Santa Cruz Gives: Giving To The Givers

Santa Cruz Gives, a countywide holiday crowd-funding campaign in its 8th year, is raising funds for 63 local nonprofits until midnight Dec. 31.

The giving platform, which opened Nov. 16, is at SantaCruzGives.org.

Donors may browse individual profile pages to learn about each nonprofit’s mission and “Big Idea” for 2023, a project to be funded with donations, use a shop-ping cart to give and track the progress of their favorites on a leaderboard. The minimum donation is $5.

Donations topped $1 million for the first time last year, raising $1,100,659.

This year’s participating nonprofits present the most diverse slate of projects yet, from a welcoming network for foreign refugees to support for pregnant women in the post-Roe era.

The organizations come from all parts of the county geographically and represent youth, seniors, animals, the environment, education, health and wellness, food and nutrition, housing and homelessness, the arts, veterans, families, LGBTQIA+, and the disabled.

A committee with diverse nonprofit experience vetted the applications, and potential social media reach was a consideration.

The number of participants is limited so each organization has the potential to raise sufficient funds for the staff time spent on the campaign.

Selection each year includes established groups known to be effective, as well as emerging organizations doing promising new work.

“If any of the local nonprofits tried to create a platform like this for fundraising, it would not be economically feasible,” said Karen Delaney, executive director of the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County. “Only large national organizations have had a tool like this at their disposal. Santa Cruz Gives puts this tool into the hands of local nonprofit community.”

Nonprofits will receive individually donated funds, matching funds provided by sponsors, and are eligible for three awards each worth $1,000: Most Donors, Most Creative Campaign, and Project of the Year.

Participants in Santa Cruz Gives report a majority of donors are new donors and tend to be younger.

Presenting sponsors are Good Times and the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County. Additional sponsors include Community Foundation Santa Cruz County; two funds at the Community Foundation SCC: The Applewood Fund, The Joe Collins Fund; and Driscoll’s, Inc. Other business sponsors are Santa Cruz County Bank, Wynn Capital Management, The Pajaronian, and Press Banner.

For information, contact Jeanne Howard at 831-601-1691 or Jeanne@santacruzgives.org.

•••

Findings:

1. Nonprofits report a majority of new donors, up to 80%.
2. The majority of funds raised come from donors who gave to an average of four nonprofits.
3. Nonprofits report an increase in younger donors, as well as older. New donors are potential volunteers, future fundraisers, and perhaps leaders and board members.
4. Each year there is significant growth, compared to the prior year, in number of donors, amounts per donor, and total challenge grants.
5. The exposure nonprofits gain through Santa Cruz Gives is beyond what any could achieve on their own.
6. The campaign has a ripple effect. Some nonprofits find donors learn about them through Santa Cruz Gives but give at a different time of year.
7. Nonprofits are raising more funds while sharing ideas and learning from one another. Organizations that had little contact with one another before Santa Cruz Gives and felt a sense of competition are now collaborating.