A whopping $16.7 million in donations poured forth from donors in 24 hours to help a record 751 nonprofits during this week’s Giving Challenge hosted by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.
The online event ended at noon Thursday, and it was the 10th Giving Challenge held since 2012.
With nearly 51,000 donors providing almost 88,000 gifts, the amount raised this year brings the grand total of the initiative’s history to $110 million, according to the Community Foundation.
This year’s donations go to the missions of 751 participating nonprofits operating in everything from health care and housing, to arts, culture, education and the environment.
Since the funds are unrestricted, the nonprofits can use them to meet what they consider to be their most pressing needs, the foundation noted.
“All of us at the Community Foundation are overwhelmed by the outpouring of generosity that we witnessed during the Giving Challenge,” said Jessica Muroff, the foundation’s president and CEO.
“It is thrilling to see our community rally around our region’s nonprofits and to witness the transformational impact we can have when we all pull together,” Muroff said.
Muroff also thanked the thousands of donors who made contributions during the 24-hour challenge.
As it has in the past, The Patterson Foundation provided a 1-to-1 match for all unique donations between $25 and $100 – providing a total of $6.5 million this year and bringing its overall support to more than $43 million since the Giving Challenge began.
A Sarasota couple made an anonymous donation of $100 to all 751 nonprofits, totaling $75,100 – which was matched in full by Patterson for a $150,200 impact.
Over the past year, the Community Foundation provided training and workshops at no cost to the nonprofits to assist them in maximizing their participation in the 2026 Giving Challenge – and to help them develop communications plans, hone social media marketing skills and more.
“Our nonprofit community is vital to the overall quality of life across our region,” Muroff said.
“The Giving Challenge is an opportunity to both support these critical and fulfilling organizations and celebrate all that they offer us,” Muroff said.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Giving Challenge raises $16.7 million for record number 751 nonprofits
Reporting by Saundra Amrhein, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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