Big Day of Giving

The Sacramento region's annual 24-hour fundraising event and year-long capacity building program

Aprogram of our initiative to grow local philanthropy, Big Day of Giving is a 24-hour giving challenge that brings our community together to support the nonprofits that serve the Sacramento region. The nonprofits that participate raise much-needed unrestricted funds during Big Day of Giving and their staff and volunteers benefit from year-round opportunities to connect with their peers and strengthen essential fundraising, storytelling, and board development skills.

GROWING LOCAL PHILANTHROPY

We believe that a strong nonprofit sector benefits everyone in the capital area. In a political and economic landscape that can feel uncertain, ensuring the region’s organizations have the tools to sustain their missions is among our greatest responsibilities. Together, Big Day of Giving and GivingEdge, the online nonprofit knowledgebase that powers it, continue to redefine philanthropy in the capital
area: In 2023, with the support of our capacity-building programming, 762
organizations generated a record $13.8 million in a single day. This community-wide effort fortified their collaborations with nonprofit colleagues, deepened their engagements with donors, and strengthened their impact in our community.

For the nearly a decade, the giving day has united our community, raising $91.5 million for local nonprofits from over 60,000 donors from all over the region, the state, the country, and the world.

Dive into data from past BIG DAYS OF GIVING

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BUILDING NONPROFIT CAPACITY

Big Day of Giving is an opportunity for donors to show their community pride and support the nonprofits that make our region great, and it is also a year-long capacity building program that helps local nonprofits hone their skills in marketing, social media, and board and donor engagement. The effort makes an impact year-round:

• Big Day of Giving introduces donors to new causes worth supporting: Each year, about a quarter donors report giving to organizations for the first time, helping nonprofits reach new audiences.
• Organizations that attend our Big Day of Giving capacity-building bootcamps enjoy an astounding return on investment: On average, they raise 52% more than what organizations that do not attend a training raise, helping to grow the $91.5 million raised by nonprofits during Big Day of Giving since its inception.
• Big Day of Giving connects nonprofits to the community at-large and to each other: 74% of organizations report their visibility in the community increased since first participating, and 76% feel a stronger sense of connection to the local nonprofit sector.

Each time a participating nonprofit puts their increased skills to work throughout the year, we consider the effort a success.

Want to learn more about Big Day of Giving? Peek through our post-Big Day of Giving event reports!

Find them in our Publications