Community First Foundation and FirstBank Announce Colorado Gives Day 2015

ARVADA, Colo., May 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Colorado Gives Day, the state's largest online giving movement, is set for Tuesday, December 8, 2015.

Community First Foundation, dedicated to fueling the power of community to drive positive change in Jefferson County, the Denver metropolitan area and beyond, and FirstBank, Colorado's largest locally owned bank, present the statewide event.  

Colorado Gives Day is powered by ColoradoGives.org, a year-round, online giving website featuring more than 1,700 Colorado nonprofit organizations. The website makes giving easy for donors and fundraising simple for nonprofits.

Colorado Gives Day is one the most successful events of its kind in the nation. Since its inception in 2010, the event has raised $83 million for Colorado nonprofits.

The event theme "Give Where You Live" encourages donors to join the movement. Last year donors responded in unprecedented numbers, breaking all previous records. In just 24 hours, $26.3 million was donated by 43,979 donors through 108,537 donations. Donations ranged from $10 to $300,000.

In addition to raising money, Colorado Gives Day raises awareness of the state's nonprofit sector, unites Coloradans in a common goal to strengthen the state's nonprofits and educates communities on the benefits of online giving. 

$1 Million Incentive Fund Back for Second Year
To motivate donors to give on Colorado Gives Day, Community First Foundation and FirstBank each contributed $500,000 to create a $1 Million Incentive Fund. The incentive fund, one of the largest giving-day incentive funds in the country, proportionally increases the value of every dollar donated. For example, if a nonprofit organization receives 10 percent of the total donations made on Colorado Gives Day, that same nonprofit will receive 10 percent of the $1 Million Incentive Fund.

"FirstBank has been a great corporate partner and a steadfast supporter of our work connecting the givers with the do-ers," said Marla J. Williams, president and CEO of Community First Foundation. "Colorado Gives Day has transformed the way our community works together for the greater good, and that makes us very proud."

"We are incredibly pleased by the success of Colorado Gives Day over the past five years, and could not be prouder to continue our support of the state's largest online giving event," said John Ikard, CEO of FirstBank Holding Company. "Investing in the local community is integral to our success as a company. We hope to lead by example and inspire even more Coloradans to give generously to the nonprofit organizations that make up the social fabric of our state." 

Thanks to FirstBank, Colorado Gives Day also offers nonprofits the opportunity to win cash prizes to support their worthwhile causes. An additional $100,000 in prize money will be distributed to nonprofits through various incentive and award programs.

For statistics on last year's Colorado Gives Day and year-over-year comparisons, please visit ColoradoGives.org/data&reports.

Free Colorado Gives Day App
Coloradans can stay informed with the free Colorado Gives Day smart phone app. Available through iTunes and Google Play, the app counts down to Colorado Gives Day. On the day, it displays in real time how much money is being raised statewide, the number of organizations receiving donations and the total number of donations made.

"The Colorado Gives Day app shows donors the impact of their generosity in real time on their phones," said Dana Rinderknecht, director of online giving for Community First Foundation. "Coloradans see the magnitude of their giving by watching the statewide total grow."

Nonprofit Participation
To participate in Colorado Gives Day 2015, nonprofit organizations must meet eligibility requirements and create, or update, a profile on ColoradoGives.org. There are no set up charges or monthly maintenance fees to participate. First-time nonprofits must attend an introductory session by July 30 in order to participate in Colorado Gives Day 2015.

More information on Colorado Gives Day 2015 will be made available online over the next few months at ColoradoGivesDay.org.

About FirstBank
FirstBank operates more than 120 locations in Colorado, Arizona and California. FirstBank is the largest locally owned banking organization in Colorado, serving more than 650,000 customers. Since 2000, FirstBank has contributed more than $45 million and thousands of volunteer hours to charitable organizations. FirstBank is unique in that a majority of its stock is owned by management and employees. For more information, visit efirstbank.com.

About Community First Foundation
Since 1975, Community First Foundation has been helping generous donors and innovative nonprofits come together to improve the quality of life and create positive change in Jefferson County, the Denver metropolitan area and beyond. We serve as a connector, partner, collaborator and resource to fuel the power of community for the greater good. We are proud to use our energy, leadership and trusted stewardship of financial resources to energize giving across our state, strengthen nonprofits, support donors and find new ways to address community needs. For more information, visit CommunityFirstFoundation.org.

SOURCE Community First Foundation

Related Links

http://communityfirstfoundation.org