In 24 hours, Giving Challenge raises more than $16.7 million

Jasmin Graham, the president and CEO of Minorities in Shark Sciences, said that after heading to The Bay park for last year's Giving Challenge, she was eager for the organization to return. 

"There's a lot of people that aren't normally very active in philanthropy that are activated during the Giving Challenge, so it's a really great time to connect with new donors," she said. 

She said the event was a chance to hear others' stories about sharks while dispelling myths about the animals, connecting with people looking to become involved in the organization's programs, and sharing its mission of broadening participation in the marine sciences. 

The Giving Challenge Pop Up Station at The Bay, held on April 15, highlighted 19 local nonprofits, allowing the public to engage with the organizations and make donations. 

The pop-up was part of the 24-hour Giving Challenge event, held from noon to noon on April 15-16 by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. The biennial event raised more than $16.7 million, with over 50,000 donors making nearly 88,000 gifts to a record 751 nonprofits in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties.

The Patterson Foundation once again matched all unique donations from $25 to $100, providing $6.5 million in matching dollars during this year's challenge. Since it began providing the match in 2012, it has given more than $43 million in matching funds.

Now in its 10th iteration, The Giving Challenge has raised nearly $110 million for area nonprofits since it began in 2012.

“This astounding grand total represents more than millions in funding for hundreds of regional nonprofits,” said Debra Jacobs, president and CEO of The Patterson Foundation, in a news release. “It represents thousands of new and reaffirmed donor relationships that will continue to strengthen these organizations well beyond the 24-hour Giving Challenge."

Lisa Intagliata, chief executive officer of Resilient Retreat, said at the April 15 pop-up event that as a relatively young nonprofit founded in 2018, the Giving Challenge was important for mobilizing existing donors as well as bringing in new ones.

"As a young nonprofit with a growing donor base, it's essential that we expand our mission, expand our reach, expand what we're doing in the community, so more people understand what we do, and then get support behind that," she said.

The organization provides programs for survivors of abuse, first responders, and helping professionals. Intagliata says the Giving Challenge is essential for continuing to offer those services free of charge. 

She praised the "symbiotic relationship" between the nonprofits at the event, some of which partner with Resilient Retreat, and said it was important for organizations to communicate, stating there is no reason for one to add services if another is offering the same ones successfully. 

"It's really nice to see all of us coming together, not in competition, but supportive of one another, collaborating to provide even better services to the end user, to our participants, to our community, and we're all part of the Giving Challenge," she said.