![\"Command](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/BDOG2025-day-of-1024x683.jpg.webp.webp\")
Volunteers and staff members work inside the Big Day of Giving command center in Sacramento on May 1, 2025. (Sacramento Region Community Foundation)<\/p>\nThe Abridged version:<\/p>\n
With more nonprofits joining the Big Day of Giving, organizers see a connection to the recent loss of nonprofit funding from other sources.<\/p>\n
Most gifts are $50 or less with 25% coming from first-time donors.<\/p>\n
Since 2013, Big Day of Giving has raised $117 million for local nonprofits.<\/p>\n
A record year and a growing need<\/p>\n
The numbers are climbing again.<\/p>\n
This year, 910 nonprofits across Sacramento, Yolo, Placer and El Dorado counties are registered for the Big Day of Giving, the highest total since the event launched in 2013. Over the past decade, the 24-hour campaign has raised more than $117 million for local causes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have seen the Big Day of Giving grow year after year after year, and not just with dollars raised, but with the number of nonprofits that are involved,\u201d said Kerry Wood, CEO of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation.<\/p>\n
\u201cGosh, just from last year, we grew last year from 855 to 910 nonprofits this year who are registered,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
For Wood, that increase signals more than participation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt shows that not only do we have nonprofits who care about building their capacity to do more and to serve more, but it really demonstrates the importance of philanthropy, especially now,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
As more nonprofits join Big Day of Giving than ever before, organizers believe the increase reflects more than enthusiasm alone. Wood said the foundation has internally discussed the possible effects of nonprofit funding cuts, along with national and worldwide events placing additional pressure on community organizations. While nonprofits are not asked about those issues during registration, Wood said organizers see a connection.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe the significant increase from 2025 to 2026 is not a coincidence,\u201d Wood said.<\/p>\n
Volunteers and staff members work inside the Big Day of Giving command center in Sacramento on May 1, 2025. (Sacramento Region Community Foundation)<\/p>\n
One day that many depend on<\/p>\n
For some organizations, this is not just another fundraiser. For some, it is a make-or-break event.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, definitely,\u201d Wood said. \u201cThere are many nonprofits that rely on Big Day of Giving as their one fundraising event of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n
The event has become a central funding source for organizations serving families, seniors, animals and communities across the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cBig Day of Giving is a critical fundraising tool for local nonprofits that help our children thrive, put food on the table for families, care for older adults, welcome new immigrants, protect animals, and bring the arts to life in our communities,\u201d Wood said.<\/p>\n
That need is increasing with inflation and cost-of-living pressures, Wood said. \u201cWe know that some people are hurting,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Despite economic uncertainty, people continue to give. During the COVID-19 pandemic \u2014 a time of historic unemployment and widespread need \u2014 the Big Day of Giving saw its biggest jump in history, spiking from $8.4 million in 2019 to $12 million in 2020. <\/p>\n
![\"Big](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/26-BDOG-YEAR-OVER-YEAR-AMTS-CHART-rev-1024x576.jpg.webp.webp\")
Big Day of Giving yearly totals from 2013 to 2025. (Jamie Judd)<\/p>\n
A giving model built on small donations<\/p>\n
Despite the millions raised, the average donation remains modest.<\/p>\n
More than half of all gifts are $50 or less. The minimum donation is $10.<\/p>\n
\u201cPhilanthropy is the love of humanity. And the Big day of Giving is an opportunity for just about anyone to be a philanthropist,\u201d Wood said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll it takes is $10 dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
That accessibility is by design.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe word philanthropist scares a lot of people. But hear me \u2013 you become a philanthropist with $10 dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
The approach is working. Roughly a quarter of donors are giving to a nonprofit for the first time through the event.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had so many stories of people that just think they couldn\u2019t possibly be a donor,\u201d Wood said. \u201cAnd when we made it accessible, it opened their eyes to all the ways that they could give back.\u201d<\/p>\n
A personal connection to giving<\/p>\n
Long before she was leading one of the region\u2019s largest philanthropic efforts, Wood was on the other side of it. She saw the power of giving as a little girl, as the child of struggling single mother in the 1970s.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, watching my mom volunteer. My single mom, we had very little, in fact, we were the beneficiaries of nonprofits back in the day,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe visited our share of food banks and clothing closets, and I watched her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even then, giving was part of daily life.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe found a way to give maybe a few pennies here and there. Watching my mom, who didn\u2019t have a whole lot to give, still gave.\u201d<\/p>\n
That experience continues to shape how she views the event. <\/p>\n
\u201cAmong the definitions of philanthropy, my favorite is the love of humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Each year, thousands of donors log on during the 24-hour window. Watching the leaderboard on the Big Day website is like a sport to many donors.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been such an educational opportunity for donors,\u201d Wood said. \u201cThere are thousands of nonprofits in our region that people learn about for the first time on Big Day.\u201d<\/p>\n
The scale has also drawn attention beyond Sacramento, with other communities looking to replicate the model.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re one of the longest running days of giving in the nation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
How to take part<\/p>\n
Big Day of Giving begins on Thursday, May 7, with early giving already underway.<\/p>\n