BY  MELANIE ULLE

You know what makes our state so rad? I mean, besides the sun, the big giant sky, the music, the culture, the food, the people, the entrepreneurialism, the endless adventures, and our general awesomeness. You guessed it. Colorado Gives Day! I knew you’d get it.

Our state raised over $53 million last year on Colorado Gives Day. Did you read that correctly? Yes, $53 million in U.S. dollars for the local organizations we know and love in one day. These are the agencies that feed, house, treat, educate, and support us. The whole community wins when we have a successful Colorado Gives Day. But who is the mad genius behind this very special event?

Enter Colorado Gives Foundation, the brilliant team who started this crazy adventure in philanthropy. A community foundation with a hardworking, committed staff working statewide to help donors fulfill their charitable interests through donor advised funds, they also make grants to nonprofits serving Jeffco and in a big twist, they also run Colorado Gives 365, which connects donors to nonprofits across the state of Colorado and manages – you guessed it, again – Colorado Gives Day.

I’m a bit of a fan girl of our front range community foundations, so I get mushy anytime I’m given the opportunity to hype one up. Under the strong leadership of Kelly Dunkin, Colorado Gives Foundation has grown in leaps and bounds. In 2022, Colorado Gives Day raised a boatload of cash, helped 101,000 individual donors contribute, (with an average gift size of $103), all in service to our wonderful community. Specifically, 3,340 nonprofit organizations benefited from this riptide of generosity on that one special day through over 251,000 donations.

Tis the season to start preparing for this year’s Colorado Gives Day, which will be December 5th. How can you make 2023 your best one yet? I recommend identifying which organizations you wish to support early. Giving opens on November 1st and this allows plenty of time to share your faves with friends, family and colleagues through social media and emails. And even a few passive aggressive texts to those who ignored you the first time. 

All donations received between November 1st and December 5th qualify for additional dollars from a competitive incentive fund. This incentive fund is sponsored by generous community leaders and participating nonprofits receive a percentage of the fund equal to the percentage they raise for Colorado Gives Day. 

I also recommend taking advantage of Colorado Gives Foundation’s “gift of giving.” Purchase giving cards in any amount so your loved ones can support the organization/s of their choosing. Unlike any other holiday gift, when this card is purchased, it’s fully tax-deductible for the purchaser.

We live in a state known for being spectacularly beautiful. Now, we can help bolster its rep as also being spectacularly generous. Learn more about Colorado Gives Day and the fantastic Colorado Gives Foundation at ColoradoGives.org.