During the Community Foundation of Sarasota County's 24-hour Giving Challenge on April 9 and 10, donors across the community raised $17.2 million for 724 participating nonprofit organizations across Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties.

This year’s challenge raised $10.5 million raised through 90,147 gifts received by more than 53,000 donors.  Rounding out the $17.2 million total was an additional $6.7 million contribution from The Patterson Foundation’s dollar-for-dollar match on all donations $25-$100.

This year’s Giving Challenge set new records on several fronts. With 724 nonprofits taking part, this year had the highest number of participants since the first Giving Challenge, which happened back in 2012. Money raised prior to the challenge also set records, thanks in large part to four entities who all gave $100 to each of the nonprofit participants. Gifts from Joe and Mary Kay Henson, the Franklin G. Berlin Fund, the P. Gladstone McKeon Trust, and the Sarah Greer Mayer Fund, each $72,400, totaled $579,200 with The Patterson Foundation match applied.  

While the event is first and foremost an online event, many organizations create in-person giving experiences, as well. This year 11 official “pop-up giving stations” were held across the region. Additionally, nonprofits are still eligible to receive nearly $140,000 in prize opportunities available for achieving excellence in aspects of fundraising. Prizes include “Best Video Commercial,” “Best Board Engagement,” “Best Social Media Campaign,” and more.

Since 2012, the Giving Challenge has raised more than $92 million in unrestricted funding through eight Giving Challenges to support their missions, with more than $36 million contributed from The Patterson Foundation.