PROVIDENCE – Back on April 1 during 401Gives Day, United Way of Rhode Island CEO and President Cortney Nicolato’s team members attended an event that education nonprofit FabNewport Inc. held that day. The team members informed United Way’s top executive that FabNewport staffers had “tears of joy” with how well the day went for them in receiving donations to further their mission to help students in both Providence and on Aquidneck Island.
That emotion was shared across the Ocean State as this year’s 401Gives Day raised the bar, once again, in supporting the state’s nonprofit sector. As of Monday afternoon, the annual online fundraising initiative raised $3.09 million, breaking last year’s record total by close to a million dollars.
This year’s 401Gives Day also saw a record number of donors – 12,850 in total as of 2:15 p.m. Monday – and number of organizations supported at 507, exceeding last year’s mark by 87. Of the 507 organizations that received donations over the weekend, 128 of them received at least $5,000; 66 received at least $10,000; 30 got at least $30,000 and nine were the beneficiaries of at least $50,000.
“What that tells me is the generosity of the community continues to thrive,” Nicolato said. “It also tells me that the community is excited for what this program can bring and I think it’s definitely raised the bar yet again.”
This year’s 401Gives Day was also extended across multiple days, continuing through the weekend to give donors more time to contribute to organizations of their choosing. Nicolato said United Way typically allows a few extra days for people to contribute to the cause who may have missed 401Gives Day itself.
This year’s 401Gives Day also featured two nonprofits who raised six figures over the weekend, exceeding their initial fundraising goals. East Providence-based Foster Forward was once again the leading organization in raising $209,506 this year, going past its original fundraising goal by 33%. Last year, Foster Forward, which assists local youths in transitioning out of foster care into safe housing, raised more than $170,000.
Foster Forward Executive Director Lisa Guillette told Providence Business News Monday the organization was “a bit nervous” because some major donors who contributed to the organization in the past were impacted by stock market fluctuations. But, the organization did secure a $50,000 challenge matching grant from the Baruch and Rebecca Goldstein Memorial Fund.
Also, Eugene La Pietra, a former Rhode Islander foster youth who later became a civil rights activist in Los Angeles, provided a $25,000 gift and then a $25,000 match to Foster Forward, Guillette said.
“There are so many great organizations to give to, but I found that donors really like when their gift is maximized,” Guillette said. “So, the matching support is really critical for that.”
Guillette said the funds raised will be used to help the organization meet a goal to create 110 housing units for young people leaving foster care over the next three years, as well as the supportive services for the clients.
Smithfield-based nature and environment support nonprofit Audubon Society of Rhode Island had initially set a $60,000 fundraising goal for 401Gives Day, and blew past it. The organization netted $161,872 over the weekend.
Jeffrey Hall, Audubon Society’s senior director of advancement, told PBN on Monday that the society raised more than $1 million from individuals throughout 2021, a new record for the organization. Now, this year’s 401Gives Day puts Audubon on pace to exceed last year’s overall total.
“We can’t be more happier and shocked as well about the great turnout that we had,” Hall said. “If we have days like 401Gives, we’ll have another historic [fundraising] year as well.”
Hall said funds from 401Gives Day will support land acquisition projects, various new avian research programs and financing education programs.
The United Way received $88,287, while Dare to Dream Ranch Inc. in Foster got $78,974 and Providence-based School One netted $75,663.
The remaining top-10 fundraising amounts for local organizations are:
- Children’s Friend: $67,834
- Young Voices: $55,937
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center: $54,926
- Amos House: $53,036
- Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island: $49,315
The funds came in fast early on April 1. By 9:15 a.m., $1 million had been raised. At around 11:15 a.m., the day-long initiative surpassed the 2020 fundraising total of $1.3 million. The money count then surpassed the 2021 mark of $2.3 million just before 5 p.m. on April 1. Then, on Saturday, the total eclipsed the $3 million mark for the first time.
While this year’s 401Gives Day set new records, the amount of money raised fell just short of the $4.01 million goal it had initially wanted to raise. Nicolato said she doesn’t look at this year’s effort as not achieving a goal, but rather as “an incredible day filled of generosity and hope” for the state.
Nicolato said United Way regularly sets “really bold goals” and sometimes sets goals “that makes us uneasy.” Therefore, United Way put $4.01 million out there to strive for something “really big and bold,” Nicolato said, but she’s still please that a new bar was set with the amount raised for local organizations in 2022.
“Now, I think $4.01 [million] is in more of our grasp for next year,” Nicolato said. “If you think about it, $1.3 [million in 2020], $2.2 [million in 2021] and $3.1 [million this year]. That would continue to match the progression that we’ve seen.”
Next year, 401Gives Day will fall on a Saturday, so Nicolato and her team are thinking of different ideas to help bring the initiative into the community even more. She’s hoping to include some in-person events and virtual gatherings taking place throughout the weekend, but details are still being ironed out.
“We really want 401Gives Day in 2023 to be this communitywide, statewide event,” 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.
