Great Give Day gets even greater in Delaware County!

 

In its 12th year, our region's biggest day of giving hits a historic milestone: over $600,000 for local nonprofits

Delaware County, IA – For the first time in its 12-year history, Great Give Day raised over $600,000 for nonprofits across the region, providing important funding at a time when organizations need it most.  

In total, the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque’s annual online giving day on May 21 raised $630,755 for participating nonprofits spanning Dubuque, Allamakee, Clayton, Clinton, Delaware, Jackson and Jones Counties. This year’s total far surpassed last year’s of $450,000, the previous record of $468,000 in 2023, and the Foundation’s own goal of $500,000. More than 1,400 people made donations during the event.

In Delaware County, 214 donors joined the movement, giving $17,614 to 21 participating organizations. Nearly every participant earned a $250 match from the Foundation for the Future of Delaware County for raising $250. First Presbyterian Church in Manchester and Community Child Care of Manchester hit the top spots, each raising over $2,300.

“We are beyond grateful to the people in our region for the incredible outpouring of generosity we saw in just 24 hours,” says Nancy Van Milligen, president and CEO of the Community Foundation. “We also know that this level of generosity doesn’t just happen on Great Give Day – it happens every day here in Eastern Iowa.”

Not even rain could dampen the Great Give Day spirit. In spite of soggy conditions, the Foundation for the Future of Delaware County hosted a live event at the county fairgrounds with music, ice cream and dinner grilled by the Delaware County Cattlemen. Nine local organizations were present to share their projects and programs and inspire giving, and collectively raised over $2,000 during the two-hour event.

“It was a beautiful gathering of generous friends supporting their community,” said Amanda Diers, executive director. 

“Nonprofits are facing many challenges right now,” says Peter Supple, director of nonprofit relations for the Community Foundation. “There is a lot of uncertainty around funding. At the same time, the need for services continues to grow. That’s why seeing such generosity from our community members makes us so happy. People stepped up in a big way to strengthen the nonprofits that strengthen our region.”

The Community Foundation hosts Great Give Day each year as part of its work to strengthen local nonprofits and ignite generosity. Since 2014, it has raised more than $4.2 million for organizations across the seven-county Dubuque region. A record 222 nonprofits participated this year, competing for $32,000 in bonus prizes from local business sponsors. 

In addition to the challenges and drawings, Great Give Day featured three Money Match hours, during which dollars raised by each organization were matched proportionally by a per-hour prize pool of $7,250.

The Community Foundation thanks the many generous sponsors, donors and participating nonprofits that made Great Give Day 2025 a success.

Presenting Sponsors

  • Avantax Wealth Management
  • Ohnward Bancshares
  • Radio Dubuque
  • TH Media

Platinum Sponsors

  • Dubuque Bank and Trust
  • First Community Trust
  • Mason Investment Advisory Services Inc.
  • MidWestOne Bank
  • U.S. Bank (Great Give Day Live sponsor)

Gold Sponsors

  • Bill Klauer/Klauer Manufacturing
  • Friday Financial
  • Theisen’s Home•Farm•Auto
  • The Vogt Group

Silver Sponsor

  • Lamar Advertising

To view the final results and a full list of sponsors, visit greatgiveday.org.

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