[December 05, 2012]

Colorado Gives Day Raises Approximately $15 million for 1,258 Colorado Nonprofits

In an incredible demonstration of support for Colorado nonprofits, donors contributed approximately $15 million 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.

Individual contributions were received over a 24-hour period at GivingFirst.org, the Foundation's online giving resource. Donations ranged from $10 to $200,000.

"Once again, Coloradans demonstrate amazing generosity and the passion to 'Give where you live,'" said Marla J. Williams, president and CEO of Community First Foundation. "I am awed by what happens when the community comes together-because it takes a community-wide effort to create this level of success."

Colorado Gives Day 2012 received approximately 68,000 donations-an increase of 30 percent over last year's 52,226 donations. Significant contributions were made to human services organizations such as Denver Rescue Mission, Food Bank of the Rockies, Tennyson Center for Children at Colorado Christian Home, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and The Action Center. One donor contributed more than $44,000 to 96 different charities.

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 sponsored 10 Trivia Prizes, which were announced the week of Nov. 26 on FirstBank's Twitter (News - Alert) and Facebook pages. FirstBank also sponsored four $10,000 Luck-of-the-Draw Prizes. Winners for the Luck-of the-Draw Prizes will be determined by splitting nonprofits into four groups with a drawing to select one winner per group. Winners will be announced in January.

"The response we've received from Coloradans this year has been astonishing," said John Ikard, president and CEO of FirstBank Holding Company. "We're proud of our community and its residents 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 businesse 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 (News - Alert) Outreach. Social media played a central role in maintaining momentum throughout the 24-hour period.

In the collaborative spirit that makes Colorado such a special place, some nonprofits combined their resources to make an even more local impact during these challenging economic times, in communities such as Boulder County, Denver, Northwest Denver, Douglas County, Evergreen/Conifer, Grand County, Mesa County, Pikes Peak Region, Vail Valley/Eagle County and Weld County.

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 GivingFirst.org, 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 GivingFirst.org since its inception, not including the approximate $15 million raised during Colorado Gives Day 2012. There are currently 1,258 nonprofits participating in GivingFirst.org. Nonprofits across the state who did not participate this year can create a profile on GivingFirst.org 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 GivingFirst.org to accept donations online. The grant is in honor of the Foundations' 75^th 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 (News - Alert), 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.

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 www.GivingFirst.org/COGivesDay.

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 GivingFirst.org, with a goal to inspire and unite Coloradans in supporting local nonprofits. Colorado Gives Day media partners include 9NEWS, Comcast, Entravision Communications, Clear Channel (News - Alert), 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 GivingFirst.org, 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 www.CommunityFirstFoundation.org.

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 www.efirstbank.com.

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