Donors in communities across the state came together once again to show their incredible collective and heartfelt support for nonprofit agencies by raising $7.1 million on Arizona Gives Day on April 6, generating $1 million more than during last year’s record-shattering event.
More than 40,000 donations supported 982 nonprofit organizations, both large and small, serving every Arizona community. The average amount raised per organization was $7,218 with the average online donation at $210.53.
Financial support wasn’t the only contribution as 1,527 donors also pledged 61,400 volunteer hours.
The final numbers for this year’s event, organized by the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits and Arizona Grantmakers Forum and presented by FirstBank, one of the nation’s largest privately held banks with a focus on “banking for good,” include prize pool distributions of more than $160,000 and from additional donations that came in after the 24-hour online fundraiser had ended.
Last year, the event raised what was then a record of $6.1 million from nearly 39,000 donations.
“We are overwhelmed with feelings of gratitude and sheer amazement at the generosity of the people of Arizona, particularly at a time when many individuals, families and businesses continue to be impacted by the COVID pandemic,” said Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits Chief Executive Officer Kristen Merrifield. “The pandemic also has taken its toll on Arizona nonprofits in terms of lost revenue, lost jobs and lost volunteers and it’s obvious the people of Arizona want to help those agencies rebuild and continue doing the great work they do.”
More than 400 nonprofits responding to a recent Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits survey reported a pandemic-caused total revenue loss of more than $91 million, a 52% drop in year-end giving and an increase of over $15 million in expenses primarily for PPE, supplies and technology.
“We’d like to extend our sincerest gratitude to the thousands of donors who selflessly contributed to yet another record-setting Arizona Gives Day,” said Joel Johnson, FirstBank East Valley Market President. “As we all look forward to a more positive and prosperous 2021, it’s encouraging to know that Arizona nonprofits have the support of the communities they serve.
Since the first Arizona Gives Day in 2013, more than $30 million has been raised for Arizona nonprofits.
Top Arizona Gives Day Prize Pool winners were: $7,500 – Oasis Sanctuary Foundation, Benson; Harvest Compassion Centers, Phoenix; BASIS Charter Schools, Scottsdale; Northland Pioneer College Friends and Family, Snowflake; Hoofsnhorns Farm Sanctuary, Tucson; $5,000 – Outreach360, Inc., Peoria; Newborn Kitten Rescue, Scottsdale; Rescue Me Tucson Inc., Tucson; Friends of Pima Animal Care Center (PACC), Tucson; Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, Tucson; $4,000 – Northern Arizona Pioneers’ Historical Society, Flagstaff; 33 Buckets, Maricopa; Tucson Boys Chorus, Tucson; GAP Ministries, Tucson; Pawsitively Cats, Inc., Tucson; Make Way for Books, Tucson; $2,500 – Daring Adventures, Phoenix; Phoenix Rescue Mission, Phoenix; Animal Loving Friends, Tempe; Ironwood Pig Sanctuary, Tucson; Seeds of Hope, Casa Grande.
A full list of prize pool winners by county can be found here.
Arizona Gives Day was made possible by the support of sponsors FirstBank, Arizona Community Foundation, BHHS Legacy Foundation, Freeport McMoRan Foundation, Hickey Family Foundation, Intel Corporation, Vitalyst Health Foundation, Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, Salt River Project (SRP), Southwest Gas Corporation, Tucson Electric Power/UniSource Energy Services and Sechler Morgan CPA. In-kind promotional partners are Frontdoors Media and InBusiness Magazine.
Donations can be made to Arizona nonprofits all year long by visiting www.AzGives.Org, AZGives.org offers an advanced search filter to find nonprofits by specific criteria, area of focus, and which donations may qualify as an Arizona tax credit. Donors can either check out as a guest or create an account to set up recurring donations and make changes to their giving throughout the year.
Arizona Gives Day 2021 Fast Facts
- 1043 nonprofits participated from across the state
- 40,715 donations totaling $7,088,084
- 1,527 volunteers pledged 61,400 hours.
- Top prize pool winners were: $7,500 – Oasis Sanctuary Foundation, Benson; Harvest Compassion Centers, Phoenix; BASIS Charter Schools, Scottsdale; Northland Pioneer College Friends and Family, Snowflake; Hoofsnhorns Farm Sanctuary, Tucson.
- Giving can be done all year at AZGives.org where you can choose one or more organizations for your donation or find new Arizona organizations to give to.
- Giving eCards can be purchased all year at azgives.org/ecards. The person receiving the eCard gets to choose which nonprofit to donate to.
The Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits is a statewide trusted resource and advocate for the nonprofit community. The Alliance’s mission is to unite, strengthen and advance Arizona’s nonprofit sector and is comprised of more than 1,000 members – both nonprofits and those in the community who support them – across the state. Since 2004, the organization has been dedicated to furthering the common interests of Arizona’s nonprofit community and envisions an Arizona where all nonprofits are valued, empowered and thriving, with support from grassroots efforts like Arizona Gives Day.
FirstBank began providing banking services in Colorado in 1963. Today, the bank maintains more than $23 billion in assets and operates more than 110 branch locations across Colorado, Arizona and California. FirstBank offers a variety of checking accounts, savings accounts, home equity loans, mortgages, and a full range of commercial banking services, including financing, treasury management and deposit accounts. Since 2000, FirstBank has been recognized as a leader in corporate philanthropy, contributing nearly $70 million and thousands of volunteer hours to charitable organizations. The company is also unique in that a large portion of its stock is owned by management and employees, giving employees a financial stake in the bank’s success through its Employee Stock Ownership Program.
Arizona Grantmakers Forum is the statewide network that connects, educates and advocates for Arizona philanthropy. With a mission to empower its members to transform Arizona through leadership and meaningful philanthropy, Arizona Grantmakers is made of organizations that provide funds and resources to nonprofit organizations throughout the state. Members include private foundations, trusts, endowed community foundations, corporate foundations, businesses with charitable giving programs, government agencies and individuals with organized giving programs.
