Contact: Caitlin Jenney, 720-898-5919, cjenney ...



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Local Contact: Jason Denhart, 970-748-7654, jdenhart@

Statewide Contact: Caitlin Jenney, 720-898-5919, cell: 720-271-2045, cjenney@

Colorado Gives Day Raises approximately $15 million for 1,258 Colorado Nonprofits; $450,000 Raised locally for 21 Nonprofits in Eagle County

2012 Colorado Gives Day Sets Donation Record Locally and Statewide

Eagle County, Colorado. (Dec. 6, 2012) – In an incredible demonstration of support for Colorado nonprofits, donors contributed approximately $15 million statewide on Community First Foundation’s Colorado Gives Day 2012 — an increase of 20 percent compared to Colorado Gives Day 2011, which raised $12.4 million. In Eagle County, over $450,000 was raised for 21 locally based non-profit organizations.

Individual contributions were received over a 24-hour period at , the online giving resource for Colorado Gives Day. Donations ranged from $10 to $200,000.

“Once again, Coloradans and Eagle County residents demonstrate amazing generosity and the passion to ‘Give where you live and Give where you play,’” said Jason Denhart, of the Eagle Valley Land Trust and a leader of the local Eagle County effort. “I am awed by what happens when this community comes together. We live in one of the most generous places in the world here in Eagle County, and I am proud to work with our local non-profits and generous donors to create this level of success.”

Colorado Gives Day 2012 received approximately 68,000 donations statewide—an increase of 30 percent over last year’s 52,226 donations. Significant contributions, to the tune of $450,000, were made in Eagle County to the 21 participants in the Gives Day, including Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, Bravo Vail Valley Music Festival, Colorado Ski and Snowboard Museum, Eagle River Watershed Council, Eagle River Youth Coalition, Eagle Valley Land Trust, Habitat for Humanity, Mountain Valley Horse Rescue, Red Ribbon Project, Roundup River Ranch, SOS Outreach, The Literacy Project, The Family Learning Center, Salvation Army, American Red Cross, United Way, Vail Symposium, Vail Valley Charitable Fund, Vail Valley Foundation, Vail Veterans Program and Walking Mountains Science Center.

Thanks to Colorado Gives Day corporate partner FirstBank, a portion of the $300,000 FirstBank Incentive Fund will be applied to each individual contribution and distributed to nonprofits at the end of the month. FirstBank is the founding sponsor of Colorado Gives Day, and the event would not be possible without their support.

“The response we’ve received from Eagle County residents this year has been astonishing,” said Ellen Moritz, president of FirstBank’s local Avon Market. “We’re proud of our community for coming together and selflessly giving back to some of the best charitable organizations in the state. As Colorado’s largest locally-owned bank, community involvement and philanthropy have always been a hallmark of our business and I’m ecstatic others were able to make it their own priority for Colorado Gives Day.”

 

Third-party processing fees were covered again by FirstBank, Community First Foundation, and local foundations and businesses to help ensure that 100 percent of Colorado Gives Day donations go directly to the participating nonprofits.

For the third consecutive year, the first gift of the day was made to the “I Love You Guys” Foundation at 12:00 a.m. on Dec. 4. The last gift came in at 11:59 p.m. to SOS Outreach, one of the local charities right here in Eagle County. Social media played a central role in maintaining momentum throughout the 24-hour period.

In the collaborative spirit that makes this such a special place, 21 Eagle County-based nonprofits combined their resources to make an even more local impact during these challenging economic times. Over $450,000 was raised on behalf of the local non-profits in Eagle County during the 2012 Colorado Gives Day, which is $300,000 more than the local total last year.

Part of the power of Colorado Gives Day is the way the program brings together the nonprofit community as supporting partners. This phenomenon took place at , an online resource created in 2007 that shares comprehensive and standardized information to help donors learn about and support local charities. More than $30 million has been collected through since its inception, not including the approximate $15 million raised during Colorado Gives Day 2012. There are currently 1,258 nonprofits participating in . Nonprofits across the state who did not participate this year can create a profile on starting in March 2013 to receive the year-round fundraising benefits.

A new $150,000 grant to Community First Foundation from the Boettcher Foundation and the El Pomar Foundation is helping to expand Colorado Gives Day throughout the state and make it easier for nonprofits outside Denver to use to accept donations online. The grant is in honor of the Foundations’ 75th anniversaries and includes $25,000 for Colorado Gives Day 2012 prizes, available exclusively to non-Metro Denver nonprofits participating in Colorado Gives Day.

The Networks of 9NEWS, Comcast, Entravision Communications, Clear Channel, Colorado Public Television (CPT 12, Channel 12), Rocky Mountain PBS, and 5280 Magazine played instrumental roles as media sponsors of Colorado Gives Day 2012, promoting the effort to potential donors statewide. Locally, the Vail Daily, NRC Broadcasting, KZYR True Local Radio, KKVM The Mile, as well as TV8 and TV5, supported the Gives Day effort in Eagle County.

All data is subject to financial reconciliations. Final numbers are expected to be available by the end of the month. Results from Colorado Gives Day will continue to be finalized and updated on COGivesDay.

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About Colorado Gives Day

Colorado Gives Day is an initiative to increase philanthropy in Colorado through online giving. Presented once again by Community First Foundation and FirstBank, Colorado Gives Day took place during a 24-hour period on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012. Donations were accepted through the website , with a goal to inspire and unite Coloradans in supporting local nonprofits. Colorado Gives Day media partners include 9NEWS, Comcast, Entravision Communications, Clear Channel, Colorado Public Television (CPT 12, Channel 12), Rocky Mountain PBS, and 5280 Magazine.

About Community First Foundation

Community First Foundation has been serving the community for more than 35 years, helping donors and nonprofits come together to improve quality of life in the Denver metro area. It funds community programs, supports the services of nonprofit organizations, and assists individuals with charitable giving. The Foundation is also known for its innovative programs such as , an online giving resource that has raised more than $30 million for Colorado nonprofits since 2007 and is the platform for Colorado Gives Day. For more information, visit .

About FirstBank

FirstBank operates more than 115 locations in Colorado, Arizona and California.  FirstBank is the largest locally owned banking organization in Colorado, serving more than 600,000 customers. Since 2000, FirstBank has contributed more than $40 million and thousands of volunteer hours to charitable organizations. FirstBank is unique in that a majority of its stock is owned by management and employees. For more information, go to .

About The Eagle County Non-Profit Coalition

Formed in Summer 2011 by 10 local organizations to co-market and cross-promote Colorado Gives Day throughout Eagle County, Colorado, The Eagle County Non-Profit Coalition has grown to 21 locally based non-profit organizations, all with active profiles on the on-line giving platform, . The coalition is comprised of the following local non-profit organizations: Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, Bravo Vail Valley Music Festival, Colorado Ski and Snowboard Museum, Eagle River Watershed Council, Eagle River Youth Coalition, Eagle Valley Land Trust, Habitat for Humanity, Mountain Valley Horse Rescue, Red Ribbon Project, Roundup River Ranch, SOS Outreach, The Literacy Project, The Family Learning Center, Salvation Army, American Red Cross, United Way, Vail Symposium, Vail Valley Charitable Fund, Vail Valley Foundation, Vail Veterans Program and Walking Mountains Science Center.

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