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The Miami Foundation, one of the largest philanthropic institutions in South Florida, is continuing to celebrate the unprecedented successes of Give Miami Day 2021 and its impact on 976 area nonprofits.
A record $33.4 million was raised on Thursday, Nov. 18, for local organizations as Floridians gave like never before. This show of generosity once again solidifies Give Miami Day as one of the largest 24-hour online charitable giving event in the U.S.
“The collective hard work of our nonprofits is like rocket fuel for Give Miami Day; it’s what has propelled us to new philanthropic heights and solidified our partnership with local nonprofits,” said Richard Berkowitz, board chair at The Miami Foundation and executive chair of Berkowitz Pollack Brant.
“We expend incredible effort throughout the year to empower nonprofits at every turn, and each dollar donated — no matter how small or large — goes directly to the nearly 1,000 organizations who are committed to doing great work in Greater Miami.”
The event, marking the 10th anniversary of Give Miami Day, was full of surprises, including a $10 million anonymous gift to the Center for Jewish Life, which will create a social, spiritual, educational, and recreational space to strengthen and engage the Central Miami community in a more inclusive and diverse way.
“The enthusiasm for The Center for Jewish Life has exploded with the announcement on Give Miami Day” said Beth David Rabbi Julie Jacobs. “In the last week, the anonymous gift inspired many others in the South Florida community to make transformational contributions to this project. We are so grateful to The Miami Foundation for providing the Center with a platform to announce our success.”
The Miami Foundation also noticed a remarkable increase of unsolicited gifts, including an 11 p.m. $100,000 bonus pool donation meant to boost all participating nonprofits. Total online giving included more than 38,000 unique donors, 62,000 total donations, and 47,000 volunteer hours pledged.
“Surpassing our goal by $13 million was the 10th anniversary gift we only dreamed about,” said Rebecca Fishman Lipsey, president and CEO of The Miami Foundation. “While the total for the day is a showstopper, we’re just as proud of the number of unique donors, which is really one great hat tip to the value of the nonprofits that help make this a better place to call home.”
Held annually on the Thursday before Thanksgiving, the initiative hosted by The Miami Foundation enables anyone to be a philanthropist and, in doing so, has raised more than $100 million for local organizations active in every sector in the 10 years since it started. From economic and social development to arts and culture, civic engagement, advocacy and equity, animals, the environment, and more.
The top three fundraisers in each category measured include:
Small Organizations
Gene Spotlight Inc., $200,735
Friends of the Underline, $127,908
Friends of Miami Animals Foundation Inc., $113,692
Medium Organizations
Achieve Miami, $705,263
The Children’s Movement of Florida, $517,866
Lehrman Community Day School Inc., $375,910
Large Organizations
The Center for Jewish Life , $10,131,741
Greater Miami Jewish Federation, $1,226,197
Miami Country Day School, $379,569
Popular with donors, and in its second year, “Power Hours” helped spotlight and boost funding for different issues. Issues spotlighted every hour between 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. include racial and LGBTQ+ equity, health and wellness, education and youth, faith-based, environment and urban resilience, and social and community support services, and more.
These categories made it easier for donors to support a specific cause and give to organizations doing the hard work to address it.
Registration for next year’s Give Miami Day will begin in summer 2022. For more information about the nonprofits that participated in Give Miami Day, as well as total gift amounts, visit GiveMiamiDay.org.
The Miami Foundation builds the philanthropic, civic and leadership backbone for Greater Miami. Since 1967, the Foundation has invested $485 million to strengthen the community with partnerships and contributions from more than 1,000 fundholders and 35,000 donors.
The Miami Foundation, which currently manages more than $350 million in assets, mobilizes donors, nonprofits, leaders, and locals to set a bold vision for our community’s future and to invest in a stronger, more equitable, more resilient Greater Miami. Learn more at MiamiFoundation.org.
