By Rachel Rosenthal
The Community Foundation Serving Southwest Colorado spearheads regional participation in Colorado Gives Day — an easy, online initiative for donors to contribute to nonprofits across Colorado.
Colorado donors turned out for this year’s event on Tuesday, December 10, with more than $54.6 million donated to nonprofits statewide and more than $894,000 donated to organizations in Southwest Colorado alone — a new record that far exceeded the goal of $750,000.
This is a 26 percent increase from the $662,600 raised in 2023.
Overall, Gives Day totals will increase throughout the month of December as each nonprofit receives its share of the statewide Incentive Fund. Final totals for the southwest region will be over $900,000.
For Southwest Colorado Gives Day, local donors can choose from a list of more than 150 nonprofit organizations found on the website swcogives.org, which provides a safe, easy way for in- dividuals to fund their favorite causes.
These online donations go directly to local nonprofits serving Southwest Colorado, encompassing Archuleta, Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma and San Juan counties.
This year’s collaborative marketing efforts prompted more than 4,000 individual donations in the region.
“Southwest Colorado Gives Day has grown every year since we started as the regional champion in 2017, with 2024 having the biggest increase we’ve seen so far,” Briggen Wrinkle, executive director of the Community Foundation said. “It’s an honor to be a part of a movement that brings the community together to support our local nonprofits.”
The Community Foundation strives to power philanthropy and encourage people to give where they live. Online donations can still be made at swcogives.org, as this is a year-round electronic giving platform to benefit local nonprofits.
Rachel Rosenthal writes for the Community Foundation serving Southwest Colorado.