Santa Cruz Gives, the countywide crowdfunding holiday campaign in its eighth season, will raise funds for 65 local nonprofits until midnight Dec. 31.
It is the largest fundraising campaign in Santa Cruz County supporting local nonprofits serving all types of needs.
The online platform is live Nov. 15 at SantaCruzGives.org.
Donors can learn about each nonprofit’s mission and “Big Idea” for 2024, a project that will be funded with donations, then use a shopping cart to give. The minimum donation is $5.
Since its founding in 2015, the six-week campaign has raised more than $4 million — with $2.3 million in the past two campaigns.
This year’s participating nonprofits presents a diverse slate of projects—from a welcoming network for foreign refugees to support for pregnant women in the post-Roe era. They cover the county geographically and represent a variety of needs: Youth, seniors, animals, the environment, education, health and wellness, food and nutrition, housing and homelessness, the arts, veterans, families, LGBTQIA+, and the disabled.
The nonprofits will receive individually donated funds, matching funds provided by sponsors, and be eligible for three special awards, each with a $1,000 prize: Most Donors Overall, Most Creative Campaign, and Project of the Year.
A committee with diverse nonprofit experience vetted the applications. The number of nonprofits is limited each year so each organization has the potential to raise sufficient funds for the staff time spent on the campaign. The public exposure and the platform that nonprofits gain through the Santa Cruz Gives campaign is beyond what any could achieve on their own.
New donors are the lifeblood of nonprofits. Participants in Santa Cruz Gives reported a majority of donors are new donors and younger donors.
Good Times and the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County are the presenting sponsors. Additional sponsors include Community Foundation Santa Cruz County; two funds at the Community Foundation SCC: The Applewood Fund, The Joe Collins Fund; Driscoll’s, Inc., Comcast, and the Monterey Peninsula Foundation. Other business sponsors are Santa Cruz County Bank, Wynn Capital Management, The Pajaronian, and Press Banner.
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For more information, see the FAQ at SantaCruzGives.org. Or contact Jeanne Howard at 831-601-1691 or [email protected].