Monterey County Gives!, a collaborative fundraising project between the Monterey County Weekly, Community Foundation for Monterey County, and Monterey Peninsula Foundation, completed the year in fine style, raising about $5.4 million to be donated to 163 nonprofits throughout the community.
While the final figure is still being calculated, it's the second consecutive year MCGives! topped the $5 million fundraising mark, and a number that has increased by almost tenfold in the past decade. In 2019, nearly 5,000 donors contributed to the campaign, a record number of individual donors.
MCGives! has donated more than $27 million in the past decade, since 2009.
Based on the totals reported on the MCGives! website, the top 10 biggest fundraisers for 2019 are the following nonprofits, including matching gifts:
Peace of Mind Dog Rescue, $233,000
LandWatch Monterey County, $172,000
Big Sur Land Trust, $155,000
Monterey Symphony, $126,000
Food Bank for Monterey County, $124,000
Campaign for the Preservation of Mission San Antonio de Padua, $117,000
Chartwell School, $108,000
Center for Photographic Art, $106,000
Rancho Cielo, $105,000
Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, $105,000