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Our Programs

Game-changing for local giving

We believe that a strong nonprofit sector benefits everyone in the capital area. In an economic landscape that can feel uncertain, ensuring our region’s organizations have the tools to sustain their missions is among our greatest responsibilities. That's why we built this website — GivingEdge — to make it easy to discover local nonprofits. And we coordinate the region's annual giving day that it powers — Big Day of Giving — to celebrate the important work they do and the supporters who make it possible!


Big Day of Giving

Our community's day-long celebration of local giving,

Big Day of Giving is the Sacramento region's annual celebration of giving to the causes that matter to local donors' and their loved ones. Since the first local giving day that the Sacramento Region Community Foundation coordinated in 2013, more than 60,000 donors have helped local nonprofits raise $78 million through the region-wide, community-driven effort. In 2022, 718 organizations generated a record $13.4 million in a single day! As in past years, most donations were between $15 and $50, demonstrating that, no matter the size of your gifts, we make a big impact when our community gives together.

Mark your calendars for the next Big Day of Giving on Thursday, May 4, 2023! Register to receive an email or text message reminder on the Foundation's website.

get a reminder

Though the giving is centered on one day in early May, Big Day of Giving makes an impact year-round. Each year, our team analyzes a mountain of data about Big Day of Giving collected through surveys, focus groups, and this website to produce a report that provides insights into the region's giving day and all of its components. 

From the data, we can see that Big Day of Giving connects donors to local nonprofits. Further, the giving day connects nonprofits to nonprofits to the community at large: 74% of organizations report their visibility in the community has increased since they began participating, and 76% feel a stronger sense of connection to the local nonprofit sector in that time.

Training & Collaboration That Pays Off

As a benefit of participating in Big Day of Giving, we encourage staff and volunteers from participating organizations to hone their marketing, board development, and donor engagement skills at our Big Day of Giving Bootcamps. These annual trainings help nonprofit staff and volunteers fortify collaborations with their colleagues, deepen their engagement with donors, and strengthen their impact in our community. We'd say they're worthwhile: On average, the nonprofits that attend the trainings raise 32% more than organizations that do not.

Speaking of nonprofit collaboration, we owe debts of gratitude to the supreme Big Day of Giving collaborators: Mentors, the nonprofit professionals who donate their expertise to help other nonprofits succeed. In all, the following Mentors donated nearly 300 hours to Big Day of Giving 2022.

Mayra Aguilar, CASA El Dorado County
Kaitlyn Bathke, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Amanda Bloom, Health Education Council
Julie Bornhoeft, WEAVE, Inc.
Larisa Bryski, Girls Rock Sacramento
Allison Cagley, Friends of Sacramento Arts
Marisa DeSalles, Independent, Nonprofit leader
Kimberly Diaz, American Red Cross  California Gold Country Region
Tonya Goins, First Tee Greater Sacramento
Rene Hamlin, California State Parks
Nick Houser, UC Davis Health

Melissa Kelley, ALS Association Greater Sacramento Chapter
Licia King, CCHAT Center Sacramento
Rachel Minnick, PRO Youth and Families
Linda Revilla, Meals on Wheels by ACC
Susan Reynolds, Friends for Survival, Inc.
Julie Rhoten, Stanford Settlement Neighborhood Center
Colette Rice, Yolo Hospice Inc.
Allison Stelly, 916 Ink
Meghan Toland, Sacramento Children's Museum
Kara Walker, Placer Land Trust
Mackenzie Wieser, Sacramento Splash


Want to learn more? We invite you to read the Big Day of Giving 2022 Report to the Community.


GivingEdge

The knowledge base that powers Big Day of Giving.

"Give smarter to local nonprofits." That's the tagline for GivingEdge, this powerful website — a year-round resource for information on local nonprofits and the backbone of the Sacramento region's annual giving day, Big Day of Giving. We built GivingEdge to help everyone in our community discover organizations that match their interests. The profiles included in the searchable database are updated annually and include information on each nonprofit's programs, governance, financial management, impact, and more. 

Data for Good

GivingEdge makes local philanthropy easier and more effective. Not only does it help donors in our region give "smarter," but it also informs our work at the Sacramento Region Community Foundation to strengthen the nonprofit sector — and the entire Sacramento region. How? Our community’s nonprofit sector is strongest when it is marked by equity and inclusion at all levels. As stewards of the public good, nonprofits in the capital area play an important role in upholding the democratic ideals we all value. So, in addition to helping area donors learn more about local nonprofits, we use data from GivingEdge to better understand the capital region's nonprofit sector and help move it forward.

For example, take the racial and ethnic makeup of governance boards, the highest decision-making bodies at nonprofits. Because nonprofit board members play critical roles in ensuring organizations support equity and inclusion in our community, their boards should aim to mirror our region and the breadth of its diversity — racial and ethnic diversity, and other forms of diversity such as gender, socioeconomic background, and professional expertise. The data we collect on GivingEdge gives us insight into these trends.


To learn more about creating a nonprofit profile on GivingEdge, please visit Nonprofit Resources & FAQ.


Thank you!

We are so grateful for the sustained support of our partners.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to the Big Day of Giving community partners who help make these philanthropic efforts possible! The following businesses and Foundation funds made generous gifts that enabled the success of Big Day of Giving 2022:

  • Western Health Advantage
  • Nugget Markets; Golden 1 Credit Union; 34 Strong
  • SMUD; Boutin Jones, Inc.
  • And Foundation fundholders, including the Cannady-Ford Family Fund, The Keller Family Pathway Fund, and the James & Susan McClatchy Fund.

If you or your business would like to join the movement and support efforts to bring our community together, ignite personal philanthropy, and strengthen our nonprofit sector, don't hesitate to get in touch with Kerry Wood, Chief Executive Officer of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, at kerry@sacregcf.org or (916) 921-7723 ext. 2027.

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Contact Us

Connect with our team.

Have questions about GivingEdge, Big Day of Giving, the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, opening a charitable fund to support your philanthropic giving, or another piece of our work? Please connect with our team, who are always happy to assist.

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