(Council Bluffs, IA) –  Officials with the Community Foundation for Western Iowa report, “The giving spirit is alive and well in western Iowa!” For a third consecutive year, Giving Tuesday 712 sponsored by Katelman Steel Fabrication exceeded its $1.5 million fundraising goal. Through the generosity of 645 community members, nonprofit partners using SHARE Iowa and the Community Foundation collectively raised $1,765,096 – shattering the goal by over $200,000. This is a true testament to the giving spirit of individuals, families, and businesses across our region!

Donna Dostel, President and CEO of the Community Foundation for Western Iowa, said in a news release  “This year, we celebrate the beginning of the giving season with a huge win for our area nonprofits. Every day, these organizations touch the lives and create positive change for folks in our region, and their important work could not continue without the generosity and commitment to positive impact that donors demonstrated on our Nation’s #1 day of giving.” According to Giving Tuesday Data Commons, a record-breaking $4 billion was donated across the United States on Giving Tuesday earlier this month by 38.1 million people. This is a 13% donation increase from the previous year.

The average SHARE Iowa donation was up 16% to $111.48 compared to last year’s $95.82 average, and 147 nonprofit partners on SHARE Iowa benefitted from online donations. SHARE Iowa, an initiative of the Community Foundation for Western Iowa, is a one-stop online platform to support the work of nonprofits in nine counties throughout western Iowa by connecting residents to easy ways of doing good through financial giving, in-kind donations of items and volunteerism. Additionally, the Community Foundation partnered with area businesses and individuals to award a record 37 $1,000 hourly prizes to nonprofit organizations who were active through SHARE Iowa’s giving platform, 24 of which were sponsored by Google.

Congratulations to the winning nonprofit organizations and a special thank you to the following businesses for supporting the annual giving day!
• Career EdVantage | Prize sponsor: BAT Logistics
• MICAH House | Prize sponsor: D.A. Davidson
• Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates (iJAG) | Prize sponsor: Glenwood State Bank and Frontier Savings Bank
• Lewis Township Fire and Rescue | Prize sponsor: Google
• Bethany Lutheran Health Services | Prize sponsor: Google
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands | Prize sponsor: Google
• CASA of Southwest Iowa | Prize sponsor: Google
• CHI Health Foundation | Prize sponsor: Google
• Child Saving Institute | Prize sponsor: Google
• Connections Area Agency on Aging | Prize sponsor: Google
• Council Bluffs Schools Foundation | Prize sponsor: Google
• Firefly | Prize sponsor: Google
• Historical Society of Pottawattamie County Council Bluffs | Prize sponsor: Google
• Iowa Healthiest State Initiative | Prize sponsor: Google
• Ironhawk Juniors Triathlon Club | Prize sponsor: Google
• Montgomery County Family YMCA | Prize sponsor: Google
• NAMI Southwest Iowa | Prize sponsor: Google
• Radio Talking Book Service Inc | Prize sponsor: Google
• Sail On and Fly High | Prize sponsor: Google
• Share My Smile | Prize sponsor: Google
• Southwest Iowa Leadership Academy | Prize sponsor: Google
• Story Street Mobile Pantry | Prize sponsor: Google
• TeamMates Mentoring Program | Prize sponsor: Google
• The Collective for Hope | Prize sponsor: Google
• Tri-Center CSD | Prize sponsor: Google
• Wabash Trace Nature Trail – Southwest Iowa Nature Trails Project, Inc. | Prize sponsor: Google
• Union Pacific Museum Association | Prize sponsor: Judd Knispel State Farm
• Golden Hills Resource Conservation and Development | Prize sponsor: Keast Auto Center
• Play Haven Child Care | Prize sponsor: Malvern Bank
• Vision Malvern | Prize sponsor: Midwest Ag Services
• Glenwood Community School Foundation | Prize sponsor: One Source
• Habitat for Humanity of Council Bluffs | Prize sponsor: PowerTech
• Wings of Hope Cancer Support Center | Prize sponsor: Cathy and Tony Tauke
• Shop with the Sheriff | Prize sponsor: Cathy and Tony Tauke
• At Ease USA | Prize sponsor: Castle & Associates, Inc American Family Insurance
• Shenandoah Police Department | Prize sponsor: D.A. Davidson

To conclude the day’s festivities, community members celebrated our region’s philanthropic spirit at Full Fledged Brewing Company with over 100 attendees on Tuesday, December 2! Hourly prize winners met with sponsors and celebrated with check presentation photos as giving totals continued to be accumulated. Dostel says “It is so wonderful to connect our giving partners and corporate sponsors with our area nonprofit leaders on Giving Tuesday. Not only do they get to make that personal connection with the folks that are doing such great work in our Western Iowa communities, but the general public is invited to come and celebrate this day in a way that helps raise awareness and celebrate the beginning of the holiday season. We are honored to help support this important work and help make it easy for folks to give where we live.”

To learn more about Giving Tuesday 712 please visit: https://sharegoodiowa.org/recap.