NonProfit NewsPod: BIG DAY OF GIVING Registration Is NOW OPEN!

Jeff Holden: [00:00:00] For one glorious day, generosity takes over the sacramental region. It's called Big Day of Giving, and it's back for 2026. In a total of just 24 hours, our community will rally around the causes that strengthen neighborhoods, uplift families, and change lives. Powered by the Sacramento Region Community Foundation.

This isn't just a fundraiser, it's a statement about who we are and what we value, how local nonprofits show up in powerful ways, and how a single day can create year long impact. Hi, I'm Jeff Holden, and this is a nonprofit podcast network news pod. I'm speaking with Bey Koman, senior director of communications for the Sacramento Region Community Foundation.

Fey, welcome. 

Vasey Coman: Thank you. 

Jeff Holden: We're here for one very specific [00:01:00] purpose and I'm gonna let you share why that is. 

Vasey Coman: Thank you, Jeff. I'm pleased to be here and the reason I am is because registration is now open for nonprofits participating in Big Day of Giving 

Jeff Holden: for the incredible thought that somebody doesn't know what Big Day of Giving is.

Why don't you tell us a little bit about what it is and when it takes place this year? 

Vasey Coman: Absolutely. Well, big Day Of Giving is a 24 hour celebration of growing and celebrating generosity in the Sacramento region. As you mentioned, it's been coordinated by the Sacramento Region Community Foundation and brings together nonprofit serving El Dorado Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo County is on one day and all on one really easy to use website.

So it started in 2013. Since then, more than 60,000 donors have helped local nonprofits raise over $117 million [00:02:00] through Big Day of Giving, and it's really kind of a cool day. Not only are you giving, you're going to giving Edge, you're going to the website, you're searching for causes, you care about giving to one or multiple nonprofits at once.

And every time you give, you can have your gift be boosted by prize dollars from sponsors. So it's a really fun and easy and exciting day that is really about supporting the local organizations that do so much good throughout our region. 

Jeff Holden: You know something, I recall last year was the first year that you had a lower threshold for giving as well to allow more people to participate.

Was that correct? 

Vasey Coman: Right. I if you recall back when we first started Big Day Giving, in 2013, we had a $25 minimum donation, and that was just because we had to put the minimum donation at some amount and wanted to gauge what are people able to give. Well, in the past few years, we have lowered that to $10 because what we heard is people love giving and they [00:03:00] wanna give to more nonprofits.

And so by lowering that minimum donation, we're allowing people to spread the love and give more into more organizations through the website, non big Day of giving. 

Jeff Holden: And I would imagine even for families who have children, that allows them to participate and really get them into the spirit of giving, you know, the joy of giving and understanding that that little contribution.

Does make a difference regardless of the size. 

Vasey Coman: That's absolutely true. And if I may just say, one of our favorite things to hear about Big Dave giving every year is sometimes folks who have families will tell us. What I did to celebrate is I sat down with my children around the dinner table and we pulled up the website.

We looked up causes that matter to them. The website makes it very easy, so many different search filters to find causes by budget side or mission category or organization where the organization is based. And they said with their children, discovering the love of giving, [00:04:00] discovering philanthropy and how accessible it is and how important it is to families is something that they use big day of giving.

Every year to achieve, which is really wonderful and love that. That's kind of the impact for many families in the region. 

Jeff Holden: Totally agreed. And just by lowering that threshold a little bit, it allows so many more to participate. 

Vasey Coman: Yeah. It's very important 

Jeff Holden: for the nonprofits that maybe haven't participated and might be a little confused, concerned, don't realize what the value of participating is.

Let's speak to them for a second. What is the benefit of participation? 

Vasey Coman: Certainly all the funds raised, so we've been talking about these are largely unrestricted dollars, so don't wanna dismiss how important that is. It's critical to support the incredible missions that local nonprofits in our region are advancing every day.

But big deal giving is more than just a fundraiser. It also has incredible capacity building benefits, so organizations. Register to [00:05:00] participate, use it to connect with their current supporters and reach new ones through their Giving Edge profiles. There's so many different exciting tools like peer to peer and matching opportunities.

The prize, as I mentioned, that offer nonprofits the ability to kind of connect with their supporters and reach new ones in new ways. They also get to build skills. Through the trainings and coaching we offer on fundraising and marketing and digital tools, they also get to collaborate with their peers.

And I meet other nonprofit leaders, our staff or volunteers, and in doing so, really strengthen their relationships across the sector. This inspires collaborations every year, and so that's one of the things that we think is really powerful about Big Day, is giving it this really cool and really fun on that one day.

But it's really a year round program, a year round opportunity to build your connections and your ability to advance your mission in the Sacramento region. 

Jeff Holden: [00:06:00] I know from the nonprofits we've had through the studio, everybody, I mean, almost every organization that's been in this chair has said what a benefit big day of giving is to them.

You know, they participate and they understand, and it's not just about the fundraising, just to your point. Mm-hmm. 

Vasey Coman: It's 

Jeff Holden: the relationships they built, the opportunity to collaborate the back and forth between similar and like organizations. Just so many things come out of that. Not to mention all the coursework that you have leading up to big day giving, that's beneficial for the operation of the nonprofit.

