GivingFirst.org Turns Five
Community First Foundation’s online giving resource generates more than $30M in charitable donations

ARVADA, Colo. (May 31, 2012) – GivingFirst.org, Community First Foundation’s online giving resource best known as the website that facilitates Colorado Gives Day, turns five this month.

Since its launch in 2007, more than $30 million dollars has been processed through GivingFirst for more than 1,000 Colorado nonprofits by nearly 60,000 donors. The website is available 365 days a year, not just on Colorado Gives Day, and features GivingFirst Fundraising Pages for donors to personally fundraise for their favorite nonprofit, and the ability to set-up recurring donations.

Some five-year facts:

• Nearly all nonprofits featured on the site receive online donations, with the average amount raised per nonprofit for the five year timeframe at $30,026
  
• People have given more than 125,000 donations through GivingFirst.org
  
• 53 amazing donors have given to their favorite nonprofits through GivingFirst all five years, giving a total of $264,692
  
• Donors from Denver, Jefferson, Arapahoe, and Boulder counties have given the most number of donations, but people from 97% of Colorado counties and all 50 states have donated
  

To celebrate this milestone, fun facts about GivingFirst.org will be posted on their social media sites from May 31-June 29. And Giving eCards will be awarded to the 53 donors who have donated via GivingFirst every year for the past five years.

“GivingFirst is an amazing resource for donors and nonprofits. It’s secure, easy to use and the most thorough resource for finding Colorado nonprofits,” said Dana Rinderknecht, GivingFirst manager. “GivingFirst has helped shape the way people give in Colorado and meets people where they are – online.”

The GivingFirst website features hundreds of Colorado charities and was launched in 2007 by Community First Foundation. The website shares comprehensive and standardized information to help donors learn about and support local charities. Nonprofits benefit because they do not pay processing or monthly fees and 100 percent of donations go directly to the nonprofit organizations on Colorado Gives Day.

Requirements for charities to be part of GivingFirst include being headquartered or providing services in Colorado, reporting at least $50,000 in annual revenue or $25,000 in net assets, possessing 501(c)(3) status and be registered and in good standing with the Colorado Secretary of State.

"The Action Center has been so lucky to be a part of GivingFirst.org since its beginning five years ago,” said Joe Haines, director of development. “This wonderful tool has given our donors a safe, secure way to support the Action Center. It has given potential donors an opportunity to learn about the Action Center before making a gift and it has saved the Action Center thousands of dollars in credit card fees that we have been able to use instead on the poor, working poor and homeless in Jefferson County. In short, GivingFirst.org has helped us be a better organization!"

“As a smaller nonprofit having access to the GivingFirst.org site has helped us utilize our limited resources in a very effective way,” said Stephanie Baer, executive director of Children’s Outreach Project. “It has built donor confidence and professionalized our online giving. We are extremely grateful that the credit card processing fees are covered by Community First Foundation, allowing 100 percent of donations to come to Children's Outreach Project.” 

Colorado Gives Day 2012 will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 4. There are currently 929 nonprofits participating in GivingFirst.org. Nonprofits across the state that did not participate last year have until August 31 to create and submit a profile on GivingFirst.org to receive the year-round fundraising benefits. 

A five year GivingFirst report detailing the growth in online giving and impact on Colorado nonprofits will soon be available at GivingFirst.org.

About Community First Foundation
Community First Foundation helps donors and nonprofits come together to improve quality of life in the Denver metro area. We use our resources to fund community programs, support the services of nonprofit organizations, and assist individuals with charitable giving. By monitoring the pulse of the community, we create new and innovative programs such as GivingFirst,org, an online giving resource, and Colorado Gives Day, an initiative that inspired Coloradans to donate $12.4 million in 2011 and $8.4 million in 2010. We’ve been serving the community since 1975.