Home News Story 401Gives Day sets new records for fundraising, donors, organizations supported

401Gives Day sets new records for fundraising, donors, organizations supported

By

James Bessette

-

04/03/2024

LOCAL NONPROFIT LEADERS and representatives gather Tuesday at The Guild in Pawtucket for a special 401Gives Day event. / PBN PHOTO/JAMES BESSETTE

PAWTUCKET – The bar continues to be raised with Rhode Island’s largest single nonprofit supporting initiative, with new records across the board during the 36-hour affair. 401Gives Day, which was held from April 1 through late Tuesday raised $3.77 million during this year’s online fundraising program, exceeding last year’s record $3.5 million mark that was

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PAWTUCKET – The bar continues to be raised with Rhode Island’s largest single nonprofit supporting initiative, with new records across the board during the 36-hour affair. 401Gives Day, which was held from April 1 through late Tuesday raised $3.77 million during this year’s online fundraising program, exceeding last year’s record $3.5 million mark that was raised over a weekend. Additionally, 16,577 individual donors contributed to 597 total nonprofits, both of which also were new records for 401Gives Day – operated by the United Way of Rhode Island Inc.’s Alliance for Nonprofit Impact. In total, 401Gives Day has raised more than $14 million in its five years, including approximately $10 million the last three years. The initiative has raised at least $3 million for three consecutive years and every 401Gives Day has exceeded the previous year’s fundraising total. “Every single year, we watched it grow and grow and grow,” United Way CEO and President Cortney Nicolato said during the United Way’s special 401Gives Day event Tuesday evening at The Guild. “That is the power of community and the power that Rhode Island harnesses on a regular basis and we do it for good.” Alliance Director Nancy Wolanski told Providence Business News the latest record year for 401Gives Day is “a real testament to all the work” individual nonprofits put in. She said it also points to the opportunity the United Way and nonprofits together have to increase giving in the Ocean State so “we don’t rank at the bottom of 50 states in charitable giving.” [caption id="attachment_463462" align="alignright" width="299"]

NANCY WOLANSKI, director of the United Way of Rhode Island Inc.'s Alliance for Nonprofit Impact, addresses the crowd Tuesday at The Guild in Pawtucket during a special 401Gives Day event. / PBN PHOTO/JAMES BESSETTE

NANCY WOLANSKI, director of the United Way of Rhode Island Inc.'s Alliance for Nonprofit Impact, addresses the crowd Tuesday at The Guild in Pawtucket during a special 401Gives Day event. / PBN PHOTO/JAMES BESSETTE[/caption] “We have really great good-hearted people across Rhode Island and they need an opportunity understanding how they can contribute to these nonprofits,” Wolanski said. “We’re really excited that 401Gives Day gives them that opportunity.” This year’s initiative also saw an 8.9% year-to-year increase in donors contributing to their favorite causes, a focal point for 401Gives Day organizers this year leading up to April 1. Wolanski said that is the “starting point” for ongoing partnerships with new support networks. That way, she said, the new donors who joined the cause can welcome new donors into the fold. Nicolato told PBN that anytime a nonprofit can meet new donors face to face gives that organization a chance to cultivate and build a relationship. “Every donor matters in the nonprofit sector, so a [8.9%] growth is huge,” Nicolato said. According to the 401Gives Day leaderboard, 91 organizations raised at least $10,000 over the weekend, with 11 of them raising in excess of $50,000. Foster Forward, which assists local youths aging out of foster care to find housing, once again raised the most of all organizations participating in 401Gives Day at $233,590, which is about $13,000 more than what it netted last year. It is also the third consecutive year that the East Providence-based nonprofit has raised more than $200,000 during 401Gives Day. Foster Forward did receive a $15,000 matching gift from board member Edythe De Marco. The Audubon Society of Rhode Island, which supports wildlife conservation across the state, raised $104,407 during the 36-hour fundraising affair. Once again, the society received matching gifts, including from Caldwell Reality and the Barbara Walsh and Earl Simson Land Fund totaling $35,000. Newport-based Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center brought in $94,492, exceeding its $75,000 goal. The organization received two matches from the Blair/Van Winkle Family totaling $30,000. Children’s Friend & Service received $91,833 from the community, while School One brought in $90,701. Other organizations rounding out the top 10 are:

United Way of Rhode Island Inc.: $83,909
The Haitian Project: $75,124
Young Voices: $62,730
Hope & Main: $62,433
Boys Town New England: $61,936

The Rhode Island Foundation also provided $75,000 in total matching gifts throughout the affair, and the Papitto Opportunity Connection gave $20,000 in total gifts for 401Gives Day through small matching grants. [caption id="attachment_463463" align="alignleft" width="280"]

CORTNEY NICOLATO, CEO and president of the United Way of Rhode Island Inc., speaks Tuesday at The Guild in Pawtucket during a special 401Gives Day event. / PBN PHOTO/JAMES BESSETTE

CORTNEY NICOLATO, CEO and president of the United Way of Rhode Island Inc., speaks Tuesday at The Guild in Pawtucket during a special 401Gives Day event. / PBN PHOTO/JAMES BESSETTE[/caption] A bulk of the funding was raised on the first day. The $1 million mark was hit just before 11 a.m. on April 1. Later in the day, just after 4:30 p.m., the fundraising count reached $2 million. Then, the $3 million mark was achieved just after 1 p.m. on Tuesday and the new record got set with about an hour left in this year’s event. Along with the typical social media engagement – which Nicolato said social media numbers increased year to year by 400% – Wolanski also said there was increased email engagement with nonprofits, a crucial element for organizations to activate donors to help out. As the fundraising numbers have increased, 401Gives Day organizers still have that eye toward exceeding that elusive $4.01 million goal it set a few years ago. Wolanski said the pending year-round giving platform – set to launch in June – will help new donors get accustomed to giving to organizations in a single area and, from there, be activated for 401Gives Day. Nicolato also said United Way staffers will review this year’s work to consider having 401Gives Day be a 36-hour event moving forward. She feels the event has “hit a sweet spot” regarding timing, as well as the organization managed to hone in its marketing efforts to build the needed momentum to fuel the day. “Every year, we learn a little bit more, and the numbers show it,” Nicolato said. James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.