connects donors, ideas and Colorado nonprofits to make good happen. Colorado Gives Foundation is a Jefferson County grant maker, investing over $8 million annually to help Jeffco nonprofits. We also work statewide to build the capacity of nonprofits and donors via Colorado Gives 365, nonprofit endowments and donor services. Through ColoradoGives.org, we make it easy for people to donate to the causes they care about, enabling meaningful change to help our neighbors thrive. Our work is rooted in attentive listening and a firm commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. Colorado Gives Foundation is where donors find and discover the community impact that matters most to them, which is good for everyone.

About FirstBank

FirstBank began providing banking services in 1963. Today, it’s known as an industry leader in digital banking. It has grown to be one of the largest privately held banks in the United States, maintaining more than $28 billion in assets and 100 branch locations across Colorado, Arizona, and California. FirstBank offers a variety of consumer deposit accounts, home equity loans, mortgages, rental property loans, and a full range of commercial banking services, including business financing, commercial real estate loans, treasury management, and more. Since 2000, FirstBank has been recognized as
a top corporate philanthropist, contributing more than $85 million and thousands of volunteer hours to charitable organizations. The company is also unique in that a large portion of its stock is owned by management and employees, giving employees a financial stake in the bank’s success through its Employee Stock Ownership Program. For more information, visit www.efirstbank.com.