Give Big Kern donations soared into the stratosphere this year

The Give Big Kern fundraiser has a stellar record of raising money and volunteer hours for more than 100 nonprofits in Kern County.

Organized and hosted by Kern Community Foundation, the annual fundraiser has increased its donation totals every year since 2017 — a dream come true for many nonprofit organizations.

But even Aaron Falk, the foundation's president and CEO, couldn't have predicted what would happen in 2024.

"I didn't have this year's total on my radar," he said Tuesday. "This is a great outcome for Kern County."

For the first time in its history, Give Big Kern surpassed the $1 million mark for the 131 local nonprofits that participated this year.

But local donors didn't stop there — not before they racked up another half-million in donations for a grand total of $1,529,018.

It was the most successful GBK to date, the foundation said Tuesday in a news release.

But this year's success wasn't just measured in dollars.

Participating nonprofits also benefit from pledges of volunteer hours. And this year, the news release said, they accumulated "an incredible 22,067 pledged hours" for the local nonprofits.

That's more than double the hours pledged in 2023, Falk said.

"We're going to do a deep dive in the next week or two," the CEO said.

By crunching the numbers, he can get a clearer look at where the donations are coming from, what percentage is coming from big donors, and conversely, individual donors in the community.

And why did the volunteer numbers soar this year, along with donations?

Falk expects the foundation will soon publish its annual report on GBK 2024. It always includes a wealth of information.

Besides raising dollars and encouraging volunteerism, the initiative is designed to increase the visibility and improve the sustainability of local nonprofits.

It seems like a safe bet that happened again this year.