You gave a record amount for Give Miami Day 2024. How local nonprofits got a boost
They asked. They received.
This year, 1,289 Miami-Dade nonprofits hoped for community help and turned to the Miami Foundation’s annual Give Miami Day project on Thursday.
Come Friday, Nov. 22, “widespread generosity was on full display,” the Miami Foundation cheered.
The result: a record number of Give Miami Day donors and donations that generated $39.5 million — topping last year’s $34 million, which had bested the previous record $33.4 million set in 2021 during the pandemic.
To sum it up, that $39.5 million figure was generated by:
▪ 109,784 donations, smashing last year’s 96,000.
▪ 51,755 donors, a boost from 46,619 in 2023.
“While The Miami Foundation hosts Give Miami Day, this day truly is our community’s love song — our collective gift to this place we call home. I am thrilled to share that we saw more Miamians step forward to support local nonprofits than ever before,” said Rebecca Fishman Lipsey, president and CEO of The Miami Foundation. “I am humbled by the widespread generosity of the people of Miami, and I am so thankful to every single person who made this day possible.”
A bit of Miami pride rang out, too, on the morning after.
“I want the country to see that Miami is the most generous city in the US!” cheered Sheldon Anderson, Miami Foundation board chair and CEO of Grove Band and Trust. “The support from our community demonstrates the power of collective giving and the commitment to creating lasting change in Miami.”
Wish Book, run by Miami Herald Charities, raised $13,764 from 68 donors — a little less than last year’s $14,877 and 72 donors. But it’s still a welcome start to the Wish Book program that kicks off on Thanksgiving with its more than 40-year mission to help South Florida families in need.
”“We are so grateful to be a part of this amazing effort. Since its inception Give Miami Day has given The Herald Charities the opportunity to recognize the impact this one day has had on so many of the needy families nominated to the Wish Book Program,” said Roberta DiPietro, Wish Book coordinator for Miami Herald Charities. “More than $115,000 has been collected over the years highlighting the pulse of such a caring community that is Miami-Dade. This annual event demonstrates that so many people truly can come together to make a difference.”
Mount Sinai Medical Center Foundation participated in Give Miami Day for the first time. The hospital group raised $71,496 from 30 donors.
“We’re grateful to have participated in Give Miami Day and are very pleased with our results,” Max Sklar, senior vice president and chief development officer of the Mount Sinai Medical Center Foundation, said in a statement to the Miami Herald.
The money raised from Give Miami Day is aimed to expand the nearly 75-year-old Miami Beach hospital’s efforts in healthcare, increasing patients’ access to clinical trials, and augmenting its graduate medical education programs.
“Thank you to the Miami Foundation for presenting this opportunity to celebrate our mission, uplift our community, and continue to build momentum on our newly established Annual Giving program,” Sklar said.
Here’s a look at the Give Miami Day 2024 leaderboards:
Top 5 nonprofits most money raised
1. Achieve Miami — $3,138,542 from 615 donors. (A repeat winner, topping last year’s $2,861,325 and 584, respectively.)
2. Lehrman Community Day School Inc. — $2,115,018 raised by 438 donors.
3. Greater Miami Jewish Federation — $1,759,120 raised by 448 donors.
4. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden — $1,331,874 raised by 152 donors.
5. Gulliver Prep — $958,741 raised by 513 donors.
Top 5 nonprofits that saw the most donors
1. True North Classical Academy — $405,136 raised by 2,709 donors.
2. The Children’s Movement of Florida — $836,540 raised by 1,690 donors.
3. Miami Waterkeeper — $247,917 raised by 1,038 donors.
4. Alper JCC Miami — $101,032 raised by 937 donors.
5. Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center — $89,656 raised by 628 donors.
Top nonprofits by organization size
Top 3 Large Organization fundraisers:
▪ Achieve Miami — $3,138,542.
▪ Lehrman Community Day School Inc. — $2,115,018.
▪ Greater Miami Jewish Federation — $1,759,129.
Top 3 Medium Organization fundraisers:
▪ The Children’s Movement of Florida — $836,540.
▪ Friends of The Underline — $313,849.
▪ Miami Foundation for Mental Health — $256,546.
Top 3 Small Organization fundraisers:
▪ Ari Arteaga Foundation — $131,511.
▪ Sunset Elementary School — $102,604.
▪ Coconut Grove Elementary School — $84,365.
Organizations with highest number of donations
Fishman Lipsey, Miami Foundation’s CEO, wants to highlight the number of donations to organizations, “because participation is a lasting metric that has important benefits for Miami that go beyond just the day itself,” she said.
David Lawrence Jr. and Madeleine Thakur, chairs of The Children’s Movement of Florida, sent a thank you email to the mid-sized organization’s supporters, noting the Children’s Movement ranked sixth among all recipients in money raised at $836,540 from 1,690 donors. These figures top 2023 figures of $667,540 from 1,201 donors.
“If you gave anonymously, we could not thank you personally, but you are among so many good people in our midst. Thank you for giving The Movement extra momentum for the work ahead,” they wrote.
Large Organizations:
▪ True North Classical — 2,709.
▪ Waterkeeper — 1038.
▪ Alper JCC Miami — 937.
Medium Organizations:
▪ The Children’s Movement of Florida —1,690.
▪ Sant La — 628.
▪ Pelican Harbor — 566.
Small Organizations:
▪ Barracuda Band — 527.
▪ Sunset Elementary School PTA — 449.
▪ South Florida Center for Percussive Arts — 372.
Keep track of the nonprofits
Follow your favorite nonprofit and see how they all fared by visiting the leaderboards at givemiamiday.org.
Give Miami Day 2024 is over, but you can still donate to The Miami Foundation’s year-round efforts to help fund local nonprofits by visiting the website at miamifoundation.org and clicking the Give Now tab.
This story was originally published November 22, 2024 at 11:56 AM.
