Big Day of Giving set another record. Here’s how much Sacramento donors gave in 11th year

The 11th edition of the Big Day of Giving, the Sacramento region’s biggest single-day charity of the year, has again outdone itself as donations exceeded record amounts.

More than 31,000 donors pulled in a combined total of $13.78 million in 24 hours for 763 different local nonprofit organizations Thursday, according to the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, which organizes the annual event.

In 2022, an all-time record of $13.39 million was raised, surpassing the year before. This year continued the streak of the event breaking its own record every year since its inception in 2013.

This year is the first since Kerry Wood took over as Sacramento Region Community Foundation CEO, replacing Linda Beech Cutler, who oversaw all 10 previous Big Day of Giving events before retiring.

“Yesterday, over 31,000 people rallied once again to support organizations that make our community healthier, stronger and more vibrant,” Wood said. “These results showcase the community’s passion to increase philanthropy in the capital area.”

Topping the leaderboard this year across the four-county region was The Salvation Army, which raised $398,647 from 238 different donors, followed by ACC Senior Services at $360,446 from 805 donors.

Rounding out the top five were Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera ($354,018 from 130 donors), Capital Public Radio ($261,567 from 991 donors) and Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services ($258,415 from 1,225 donors).

Sacramento SPCA came in at No. 6 with $258,415. Sacramento Children’s Home, CalMatters, Yolo Food Bank and Placer Land Trust finished out the top 10, all pulling in between about $178,000 and $200,800. The top 20 nonprofits all raised more than $110,000.

Front Street Animal Shelter and Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services tallied the most donations, the only two reaching four digits at 1,279 and 1,225 donors, respectively. Front Street raised $124,786, according to the preliminary tally, good for No. 18.

The fundraiser has secured more than $91 million for nonprofits over the eleven years, according to the Sacramento Region Community Foundation website.

Donations saw a big jump with the start of the coronavirus pandemic, which proved financially devastating to numerous nonprofits that depend on in-person events for fundraising. The Big Day raised $8.4 million in 2019, then shattered that mark with $12 million in 2020.

The event started as the Arts Day of Giving in 2013 and raised $500,000 for arts nonprofits before broadening its reach the following year. It has pulled in more than $90.5 million since then, with fundraising totals increasing every successive year since its inception.

The Big Day of Giving thrived in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, which introduced financial hardships for a number of different types of nonprofits.

Here are the preliminary tallies from the event, according to the foundation:

Extra-large nonprofits

Budget: $5 million and above

Large nonprofits

Budget: $500,000 and $5 million

Medium nonprofits

Budget: $100,000 to $500,000

Small nonprofits

Budget: Under $100,000

Sacramento County nonprofits

1. The Salvation Army: 238 donations totaling $398,647.
2. ACC Senior Services: 805 donations totaling $360,446.
3. Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera: 130 donations totaling $354,018.
4. CapRadio: 991 donations totaling $261,567.
5. Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services: 1,225 donations totaling $258,415.
6. Sacramento SPCA: 929 donations totaling $216,059.
7. Sacramento Children’s Home: 339 donations totaling $200,808.
8. CalMatters: 93 donations totaling $187,512.
9. Neighborhood Wellness Foundation: 50 donations totaling $171,323.
10. First Tee - Greater Sacramento: 385 donations totaling $166,488.

El Dorado County nonprofits

1. Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference: 228 donations totaling $70,926.
2. American River Conservancy: 148 donations totaling $40,233.
3. 3Strands Global Foundation: 78 donations totaling $35,763.
4. CASA El Dorado: 84 donations totaling $28,545.
5. Fat Kitty City Humane Society: 246 donations totaling $26,020.
6. Foothill Dog Rescue: 163 donations totaling $23,701.
7. All About Equine Animal Rescue: 126 donations totaling $23,613.
8. Animal Outreach of the Mother Lode: 158 donations totaling $19,715.
9. El Dorado County German Shepherd Rescue: 46 donations totaling $15,448.
10. New Morning Youth & Family Services: 31 donations totaling $15,289.

Placer County nonprofits

1. Placer Land Trust: 411 donations totaling $178,397.
2. Gold Country Wildlife Rescue: 440 donations totaling $107,929.
3. FieldHaven Feline Center: 391 donations totaling $70,206.
4. Wellness Within: 134 donations totaling $67,709.
5. Acres of Hope: 126 donations totaling $64,880.
6. Roseville Theatre Arts Academy: 234 donations totaling $61,069.
7. Auburn State Theatre: 212 donations totaling $58,488.
8. Placer Food Bank: 335 donations totaling $54,672.
9. Placer SPCA: 344 donations totaling $46,377.
10. The Michael Ziegler PRIDE Industries Foundation: 67 donations totaling $43,805.

Yolo County nonprofits

1. Yolo Food Bank: 771 donations totaling $182,009.
2. Empower Yolo: 193 donations totaling $88,961.
3. Meals on Wheels Yolo County: 371 donations totaling $83,533.
4. Center for Land-Based Learning: 185 donations totaling $80,253.
5. Woodland Opera House Inc: 210 donations totaling $65,664.
6. Yolo Community Foundation: 105 donations totaling $43,209.
7. UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden: 147 donations totaling $35,816.
8. Yolo County CASA: 127 donations totaling $34,840.
9. Yolo Crisis Nursery: 170 donations totaling $34,465.
10. Short Term Emergency Aid Committee (STEAC): 127 donations totaling $32,239.