Remember ‘Colorado Gives Day’ on Dec. 7

Colorado Gives Day began in 2010 as a way to focus, elevate and promote philanthropy within the state. In 2021, Gov. Jared Polis declared Dec. 7 as the latest iteration of the online giving event.

Since its inception, Colorado Gives Day has harnessed an estimated $307 million for charitable causes, according to www.coloradogives.org, the online giving tool of the Community First Foundation.

Visitors to the website can select from a list of nonprofits, searching by name, keyword, cause, city or county. This year, nonprofit recipients also will share in a $1.6 million incentive fund.

As Colorado continues to feel the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic downturn, it’s incumbent on all Coloradans to consider how they can help those less fortunate, and a key way is by donating to a nonprofit.

Nonprofit organizations have suffered greatly during the pandemic, with some experiencing drops in donations, even as demand for their services increased. Some smaller nonprofits have closed down in the past two years, unable to bear the burden of decreased revenues.

Colorado Gives Day provides an easy way to donate to worthy causes.

Focusing on the needs of the nonprofit community has led BizWest to launch a series of new features and programs to highlight the sector, including:

• A new twice-monthly newsletter highlighting news about nonprofits, including fundraisers, personnel changes, new initiatives, etc. The newsletter goes out on the second and fourth Thursday of every month. (Submit news to news@bizwest.com.)

• New features in BizWest’s print edition, including short stories on nonprofits and examples of charitable giving or volunteerism (see page 4).

• The Community-Builder Awards, honoring nonprofits and individuals for philanthropic efforts in the Boulder Valley and Northern Colorado. The first awards celebration will kick off March 3, 2022, at Grace Place in Berthoud, and we’ll begin soliciting nominations soon.

Additionally, BizWest’s annual Giving Guide provides a great resource for anyone considering donations to a philanthropic cause. The publication includes a directory with hundreds of listings, including a “wish list” for nonprofits, including what is most in need by the organization, be it cash donations, a new computer, cleaning supplies, etc.

Readers of the Giving Guide can also review a ranked list of the region’s largest nonprofits, complete with address, key contact, website, etc.

BizWest covers many industries, but the nonprofit sector ranks as one of the most important, touching not only the business community but also society as a whole.

And they’re incredibly diverse, ranging from small, locally based organizations with a very specific cause to larger community foundations or chapters of national or even global organizations.

So, as Colorado Gives Day approaches — and even after — we hope you’ll take a moment to peruse the Giving Guide, or read some of the nonprofit news and features in our print edition or website, and pick a cause that speaks to you and your own interests.

They all could use your help.

Christopher Wood can be reached at 303-630-1942 or via email at cwood@bizwest.com.

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