Southwest Washington nonprofits raise $1.2 million during GiveBig

Southwest Washington nonprofits received $1.2 million in a two-day fundraiser that drew donations from roughly 2,500 individuals to the area.

The event was GiveBIG, a statewide online fundraiser which began in 2011. This was the first year participating for many Southwest Washington nonprofits, which typically participate in Give More 24!, a similar annual event hosted by the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington. This year, the organization merged the events.

A total of 145 Southwest Washington nonprofits participated, including the Free Clinic of Southwest Washington, last year’s top earner of Give More 24!, which finished 18th in the statewide campaign out of 1,409 participating organizations.

“This was a bit of a change going from a fundraiser that really focused just on Southwest Washington to a statewide event, so we weren’t quite sure how that was going to go,” said Pam Knepper, communications, development and outreach manager of the Free Clinic. “It ended up turning out to be very successful.”

The nonprofit clinic received more than $78,000. Knepper said the organization had a goal of $75,000.

“I’ve been just amazed by the support that nonprofits get, specifically in Clark County,” Knepper said. “I was really happy to see that when it’s now gone statewide, that there’s still that overwhelming support for us, and I hope that continues.”

501 Commons, a Seattle-based organization which supports nonprofits, hosted the virtual event through its year-round nonprofit platform, Washington Gives.

Other high earners from the area include the Boys & Girls Club of Southwest Washington, FISH of Vancouver, FISH of Cowlitz County and Lower Columbia School Gardens, each of which received between $44,000 and $52,000 during the event.

Statewide, GiveBIG brought in about $12 million from 22,575 donors. The website will continue to accept donations until the end of May.

“It was a really great showing by local organizations,” said Maury Harris, senior communications officer for the Community Foundation. “It was very encouraging to see donors in the community here and people . . . showed up to support them as they made this transition.”