Midlands Gives breaks record, raises $4.4 Million for hundreds of local nonprofits
May 3, 2023
Midlands Gives Day, the annual 18-hour, online giving challenge hosted by Central Carolina Community Foundation, raised a record-breaking $4,442,862 via 21,403 individual gifts. The tenth annual online day of giving took place on Tuesday, May 2, 2023 and supported 568 local nonprofits — the most nonprofits in Midlands Gives history. To view the 2023 leaderboard of gifts and prizes, visit www.MidlandsGives.org/Leaderboards.
“We extend our heartfelt thanks to the thousands of donors who chose to invest for impact by donating to local nonprofit organizations during Midlands Gives Day,” says JoAnn Turnquist, president and CEO of Central Carolina Community Foundation. “Their generosity and commitment are crucial to strengthening and supporting our community.”
Ten Years and More Than $24 Million Raised
Since the inception of Midlands Gives in 2014, the Community Foundation has raised more than $24 million dollars for hundreds of local nonprofits in the Community Foundation’s 11-county service area: Calhoun, Clarendon, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lee, Lexington, Newberry, Orangeburg, Richland, Saluda and Sumter.
Each year, thousands of everyday philanthropists support the positive impact nonprofits have on the region’s well-being. Donations for previous years include the following:
• 2023: $4,442,862 via 21,403 individual gifts.
• 2022: $3,734,986 via 19,534 individual gifts.
• 2021: $3,343,033 via 21,080 individual gifts.
• 2020: $3,321,683 via 22,477 individual gifts.
• 2019: $2,031,052 via 14,323 individual gifts.
• 2018: $1,756,332 via 14,665 individual gifts.
• 2017: $1,672,118 via 13,765 individual gifts.
• 2016: $1,603,647 via 12,536 individual gifts.
• 2015: $1,543,032 via 11,372 individual gifts.
• 2014 [inaugural year]: $704,932 via 5,186 individual gifts.
One hundred percent of each contribution, less a 2.2% credit card fee and a 2.8% Neon One technology fee, will go directly to the donor’s selected nonprofit. Donors had the option to cover these fees at checkout. The Community Foundation does not receive any fees from Midlands Gives.
Gifts Go Further with $140,000 in Prize Incentives
In Good Company Network Members — including Dominion Energy, Aflac, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Southeastern Freight Lines, Truist and more —provided financial incentives, matching gifts and prizes for nonprofits on May 2, amplifying individuals’ contributions of $10 or more. Additionally, many nonprofits secured matching gifts from generous donors throughout the community. The full list of prizes and winners can be found at www.midlandsgives.org/leaderboard_prize.
“Our In Good Company Network of business partners played an instrumental role in encouraging donations by offering more than $150,000 in prize incentives throughout our giving day,” says Turnquist. “The philanthropic investments made by these corporations strengthen our community, promote unity and boost the local economy. We are grateful for their support.”
Early Giving Donations Count Toward Leaderboard Totals
The Community Foundation opened early giving for Midlands Gives on April 1, allowing a full month of early gifts to count toward Midlands Gives Day leaderboard totals. More than $1,000,000 was raised in advance of the giving day.
Midlands Gives Year-Round Giving Resumes May 8
The Midlands Gives website transformed into a year-round platform in 2019 to amplify and extend the reach of the one-day, online giving challenge, allowing nonprofits to connect with donors throughout the entire year. The platform will reopen for year-round giving on Monday, May 8.
The platform includes features such as recurring gifts and Fundraising Pages. Recurring gifts allow donors to automatically give to a selected nonprofit monthly or quarterly, while Fundraising Pages allow donors to leverage their personal networks to support a specific nonprofit. For more information, visit www.MidlandsGives.org/Fundraising.
About Midlands Gives
Midlands Gives is an annual 18-hour online giving challenge and year-round giving platform for local nonprofits, powered by Central Carolina Community Foundation. This year’s event took place virtually on May 2, 2023. For more information about Midlands Gives, visit www.MidlandsGives.org or call 803-254-5601.
About Central Carolina Community Foundation
Central Carolina Community Foundation, the Midlands’ leader in collaborative philanthropy, is a nonprofit organization serving 11 counties in the Midlands of SC by distributing grants and scholarships and linking the resources of donors, nonprofits and area leaders to communities in need. Major initiatives include the online giving challenge Midlands Gives, Connected Communities grants, the One SC Fund and annual scholarships. For more information about the Foundation, visit www.yourfoundation.org or call 803.254.5601.
