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Twenty-four hours, $4 million dollars—that’s something like $2,800 per minute flowing into area nonprofits as a result of Thursday’s Give Where You Live Collier fundraising drive.
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Annabella Zampogna (in pink) made and sold candles to benefit Meals of Hope. She gave the organization $550 during the Give Where You Live Collier campaign. She's pictured here with her mom, Ann Zampogna; brother, Giancarlo Zampogna; and Katie Schweikhardt of Meals of Hope. Photo courtesy the Community Foundation of Collier CountyThe campaign, the third of its kind, generated 1,847 donations for a grand total of $4,010,231 that will support the work of 40 human service organizations ranging from the Neighborhood Health Clinic to the Boys & Girls Club of Collier County. It was hosted by the Community Foundation of Collier County and the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation.
“We are so thrilled about how the community came together to show their love for Collier County. Together we made a difference in our community by supporting basic needs and education,” Community Foundation of Collier County CEO Eileen Connolly-Keesler said in a statement after the campaign closed.
Donors were able to select the nonprofit to which they contributed. The campaign attracted 463 new donors this year—an important hallmark for the Community Foundation, which is trying to inspire people from all walks of life to give what they can. The most popular gift amount was $100, though there were 448 donations topping $500.
In addition to individual pledges, the Community Foundation offered dollar-for-dollar matching grants, up to $2,500 for each organization. The Schulze Family Foundation contributed $400,000 in matching grants; its contributions varied according to how much the individual organizations had amassed in pledges during the campaign.
For more information on Give Where You Live or the Community Foundation of Collier County, visit cfcollier.org.