This year marks the fifth anniversary of Omaha Gives!—our community’s charitable challenge. Since 2013, 148,000 donations have led to raising $27 million for local nonprofits through this event. That’s something to celebrate! We never imagined what this day would become, and we are grateful to the community that has made Omaha Gives! what it is today.
As we prepared for this year’s event, we asked our nonprofit partners which part of the day was most helpful to them as they work to further their missions. While there were many answers, a common theme emerged. Our nonprofit partners loved that there was one day dedicated to celebrating the work they do and celebrate the generosity of this community.
We weren’t thinking of the intangible effects of the day. We were looking for tools, strategies, and new ideas which are all important parts of making the day work, but our nonprofit partners are right. There is an amazing momentum and energy created by the collective movement of everyone that participates in the day. Every program that stretches to serve one more person, every life that is different because a nonprofit exists, every dollar given to share with someone else—this is the spirit of the day.
This year, we are excited to have a record 920 nonprofits participating—up from 318 in the first year. We have witnessed the creativity, passion, and commitment our local nonprofits bring to fulfilling their missions. We’ve seen the joy and excitement of watching the leaderboard tabulate what can be possible in just 24 hours.
There has been much laughter and even some tears watching what happens during the event. From a METRO bus turned disco party, to musical celebrations at Slowdown, to a live-streamed demolition of a house, to singing telegrams thanking donors for their gifts, to twelve hours of jazzy giving—it’s truly a day to celebrate our local nonprofits. And, the most moving experience of this day was seeing how in the midst of our collective shock and grief at the loss of Omaha Police Officer Kerrie Orozco, our community responded with an outpouring of support to honor her legacy.
This day is an opportunity to come together and support what matters most to each of us. Supporting your favorite nonprofits—whether that be a food pantry, an after-school program, an animal rescue, or an art museum—is also supporting the entire community.
Omaha Gives! is set to take place on Wednesday, May 24 from midnight to midnight, with scheduled donations beginning on May 1. Whether you make a personal donation, create a cheer page for your favorite nonprofit, join an Omaha Gives! event around town, or spread the word amongst your friends and co-workers, we invite you to be a part of this year’s celebration!