San Diego Gives is a nine-month capacity building program for San Diego-based nonprofits, which culminates in a 24-hour online fundraiser – Thursday, September 7, 2023. It connects the community to local issues and high-quality, vetted nonprofits with strong leadership, programming, fiscal oversight, and tangible impact. San Diego Gives offers donors a chance to leverage investments with other funders to magnify support. All funds raised remain in San Diego County.

San Diego Gives builds the capacity of nonprofits of any size and sector by:

  • Providing crucial funding as organizations balance record service demands with limited budgets.
  • Building awareness of their work, even if a group has no or minimal marketing budget and staff.
  • Attracting new donors in cost-effective ways.
  • Fostering community with ways to meet, learn, and share knowledge with other organizations.
  • Offering experiential personal and professional development training and mentoring.

Last year, 327 nonprofits participated. The campaign raised $1,088,647 from 3,743 donors, with 33% giving for the first time. San Diego Gives University launched in 2022 and served 553 unique nonprofit professionals through 28 workshops. Plus, 62 organizations were paired with mentors for ongoing support.

For 2023, San Diego Gives has some BIG goals:

  • Raise at least $1.5 million for 350 participating non-profits.
  • Serve at least 600 unique nonprofit professionals through at least 25 capacity building workshops.
  • Provide mentoring opportunities to at least 70 nonprofits.
  • Secure at least $75,000 for matched funds and giving day prizes.
  • At least 75% of donors will report that the campaign positively affected their giving.
  • At least 75% of participating nonprofits will report increased learning by the end of the campaign.

Early, discounted registration for nonprofits is February 1-28, with regular registration March 1 through April 30, 2023. Registration fees are on a sliding scale according to the organization’s annual budget, $25-$200. Scholarship funds are available.

Donors can choose to give to one or more nonprofits through the San Diego Gives, online platform. It is easy to learn about new organizations and their work through the cause category search. There is a diverse range of causes, including the arts, animal welfare, environmentalism, education, health, human services, equity, and social justice.

According to Sharyn Goodson, project lead with Impact Cubed, “San Diego Gives ignites generosity, stimulates philanthropy, and fosters a sustainable nonprofit sector. We connect more San Diegans to more local causes than ever before through innovative technology, learning opportunities, a 24-hour day of collective giving, and more. We envision an unparalleled region of giving — a San Diego County where community members are knowledgeable of community needs and the impactful responses of local nonprofits, helping each person’s generosity soar to its full potential.”

San Diego Gives is an initiative of Impact Cubed. This 501(c)3 public charity stimulates philanthropy and builds social sector capacity with guidance to philanthropists and impact investors; facilitation for funder consortiums; consulting on nonprofit capacity; and philanthropy education initiatives. Impact Cubed serves entities of all kinds, including individuals, families, foundations, community organizations, and corporations looking to strengthen communities and address societal problems through philanthropy.

To learn more, visit www.SanDiegoGives.org.