Great Give Day gets even greater in Jones County!

 

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

Jones 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 Jones County, 135 donors joined the movement, giving $58,271 to 16 participating organizations. Nearly every participant earned a $250 match from the Jones County Community Foundation (JCCF) for raising $250. Monticello Give to Grow received an additional $1,000 prize sponsored by Ohnward Bancshares/Maquoketa State Bank for claiming the top spot for the day, raising more than $40,000 for its community endowment. JCCF awarded Camp Courageous a $500 prize for most donors, with 33 contributors for the day. 

“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. Monticello Give to Grow hosted a free-will-donation lunch in Depot Park, which helped raise awareness of the giving opportunity and contributed to the group’s overall fundraising success. 

Cultivate Anamosa also hosted a live event, celebrating Great Give Day at Two Scoops that helped them raise awareness and contributed to their $8,199 total for the day.  

“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.