Give to Lincoln Day shatters records yet again in 15th year

The 15th annual Give to Lincoln Day fundraiser set a new record Thursday for money raised with more than $9.4 million collected from over 22,000 donors as of 4:30 p.m. Last year's event raised $9.38 million, a record at the time, for 502 nonprofits. There were 497 nonprofits taking part this year.

Give to Lincoln Day, which has been ongoing since May 1, culminated Thursday with celebrations at the annual nonprofit festival hosted by the Lincoln Community Foundation at Tower Square in downtown Lincoln.

Nearly 70 organizations had tables at the event, rallying support for their nonprofit. 

"Our goal is to provide a really convenient vehicle for folks to explore the nonprofit community, find new nonprofits that reflect their values and their interests and have the opportunity to have every donation matched so that it can go even further in helping our nonprofits," said Tracy Edgerton, Lincoln Community Foundation president. 

The Lincoln Community Foundation said earlier in the day Thursday it hoped to surpass an unprecedented $10 million in donations. Donations were accepted until midnight.

For the second year in a row, the Food Bank of Lincoln led with more than $449,000 raise as of 4:30 p.m. CEDARS followed with more than $328,000, and the Center for People was third with over $266,000.

From long-established groups to newer names in the community, Thursday's nonprofit festival was an opportunity for all of the participating organizations to connect and spread awareness for their causes. 

WISHING, or Women in Sports Helping Inspire the Next Generation, was a first-time participant in Give to Lincoln Day after being founded in 2022 by Kristen Nett. Through their mentorship program, the organization helps high school and college-aged girls break into careers in the sports industry.

All of the money raised will go directly toward providing financial assistance to girls in Lincoln Public Schools who can't afford to participate in sports through their new No Girl Sidelined Fund, which will be open to applicants on July 1. 

"It's a really unfortunate but a big need that we're helping to fill," Nett said. "We've learned from talking to different school workers that it is about $250 for a girl to participate in one sport with equipment, fees, clothing, shoes, that kind of thing."

Nett said that the event highlights the supportiveness of the nonprofit community, demonstrating the power of working as a collective to make Lincoln a better place to be.

Another new nonprofit, Big Gumdrop Outdoors, will use the funds raised in Give to Lincoln Day to fund its programming that inspires youth to explore the great outdoors. 

Big Gumdrop Outdoors was founded by Elijah Riley when he was a student at Lincoln High School. Two years ago, the organization obtained nonprofit status. 

Riley was inspired by the nonprofit community's effort to push Lincoln forward through Give to Lincoln Day.

"As I learn more about nonprofits and really what the community is, it's really inspiring and it's really heartening to see how many people are always here and available to collaborate," Riley said. "At the end of the day, we're here to work together, help each other and really help everyone that needs it."

Give to Lincoln Day introduces new donors to nonprofits and creates a platform for people to donate to a variety of causes all at once. 

Maggie Jiskra said she donated to multiple nonprofits through the fundraiser because she recognizes the role these organizations play in filling gaps within the community.

The charitable giving wasn't limited to individual community members. Lincoln's Scheels also gave a donation to multiple organizations at the nonprofit festival, including Mourning Hope and Friendship Home of Lincoln. 

"We know that not everyone is able to donate the money and we are able to, so we want to be able to support locally," said Payten Steel, marketing associate at Lincoln Scheels. "I think it makes us part of the community rather than just another store."

In addition to the donations raised in the fundraiser, participating nonprofits receive a proportional share of a $650,000 match fund from the Lincoln Community Foundation, several local businesses and sponsors, including presenting sponsor West Gate Bank. 

Edgerton said the match fund has been one of the reasons why this event has become a mainstay in the Lincoln community and continues to grow each year. 

"If you look at other giving days across the country, oftentimes they have kind of plateaued or even languished after a few years," Edgerton said. "But the interest that's been generated because of the idea of leveraging one's own ability to give with this match fund has really caught fire."

In the event's 14-year history, Give to Lincoln Day has raised over $75 million for Lincoln's local nonprofits.