More than 1,000 Giving Tuesday campaign gifts through the Golden Belt Community Foundation raised a total of $339,238.53 – 85% more than the 2020 campaign, GBCF Director Christy Tustin announced Thursday.
The Golden Belt Community Foundation just completed its eighth Giving Tuesday campaign, wrapping up and announcing the results during a Great Bend Chamber of Commerce Coffee Thursday morning.
Giving Tuesday started as a day for anyone, anywhere to give, and it has grown into the biggest giving movement in the world, sponsors said. Giving Tuesday harnesses the generosity of millions of people around the world to support the causes they believe in and the communities in which they live. Celebrated on the Tuesday following U.S. Thanksgiving, Giving Tuesday inspires millions of people across the globe to show up and give back to causes and issues that matter to them.
This year donors could choose to support any of 98 local charitable organizations and endowment funds. Tustin said she hopes the number of organizations will surpass 100 in 2022.
“This year marked GBCF’s 8th year to be a Giving Tuesday partner,” stated Mackenzie Mitchell, GBCF development and communications coordinator, “and again this year we invited all charitable organizations in Barton, Pawnee, Rush, and Stafford counties to participate.”
Tustin further explained that there were six new organizations participating and each organization chose whether to get any gifts received as a grant back to their organization – or to use the gifts to build their endowment fund at GBCF. About half of the organizations will receive the gifts as grants to be put to immediate use supporting a wide variety of missions and causes.
“Today GBCF will be awarding over $240,000 in grants,” Mitchell explained.
In addition, $25,000 in matching funds and $1,000 in giving incentives and drawings were awarded.
Top 10
The 2021 Top Ten Giving Tuesday organizations and funds raised are:
1 Prince of Peace Catholic Church - $33,820
2 Almost Home Inc. - $27,030
3 Family Crises Center - $24,485
4 Forever Rush County Endowment - $23,935
5 Barton County Emergency Aid - $19,475
6 Barton County Historical Society - $17,120
7 Prairie Godmother Fund - $14,544
8 Holy Family School Endowment - $9,665
9 GPS Kids Club Endowment - $9,560
10 - Golden Belt Humane Society - $7,699
Olmitz is ‘Most Generous’
This was Year Three for the Most Generous City Award, which was calculated with gift totals by Zip Code per capita. Olmitz received the 2021 Most Generous City Award and GBCF will provide a $1,000 grant to an organization or project in that community.
A city cannot win the award two years in a row. Olmitz won the first Most Generous City Award in 2019 and Great Bend was the winner in 2020.
“Thank you for your support, participation, and spreading the word about Giving Tuesday,” Tustin said at Tuesday’s coffee. “Giving Tuesday couldn’t happen without you.”
In 2022, Giving Tuesday will be celebrated on November 29.
For questions about Golden Belt Community Foundation or Giving Tuesday, contact the foundation at gbcf@goldenbeltcf.org or telephone 620-792-3000.
