MINNEAPOLIS – Nov. 18, 2011 – During the third annual Give to the Max Day on Nov. 16, more than $13.4 million was raised to benefit Minnesota nonprofit organizations. And, a record 47,534 donors logged on to GiveMN.org to donate to their favorite Minnesota charity. That tops last year’s donor record by nearly 5,000. In a 24-hour period, nearly 4,000 Minnesota nonprofit organizations benefited through donations, matching grants and prizes. GiveMN has helped raise $46 million for nonprofit organizations across the state since launching in November 2009.  

This year, GiveMN changed its leader board structure to allow for additional prize grants. The 10 nonprofits that received the most dollars, the top 10 small nonprofits that received the most dollars and the top three Minnesota colleges or universities that received the most dollars on Give to the Max Day were each awarded $5,000-$15,000 in prize grants. Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners, Cretin-Derham Hall and Second Harvest Heartland claimed the top three spots on the main leader board. Jabbok Family Services, North American Bear Center and Clifton House dba Beacon Haven led the small nonprofit leader board. The top three institutions on the higher education leader board were St. Olaf College, Concordia College Corporation and College of St. Benedict.

In addition, GiveMN awarded 24 “Golden Tickets” – $1,000 prize grants given randomly every hour to a donor’s nonprofit – to participating organizations in the Twin Cities and in Greater Minnesota. At 11:59 p.m., Jim Colten was selected at random to receive the 25th “Supersized Golden Ticket,” worth $10,000. Jim’s charity of choice was The Raptor Center.

“Each year, Give to the Max Day wants to raise millions of dollars for thousands of Minnesota nonprofits in one day. Raising $13.4 million in 24 hours was an astounding accomplishment,” said Dana Nelson, executive director of GiveMN. “For the third year in a row the people of Minnesota have come together to support the nonprofit organizations that work tirelessly to improve our communities. On behalf of those nonprofits, we say thanks, Minnesota! Your generosity is unsurpassed.”

Give to the Max Day was created to increase giving to nonprofit organizations across the state by engaging as many donors as possible for nonprofits in one day. All donations on Give to the Max Day were made through GiveMN.org, a first-of-its-kind giving website that helps Minnesotans discover, support and engage with nonprofit organizations. This year, GiveMN made donating even easier by hosting an all-day give-a-thon at Mall of America, which included “Giving Stations” complete with laptops so donors could give on the go.

GiveMN is powered by Razoo, a critical strategic partner in making Give to the Max Day a success. Razoo’s secure and easy-to-use fundraising platform offered nonprofits and donors options to discover matching grants on Give to the Max Day, when more than $6.2 million in matching grants were awarded.

“For the third year in a row, Give to the Max Day proved to be a huge success and continues to be the national leader in online giving,” said Lesley Mansford, CEO of Razoo. “Razoo is using Minnesota’s success as a platform when working with other states to emulate Give to the Max Day and raise funds for organizations in other communities.”

At GiveMN, Minnesota nonprofits can showcase their work and introduce their organizations to potential donors. Customized profiles of Minnesota charities detail their individual missions, programs and events.

The site also lets donors manage their charitable giving by recording online contributions and storing receipts.

Special thanks to the Give to the Max Day sponsors: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation, HealthPartners, Minnesota Community Foundation and the Mosaic Company.

About GiveMN

GiveMN is a collaborative venture to transform philanthropy in Minnesota by growing overall giving and moving more of it online. GiveMN is an independent 501(c) (3) organization that is a supporting organization of the Minnesota Community Foundation. Many partners shaped GiveMN to build upon Minnesota’s strong tradition of philanthropy, including: ADC, Blandin Foundation, The Otto Bremer Foundation, the Bush Foundation, Central Minnesota Community Foundation, Ecolab Foundation, F.R. Bigelow Foundation, General Mills, Inc., Greater Twin Cities United Way, HealthPartners, Initiative Foundation, The Minneapolis Foundation, The Mosaic Company, Northland Foundation, Northwest Minnesota Foundation, The Saint Paul Foundation, Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, Southwest Initiative Foundation, Target, UCare, West Central Initiative Foundation and Women’s Foundation of Minnesota. For more information, visit www.GiveMN.org.

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