Working together, we can all lift up our community through Monterey County Gives!

Bradley Zeve here. Every year, I’m reminded that Monterey County’s nonprofits aren’t just patching holes in the social fabric—they are testing and scaling big ideas. The kind of ideas that take root here ripple outward, reshaping lives and landscapes, sometimes producing an even bigger impact.

What ties all of these pieces together is courage—the willingness to imagine something bigger than day-to-day survival, to act on it and to invite all of us in the community to invest. 

That’s where Monterey County Gives! comes in. Beginning today, Nov. 13 through Dec. 31, donors (that’s you and me) give, and matching funds amplify these donations, resulting in millions of dollars flowing into 213 nonprofits’ bold ideas.

Take Big Sur Land Trust’s work at Carr Lake in Salinas. For decades, residents imagined turning this seasonal lake bed into a park. Today that vision is real: Part of Ensen Community Park opened in August. It’s a big idea—transforming flood-prone farmland into a thriving community space.

Or look at Rancho Cielo Youth Campus. Its idea is that young people who’ve stumbled shouldn’t get stuck in shame (or the system) but steered toward new opportunities. Culinary arts, ag tech, construction—students graduate with a clear path forward. For many, it’s the first time they’ve experienced real support in systems designed for their success.

Policy work can be a big idea too, and let’s not fool ourselves—it’s dirty work, trench work. LandWatch Monterey County has spent 25 years pressing for smarter land use, housing, transportation and water policy. Even when you don’t see it, their watchdogging shifts the debate, forcing developers and public agencies to grapple with long-term sustainability rather than quick fixes. 

The Arts Council for Monterey County reminds us that big ideas live in creativity and culture as much as in conservation. They have brought more than 22,000 hours of arts education into schools, touching the lives of more than 64,000 students. Those are not just numbers, they’re sparks of imagination, murals on our streets, performances on our stages. The idea here is simple but profound: When we invest in creativity, we invest in the soul of our community, and those ripples impact us all.

MCGives! is more than a fundraising drive. It’s an annual affirmation that our community is powerful and believes in big ideas. When you give, you’re not just filling a gap—you’re fueling the next big breakthrough in how Monterey County cares for its people and places. Please participate. Join us and let’s help sprout seeds of change. Thank you.