The 2026 Giving Challenge Has Ended
The Giving Challenge is a 24-hour online giving event hosted by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County that supports nonprofits in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties. The 2026 challenge took place from noon to noon, April 15-16, 2026, with a record 751 nonprofits collectively raising more than $16.7 million in unrestricted funds. To learn more about the 2026 Giving Challenge and to see prize winners, access trainings, download visual assets, and more, visit GivingChallenge.org.
What Is the Giving Challenge?
Since 2012, the Giving Challenge has acted as a catalyst for connection, helping donors throughout our region show their love for local nonprofits by providing nearly $110 million in unrestricted funding over 10 challenges.
The Giving Challenge is a 24-hour virtual giving event that brings together more than 750 local nonprofits with passionate donors and community members to support causes and missions they care about while creating transformative impact. Visit GivingChallenge.org for information about the 2026 challenge.
- Independent fundraising plans that support their work in a deeper way throughout the year—not just during the challenge
- Meaningful relationships between organizations and donors who may have first connected with their mission through the Giving Challenge
Highlights From the 2026 Giving Challenge
In 24 hours on April 15 and 16, 2026, donors across the community united, generating an outpouring of support for the Giving Challenge and raising more than $16.7 million for 751 participating nonprofits in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties.
With more than $10.3 million provided from 50,863 donors and 87,815 total gifts, along with $6.5 million in matching funds from The Patterson Foundation, the 2026 Giving Challenge affirmed our community’s generosity, bringing the total raised through the Giving Challenge to nearly $110 million since 2012.
Thanks to your generosity, the 2026 Giving Challenge enhanced and augmented the efforts of our nonprofit community. The unrestricted funds raised during the Giving Challenge now provide our nonprofit partners flexibility to respond to community needs.
At the conclusion of the 2026 challenge, we asked nonprofit leaders to reflect on how the challenge ignites their organizations and what they'd like to say to their donors and supporters. Here's what they had to say:
To analyze data so that we can refine and improve the challenge, we also invited participating nonprofits to share their experiences through a Giving Challenge Outcomes Survey.
With 315 responses collected, the 2026 Giving Challenge Nonprofit Survey and Summary Report measures several key factors, including Giving Challenge experience, budget size, outcomes, fundraising goals, and nonprofit and business collaborations.
Trainings for Nonprofits
The Community Foundation hosted a number of online trainings for nonprofits to help them prepare for the 2026 Giving Challenge. Recordings of all past trainings are available at GivingChallenge.org/info/trainings.
The Giving Partner vs. the Giving Challenge
What are the differences between The Giving Partner and Giving Challenge?
- The Giving Partner is a year-round, everyday online giving platform that showcases profiles of nonprofits with local impact. Visit TheGivingPartner.org to learn more.
- The Giving Challenge is a 24-hour online giving event, typically held every other year, exclusively for nonprofit organizations with a tax status of 501(c)(3) Public Supported Charity or Public Charity Supporting Organization with an Approved (Current) status in The Giving Partner. This event provides nonprofits with the opportunity to gain exposure and create relationships with donors, and brings our community together to raise funds for local nonprofits. Visit GivingChallenge.org to learn more.
Partners
The Giving Challenge is presented by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County with giving strengthened by The Patterson Foundation.
