Minnesotans Give to the Max...and Then Some

ST. PAUL, Minn. - More than 38,000 donors raised more than $14 million for Minnesota nonprofits on Tuesday during the first ever Give to the Max Day.

A big part of the day of giving was the fact transaction costs, often taken on by the nonprofits themselves, were absorbed by sponsors and partners of the day, including The Bush Foundation, The Minneapolis Foundation and The Saint Paul Foundation. Donations were all made through GiveMN.org, which matched donations and promised grants to top three nonprofits that brought in the most donations

The only downside? The dollar-for-dollar donation match, up to $500,000, came out to only about four cents per dollar donated -- hardly a negative considering the record-breaking generosity of the day.

Four nonprofits received top fundraising grants, with Second Harvest Heartland coming in first place, College of Saint Benedict coming in second place, and Twin Cities Public Television and the Animal Humane Society sharing third place.

“We are so thankful for the thousands of donors who helped support our nonprofit community on Give to the Max Day, which was truly an unprecedented day of giving in Minnesota,” said Dana Nelson, executive director of GiveMN. “In Minnesota, our legacy of giving is strong. The tremendous outpouring of support further demonstrates Minnesotan’s generosity and our commitment to helping others.”

Given the unexpectedly high volume of donations, transaction fees were higher than planned. The McKnight Foundation joined the effort and helped cover transaction costs to ensure 100 percent of the dollars given go directly to the nonprofits.