Big Day of Giving: Sacramento region’s 24-hour charity drive raises $13.1M, sets milestone

The Big Day of Giving raised more than $13 million with its 12th annual 24-hour charity drive for Sacramento-area nonprofit organizations Thursday.

According to the organizers, the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, the event had raised $13,151,710 from 28,366 people donating to 826 organizations across California’s capital region.

Last year, more than 31,000 donors gave close to $13.8 million to more than 750 nonprofits.

While it was the first year that the event did not surpass its previous year’s donations, the foundation said it hit a major milestone: Since its 2013 inception, the foundation’s drive has raised over $100 million to support capital region charities.

Here are the leaderboards, which the foundation said were still being finalized Friday morning.

Extra-large nonprofits

Operating budgets over $5 million

  1. Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services: 1,138 1,154 donations totaling $249,682.

  2. Sacramento SPCA: 927 donations totaling $216,799.

  3. Volunteers of America: 59 donations totaling $203,034.

  4. ACC Senior Services: 436 donations totaling $184,378.

  5. Sacramento Children’s Home: 365 donations totaling $174,021.

  6. Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento: 285 donations totaling $143,769.

  7. PBS KVIE: 635 donations totaling $104,994.

  8. Sacramento Zoological Society: 454 donations totaling $96,238.

  9. Shriners Children’s Northern California: 336 donations totaling $82,677.

  10. Meals on Wheels by ACC: 438 donations totaling $76,246.

  11. Stanford Sierra Youth & Families: 69 donations totaling $56,447.

  12. The Michael Ziegler PRIDE Industries Foundation: 78 donations totaling $53,573.

  13. Placer Food Bank: 349 donations totaling $45,459.

  14. Planned Parenthood Mar Monte: 262 donations totaling $43,111.

  15. UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden: 110 donations totaling $36,869.

  16. UCP of Sacramento and Northern California: 63 donations totaling $22,501.

  17. World Relief Sacramento: 47 donations totaling $21,192.

  18. Hope Cooperative: 79 donations totaling $16,368.

  19. La Familia Counseling Center, Inc.: 104 donations totaling $13,912.

  20. California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation: 48 donations totaling $11,869.

Large nonprofits

Budgets between $500,000 and $5 million

  1. Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera: 124 donations totaling $327,081.

  2. The Salvation Army of Sacramento: 157 donations totaling $313,794.

  3. Placer Land Trust: 475 donations totaling $192,603.

  4. Sacramento Loaves & Fishes: 430 donations totaling $162,668.

  5. Yolo Food Bank: 540 donations totaling $142,492.

  6. Gold Country Wildlife Rescue: 385 donations totaling $128,234.

  7. Women’s Empowerment: 201 donations totaling $114,489.

  8. Meals on Wheels Yolo County: 410 donations totaling $112,583.

  9. Placer SPCA: 316 donations totaling $102,182.

  10. The Sofia, Home of B Street Theatre: 339 donations totaling $102,041.

  11. California Native Plant Society: 444 donations totaling $99,518.

  12. Crocker Art Museum: 303 donations totaling $92,570.

  13. CapRadio: 608 donations totaling $92,301.

  14. Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS): 446 donations totaling $87,264.

  15. Yolo Crisis Nursery: 173 donations totaling $82,959.

  16. River City Food Bank: 282 donations totaling $82,059.

  17. Society for the Blind: 112 donations totaling $80,787.

  18. CASA Sacramento: 308 donations totaling $78,901.

  19. Center for Land-Based Learning: 217 donations totaling $75,535.

  20. Broadway Sacramento: 226 donations totaling $71,813.

Medium nonprofits

Budgets between $100,000 and $500,000

  1. First Tee - Greater Sacramento: 372 donations totaling $154,630.

  2. Friends of Front Street Animal Shelter: 1,148 1,163 donations totaling $123,880.

  3. Sacramento Splash: 419 donations totaling $117,345.

  4. Friends of the Sacramento Public Library: 492 donations totaling $96,947.

  5. Verge Center for the Arts: 134 donations totaling $92,422.

  6. Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra: 64 donations totaling $87,177.

  7. Kiwanis Family House: 135 donations totaling $72,390.

  8. Twin Lakes Food Bank: 157 donations totaling $72,268.

  9. Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary: 349 donations totaling $65,556.

  10. Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference: 253 donations totaling $64,311.

  11. Folsom Lake Symphony: 87 donations totaling $63,152.

  12. Roseville Theatre Arts Academy: 242 donations totaling $61,560.

  13. Elk Grove Food Bank Services: 202 donations totaling $60,239.

  14. Auburn State Theatre: 107 donations totaling $58,646.

  15. The GreenHouse: 96 donations totaling $55,219.

  16. FieldHaven Feline Center: 408 donations totaling $54,440.

  17. Wellness Within: 103 donations totaling $52,366.

  18. Runnin’ for Rhett: 309 donations totaling $45,849.

  19. Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Sacramento Area: 77 donations totaling $45,384.

  20. Auburn Symphony: 88 donations totaling $43,545.

Small nonprofits

Budgets under $100,000

  1. Parkinson Association of Northern California: 162 donations totaling $70,040.

  2. Divine Mercy Human Development Foundation: 195 donations totaling $63,296.

  3. Lincoln Hills Foundation: 154 donations totaling $56,260.

  4. TEAM Bradshaw: 356 donations totaling $43,951.

  5. Yolo Community Foundation: 92 donations totaling $41,950.

  6. Yolo County SPCA: 178 donations totaling $40,969.

  7. Girls on the Run of Greater Sacramento: 243 donations totaling $40,304.

  8. Cool Davis: 159 donations totaling $39,741.

  9. Sisters of Nia, Inc.: 434 donations totaling $37,609.

  10. HART of Folsom: 63 donations totaling $37,324.

  11. Folsom’s Hope: 28 donations totaling $35,413.

  12. Winters Museum: 64 donations totaling $34,149.

  13. Davis Schools Foundation: 100 donations totaling $32,408.

  14. Project Lifelong: 149 donations totaling $30,495.

  15. Friends for Survival, Inc.: 165 donations totaling $27,216.

  16. Friends of the Folsom Zoo Sanctuary: 123 donations totaling $26,255.

  17. Fat Kitty City Humane Society: 242 donations totaling $25,809.

  18. El Dorado Hills Area Foundation: 36 donations totaling $25,054.

  19. Acme Theatre Company: 143 donations totaling $24,660.

  20. Sacramento Master Singers: 93 donations totaling $24,496.

The event started as the Arts Day of Giving in 2013 and raised $500,000 for arts nonprofits before broadening its reach the following year. The Big Day of Giving thrived in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, which introduced financial hardships for a number of different types of nonprofits.