Record-breaking Colorado Gives Day raises more than $20 million from nearly 88,000 donations

News provided by

Dec 11, 2013, 11:45 ET

ARVADA, Colo., Dec. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Colorado donors once again united to support 1,442 nonprofit organizations during the fourth Colorado Gives Day on December 10, raising more than $20 million and surpassing last year's $15.4 million total. A record number of nearly 88,000 donations have been recorded, a jump from last year's total of 69,127. Donations ranged from $10 to $300,000.

Community First Foundation continues its work to record donations and reconcile gifts. The final Colorado Gives Day numbers will be announced by the end of the month.

"I love Colorado. We are overwhelmed by the generosity of our friends and neighbors who open their hearts and give on Colorado Gives Day," says Marla J. Williams, president and CEO, Community First Foundation.

Community First Foundation has partnered with FirstBank since 2010 to present Colorado Gives Day, distributing $8.7 million to Colorado nonprofits in 2010, $12.8 million in 2011 and $15.7 million in 2012.

"We are beyond impressed by the sheer generosity of local businesses and Coloradans on Colorado Gives Day," says John Ikard, CEO of FirstBank Holding Company. "It's amazing to think three short years ago we were hoping to raise just $1 million and today, we've raised more than $20 million. FirstBank is truly honored to help this philanthropic staple continue to grow and we want to personally thank every Colorado Gives Day donor for their support."

Colorado Gives Day features a 24-hour period (beginning at Midnight, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013) in which all Coloradans are encouraged to donate online to support their favorite causes. Donations are accepted online at ColoradoGives.org, a year-round, online giving resource featuring more than 1,400 charities and the official website for Colorado Gives Day.

The first gift of the day was made to City Year Denver at 12:00 a.m. on December 10. The last gift to Child Advocacy Center came in at 11:59 p.m.

FirstBank Boosts Nonprofits
FirstBank donated $600,000 in total to this year's program, which includes the FirstBank Incentive Fund, nonprofit cash prizes and financial contributions to help cover credit card processing fees, so that 100 percent of all donations go to nonprofits on Colorado Gives Day.

The $250,000 FirstBank Incentive Fund will be proportionately distributed to nonprofits at the end of the month giving them an extra financial boost. For example, if a nonprofit receives 10 percent of the total donations raised on Colorado Gives Day, that nonprofit will receive 10 percent of the Incentive Fund.

FirstBank also committed $100,000 in additional cash prizes for participating nonprofit organizations. A recent online trivia contest awarded $10,000. The remaining cash prizes will be announced in January. To be eligible to receive one of FirstBank's $5,000 prizes, nonprofits must receive a minimum of 30 donations on Colorado Gives Day. Eighteen of these organizations will be randomly selected to win.

A two-year $150,000 grant to Community First Foundation from the Boettcher Foundation and the El Pomar Foundation is helping to expand Colorado Gives Day throughout the state and make it easier for nonprofits outside Denver to use ColoradoGives.org to accept donations online. The grant is in honor of the Foundations' 75th anniversaries and includes $25,000 for Colorado Gives Day 2013 prizes, available exclusively to non-Metro Denver nonprofits participating in Colorado Gives Day.

Thank you to our generous sponsors
Colorado Gives Day is made possible by the generous support of FirstBank, our corporate partner, and several local foundations and businesses that believe in the power of philanthropy. They include:

Community Foundation of Boulder County
Adolph Coors Foundation
The Colorado Trust
EideBailly LLP
Innovest Portfolio Solutions
RE/MAX World Headquarters
EKS & H
Bryan Cave LLP, and
Tuthill & Hughes LLP

Colorado Gives Day would not be a success without the help of our media sponsors who generously donate space and air time to promote online giving. They include:

The Networks of 9NEWS
Comcast
Entravision Communications
Clear Channel
Rocky Mountain PBS
Colorado Public Television (CPT12-Channel 12); and
5280 magazine

About Colorado Gives Day
Colorado Gives Day is an initiative to increase philanthropy in Colorado through online giving. Presented by Community First Foundation and FirstBank, Colorado Gives Day takes place during a 24-hour period on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013. Donations are accepted through the website ColoradoGives.org, with a goal to inspire and unite Coloradans in supporting local nonprofits.

About Community First Foundation
Community First Foundation has been serving the community for more than 35 years, helping donors and nonprofits come together to improve quality of life in the Denver metro area. It funds community programs, supports the services of nonprofit organizations, and assists individuals with charitable giving. The Foundation is also known for its innovative programs such as ColoradoGives.org, an online giving resource that has raised more than $57 million for Colorado nonprofits since 2007 and is the platform for Colorado Gives Day. For more information, visit CommunityFirstFoundation.org.

About FirstBank
FirstBank operates more than 115 locations in Colorado, Arizona and California. FirstBank is the largest locally owned banking organization in Colorado, serving more than 600,000 customers. Since 2000, FirstBank has contributed more than $40 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 www.efirstbank.com.

SOURCE FirstBank