Erie Gives Day set for Aug. 11 Deadline for checks is Aug. 4 | News

Last year, the Erie Community Foundation posted on its website after the donations were totaled for Erie Gives Day that, for the 15th year, donors “swung for the fences and hit a grand slam.”

Erie Gives is a one-day community-wide collective online giving effort hosted by the Erie Community Foundation that supports nonprofits serving Erie County.

On Erie Gives day, individuals, families and businesses join together for one day to donate to their favorite charity or charities. And those charitable gifts add up.

Last year saw record-breaking donor participation and money raised, exceeding the previous year’s total by more than $1.6 million.

The total amount raised in 2025 was $11,357,387 from more than 12,000 donors, who gave nearly 40,000 gifts that benefited 539 nonprofits. That was a record for Erie Gives Day.

Also last year, 34 of the nonprofits were new and together they raised $140,679.

One of those new nonprofits last year was the Lake Canadohta Historical Society, which is back on the list for the second year.

Pam Roberts, president of the Lake Canadohta Historical Society (LCHS), said the society is “thrilled to be part of this organization.” She said the money raised during Erie Gives Day provides for crucial operating expenses, such as paying for electricity and heating costs during the winter.

“We are a small organization and have outrageous bills for everyday costs. We use our Erie Gives funding for that,” Roberts said. “We are building our displays that feature many cool artifacts, documents and photos that celebrate our lake. These are costly and we will utilize donations for these.”

Roberts said the LCHS volunteers work hard to utilize the donations in the most efficient way and to provide a real community gem. 

The LCHS also had a couple of challenges the past year – one being frozen pipes in the main history center building.

“We had to replace floors down to the gravel foundation, and our front lobby had to be totally replaced because of the pipes,” Roberts said, adding it was a very expensive and took a long time to rebuild. “We need to replace the money we spent, as it was our bill money. Our great volunteers did the construction.”

Another challenge was repairing the shrine stones that now house the society’s 1876 semiquincentennial bell.

“It was donated and we wanted to put it in the beautiful but falling apart shrine in front of our history center,” Roberts said. “We borrowed the money from one of our generous patrons to fix the structure to last many years and preserve our very special America250 bell.”

Another nonprofit that benefits from Erie Gives Day is the Union City Alumni Association.

Susan Ottaway, president of the Union City Alumni Association, said the money will be used for the association’s 65th anniversary, which will be this year.

“We have additions to the parade and special things going on at the banquet,” Ottaway said. “We have a special speaker this year.”

The speaker will be Richard Arthur, of the Fort LeBoeuf Historical Society, who will give a presentation about America 250.

Ottaway said she’s hoping Beverly Ballog will present a program on the history of flags, as well as talk about the Hometown Heroes military banners. Union City has 294 banners hung throughout town.

Also, the association has increased the amount of prize money for the parade, so some of the Erie Gives funds will go for that.

“We put out a lot of money in prizes, especially for the bands,” Ottaway said.

The prize money is $1,000 for the top band and $500 each for other participating bands.

And the parade judges are certified judges.

“We pay for the judges, and their fee has doubled,” Ottaway said. 

The Lake Canadohta Historical Society and Union City Alumni Association are just two of 16 Union City-area nonprofits registered for Erie Gives Day.

This year, the 16th annual Erie Gives is set for Tuesday, Aug. 11.

Those interested in donating to the Lake Canadohta Historical Society or the Union City Alumni Association nonprofits online may visit www.eriegives.org between 12:01 a.m. and midnight Aug. 11 and choose their favorite charity or charities to support. A minimum donation of $25 is required. 

There is not a limit to the amount you may give, and there is not a limit to the number of organizations to which you may donate. Donors may now support more than 10 nonprofits in a single transaction while receiving one simple receipt for all of their gifts. 

New last year, thanks to the generosity of The Erie Community Foundation and Erie Gives sponsors, all fees(transaction, platform, and processing) are completely covered; therefore,100 percent of a donor’s amount will go directly to the nonprofit(s) they choose.

Also, thanks to The Erie Community Foundation’s board of trustees, The Erie Community Foundation and its sponsors will enhance donors’ gifts by providing a prorated match to each gift made to a nonprofit.

Kaylynn Ostergard, administrative assistant for the Union City Community Foundation, said there again will be a match for Union City nonprofits from the foundation.

“The Union City Community Foundation is providing a pro-rated match to nonprofits like we have in the past,” Ostergard said.

There is more than one way to give.

You may give by phone. Call The Erie Community Foundation at 814-454-0843 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Aug. 11. Donations can be made by phone with a credit card or debit card. 

You may write a check. Donors who do not wish to give online may write a check for their Erie Gives donation. A form must accompany a check. Visit eriegives.org. Click on the menu bar at the top right, then click on For Donors, then Check Contributions, scroll down to find the Check Donation Form, which you can print. Write a single check for the total amount. 

All checks must be made payable to The Erie Community Foundation. Checks written directly to a nonprofit will not be accepted. If not made out to The Erie Community Foundation, a check will be returned. The completed form must accompany your check. All checks and the form must be received by The Erie Community Foundation, 459 W. Sixth St., Erie, PA 16507 no later than Aug. 4. 

You may donate in person. The Erie Community Foundation’s campus is under construction. Take a check and the completed form to the Hagen History Center, 356. W. 6th St., Erie, on Tuesday, Aug. 4, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 4 to 6 p.m.

You may use a gift of stock or IRA but should talk to your financial adviser or banker. Checks, stock, IRA contributions or other gifts will not be accepted after Aug. 4.

Other Union City nonprofits are the First Global Methodist Church, Main Street Art Center, Safe Journey, Saint Theresa of Avila (under Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish), Saint Teresa Cemetery (under Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish), UC Action, Union City Area School District Foundation, Union City Community Foundation, Union City Community House Association, Union City Family Support Center, Union City Historical Society, Union City Little League, Union City Public Library and Union City Volunteer Fire Department.

Donors will receive a receipt for their donations, which they should keep for their tax purposes. Unless a donor chooses to remain anonymous, his or her donor information will be sent to the appropriate organization.