Organizers are excited to announce that Give BIG San Bernardino County raised $271,044 for local nonprofits, surpassing last year’s $241,217 total. On Tuesday, Nov. 29, the county proved it can come together in a spirit of generosity around Give BIG San Bernardino County to help and give hope to many who need it.
Benefiting organizations with a range of missions including providing education to young parents, cultivating young philanthropists, connecting veterans to vital resources, caring for homeless animals, to name just a few, Give BIG San Bernardino County has raised more than $1 million since it began in 2014.
“Once again I’m so proud our community gave BIG and demonstrated their generosity and compassion by supporting the causes and charities closest to their hearts,” said San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Chairman James Ramos. “I’m also proud of our local nonprofits for participating in Give BIG and finding new, exciting ways to attract donors and promote a culture of philanthropy throughout this county.”
“San Bernardino county came together, in one day, to raise funds and awareness of our local nonprofits,” said Dr. Jonathan Lorenzo Yorba, President and CEO of The Community Foundation. “Through the support of the County of San Bernardino and all of our other wonderful sponsors, community partners, and volunteers, Give BIG San Bernardino County was a success.”
This 24-hour online giving campaign raised $271,044 for 101 participating nonprofits. Both the number of donations made (4,195) and number of unique donors giving to the campaign (3,332) increased about 13 percent over last year.
In addition to raising funds, other goals of the campaign included increasing awareness of our nonprofit sector, strengthening nonprofits with training in social media, and engaging new and younger donors. In-person training sessions and webinars were provided to participating nonprofits in the months leading up to Give BIG. The webinars were taped and now reside in a library accessible to the nonprofits’ staff and board. Sessions focused on training in social media and marketing, and also included more advanced training, such as donor cultivation.
Several partners in Big Bear, the Morongo Basin, West End, East Valley and the High Desert assisted The Community Foundation and served as liaisons for nonprofits in their regions. Media are encouraged to reach out to any of the nonprofits (contact information is found on their individual giving pages at www.givebigsbcounty.org to learn more about their experience with Give BIG San Bernardino County and to help them get the word out about the difference they are making.
“Your kindness in helping people served by the nonprofit community in San Bernardino county has been truly amazing,” said Andrea Mitchel, consultant to Give BIG San Bernardino County. “Yet beyond the money raised, I am truly grateful for the exposure of the good work being done by our local nonprofits.”
Sponsors of Give BIG San Bernardino County include: Loma Linda University Health, The California Endowment, San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, California State University San Bernardino, Press Enterprise, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Redlands Daily Facts, The 20/20 Network and KCAA Radio.