Vasey Coman: Absolutely. We have a couple of trainings planned for later this year. Once an organization is registered, they're able to sign up for our in-person prep days, and this is when you'll be able to connect with mentors, collect, connect with peers, connect with people that have participated for years, or are just doing it for the first time and talk about.

Fundraising strategies, marketing campaigns, how to best tell stories and really build those connections with other people [00:07:00] that give you ideas and allow you to kind of, and plant some seeds for you and your campaign. And also you can share with other folks your own expertise as well. So it's just really wonderful community building at its core 

Jeff Holden: and that key word.

We're gonna hear it more and more this year. Collaboration? Mm-hmm. In a year that's challenged with, with grants and funding across the board. It's gonna require organizations to work together to really fulfill the missions that they're expecting to fulfill and accomplish in this year. Last year, if I'm not mistaken, we saw the most organizations participate ever.

How many were involved? 

Vasey Coman: You're right. Last year there were 850 nonprofits that participated. This is the most in big day giving history. We love seeing organizations come back each year and try new strategies like matching funds or peer-to-peer fundraising, building on what they've learned in past year.

But also every year we hope to welcome new organizations into the mix. [00:08:00] So for that reason, we're always excited to welcome folks who are interested in joining us. Even if you haven't participated in the past, 

Jeff Holden: I'm gonna ask you and expand on that one. Vay for a nonprofit that's sitting here on the fence going, Ugh.

You know, I don't know. I don't know if I have the time. I don't know if I had the energy. I don't know if it's worth it for me to participate. What would you say to them? 

Vasey Coman: I would say it's not something that's easy to do, you know, you don't just register for big data giving and then unrestricted funds come pouring in.

Every organization that's ever participated will tell you that's the case, is that you do have to put in a little bit of effort to create your Giving Edge profile and to market your organization. But it is effort well worth it because of those trainings, because of that community building and capacity building.

Collaboration that you have access to automatically as a registered nonprofit in Big Day of Giving, you get to do your work better and have a [00:09:00] successful day on May 7th. This year's Big Day of Giving, but then year round, you're part of a community of people who care, who want to help and who want to grow the power of nonprofits serving you and your donors and your supporters.

So it's just a wonderful. The wonderful program and get involved and you won't regret it. 

Jeff Holden: Well said, and I'm going to reinforce that with the same comment of register is so well worth it. Now. That's gonna lead in right into the next question, which is, do you have any expectations and goals set for this year with regard to participation or revenue generation?

I, I know it's putting you on the spot a little bit, but. What do you think? 

Vasey Coman: Well, we always like to grow big data giving because the more that nonprofits participate, the more they bring their existing donors in, the more those donors come back the next year and give to multiple other organizations. And this is actually research we've done.[00:10:00] 

In the past, we were able to work with team at uc Davis, and they looked at some of our anonymized donor data and they said every organization that joined for the first time brings a few new donors. And those donors have never participated the before, have never given during Big Dave giving, but then they'll come back the next year and they'll support two nonprofits.

They'll come back the third year. Those doners will support three nonprofits. So we do always like to welcome new organizations in because they bring more communities, more community members along with them, and that's really powerful way to grow, giving year round and to just create a more generous community in the Sacramento region.

But is there a specific number? Gosh, like every dollar, every additional dollar given is, is a good dollar and we'll take it. I always like when. We see more nonprofits participating, and I always really like when we see more donors participating because that means we're doing a good work connecting people to the causes that matter to them in our [00:11:00] community.

Jeff Holden: And given the fact that we have some 15,000 nonprofits registered in the Greater Sacramento region, to get to a thousand is really shouldn't be that difficult when you think about it. Right? 

Vasey Coman: It's doable. It's doable. There are some parameters around what sort of nonprofits can register for big day if giving.

Gotta be a 5 0 1 C3 organization. So that does exclude some organizations. And all this information is listed on Giving Edge. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah, and that makes perfectly good sense. So sometimes I think, God, I wish I had a nonprofit. This sounds like so much fun. I would love to love to participate and. The benefit that you get from it, if you are a newer nonprofit, it's going to be invaluable because you couldn't buy this sort of an education and you couldn't buy this sort of comradery with the other people that you're gonna be working with.

I just want to encourage every nonprofit to please at least look at the site, and then make a [00:12:00] decision if it's right for you. So many people have benefited from it. So many people get engaged in the community. So many people are promoting it. All the news media are talking about it on big day, and it's just one of those exciting times in Sacramento where we get to take a single day and celebrate in tandem all the good that's being done for so many different purposes.

And it happens on May 7th, 2026 this year, correct? 

Vasey Coman: That's correct. 

Jeff Holden: Vay. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy day at the Community Foundation to share the news that it's now time for our community nonprofits to get registered for the 2026 Big Day of Giving registration is open, so let's hope for more engagement in both sides, more donations, more nonprofits.

Good luck and thank you for all you're doing to support our nonprofit ecosystem. 

Vasey Coman: Thank you so much, Josh. 

Jeff Holden: To learn more about Sacramento's Big Day of Giving on May 7th or to register, visit Big Day of [00:13:00] giving.org. That's Big Day of giving.org. This has been a nonprofit podcast Network News pod. Thanks for listening.