Give STL Day Raises $1.1 Million

Greater St. Louis pulled together in dramatic fashion and raised $1,108,815 million for 528 local nonprofits, all as part of Give STL Day, the region's first-ever, 24-hour, online day of giving to benefit local charities.

"St. Louis really embraced Give STL Day, and stepped up and delivered for our local nonprofits, " said Amelia Bond, president and CEO of the Greater Saint Louis Community Foundation. "What a remarkable day for all of us to call Saint Louis home - we lived up to our reputation as a generous community and we came together to make meaningful contributions to the nonprofits that our region such a vibrant and special place to live."

Bond also noted that over the course of the 24-hour period, Give STL Day logged more than 13,407 gifts. "We are thrilled with these results for our first year, and look forward on building on these successes in coming years," Bond added. Donor gifts ranged in size from $10 to as much as $5,000. Sponsored "Power Hours," when corporate sponsors matched contributions made during the time period, helped sustain energy and enthusiasm throughout the day.

As presenting sponsor, the Greater Saint Louis Community Foundation pulled together extensive corporate support to help make Give STL Day happen. These include the St. Louis Business Journal, Boeing, U.S. Bank, Peabody Energy, and Smith Moore. GiveSTLday.org remains active for those interested in taking a look at the results of individual charities.

Give STL Day activities were part of a larger national effort, undertaken by more than 100 community foundations across the country in honor the 100th birthday of the community foundation concept. The national effort raised a total of $39 million making May 6, 2014 one of the largest giving days in our nation's history.

Give STL Day is kicking off the centennial celebrations for the Greater St. Louis Community Foundation, which was founded in 1915 centennial of the Greater Saint Louis Community Foundation and was the second in the country. The nation's first community foundation was established in Cleveland, Ohio in 1914. Today, there are more than 800 community foundations across the country, and nearly 1,500 worldwide.