A key fundraising day for Summit County-serving nonprofits, Colorado Gives Day, is coming up on Tuesday, Dec. 9.

Family and Intercultural Resource Center Director of Development Hallie Jaeger, who has worked for a handful of Summit County nonprofits serving a variety of needs, said Colorado Gives Day is important to Summit’s nonprofit landscape across the board. 

“Colorado Gives Day (was) founded on this premise of helping grass roots or smaller organizations who don’t have the capacity to have a donation portal or a website, and it has been so incredible for local nonprofits,” she said. 

She said for larger nonprofits, it provides a convenient portal for donors. She said no matter the size of the nonprofit, the day matters in their efforts to give back to the community they serve. 

“Everybody’s dollars are being invested directly back into the community, whether that is helping feed people, helping with community health programs, helping give people access to the mountain … helping build up our entertainment and what makes this a vibrant, cultural, diverse place to live,” she said. 

Summit Foundation Executive Director Ellen Reid said, aside from the opportunity to fundraise for nonprofits, Colorado Gives Day provides the community the opportunity to learn more about “the incredible array of nonprofits” and what needs there are in the community. 

“When we think about the economic impact and the support that our nonprofit community provides and the work that they’re doing that can’t be provided through necessarily private or public entities, it’s huge,” she said. 

Nonprofit leaders said, with the current level of need in the community, this Colorado Give’s Day particularly matters. 

Jaeger said the 43-day government shutdown that started this fall impacted public health and food access and had a ripple effect on the community and on its nonprofits. Reid said some shifts in priorities in federal funding have impacted nonprofits. 

“Nonprofits are asked again to be nimble and to be creative and to find ways to continue to do their work with additional funding streams that are being put on them,” she said. 

According to the Colorado Gives Day’s website, there are 197 Summit County-serving nonprofits that can be donated to. In order to find the page that lists all these nonprofits, visit the Colorado Gives Day website, click on the “search” icon in the top right hand corner and then click on “browse all causes” without typing anything into the search bar, which pops up below the search button. Once you are brought to the “discover & donate” page, type “Summit County” into the location box on the left side of the page. You can also search for Summit County or type the name of the nonprofit you want to donate to directly.

Donations can be made through this link: TinyURL.com/SummitColoradoGives.

Reid and Jaeger said there’s ways to support and engage with a nonprofit beyond writing a check, like volunteering time. 

Reid said it is invaluable when community members with expertise in areas like finance and businesses donate services to nonprofits. Jaeger said it helps nonprofits amplify their message when those they served share testimonials and how they were helped.

More about Colorado Gives Day can be found at ColoradoGives.org/p/about-us.