COASTAL OBSERVER

The community clearly stretches farther past the Georgetown County lines as last week’s Palmetto Giving Day raised more than $5.2 million from 5,395 residents across 46 states.

“Our donor base isn’t just limited to the community in which we live and serve,” said Ashley Nelson, executive director of the Frances P. Bunnelle Foundation. “It just speaks to the causes in which our nonprofits are working in every day and people are rallying behind the great work that our nonprofit community does and that message could reach somebody in any way.”

Palmetto Giving Day, hosted for the 10th year by the Bunnelle Foundation, exceeded its $4 million goal by 30 percent last week for 86 nonprofit organizations that serve Georgetown County. Its website displays an interactive U.S. map that shows which states donations came from.

The most gifts, 4,866, came from S.C. residents.

“It becomes an event and an opportunity our entire county can rally around, and you see that in the final results. $5.2 million has the power to be very transformational for Georgetown County,” Nelson said.

SOS Care topped the leaderboard for another consecutive year with $516,607 raised from 235 donors. Last year, they became the first nonprofit to exceed $400,000 in donations.

Donations this year passed the $1 million  mark less than eight-and-a-half hours into the 

36-hour online extravaganza. 

“That’s the thing people forget about online, is it doesn’t just leave you in the county lines and in the state lines in your own little South Carolina corner of the world,” said Kathi Grace, the director of marketing and grants for SOS Care. “We have the ability to reach family members and supporters from outside of South Carolina, and that’s really what Palmetto Giving Day does.”

Coastal Carolina YMCA followed closely, raising $508,815 from 108 donors. It’s goal was $100,000.

The Village Group, at No. 3, raised $334,865 from 188 donors.

Grace watched the numbers “down to the wire.” 

“It’s not supposed to be a competition but it always winds up being,” Grace said. “The collaborative spirit that goes into Palmetto Giving Day is something that we have all come to enjoy.”

If it is a competition then it’s a friendly one, Nelson added. “It’s a beautiful thing to see them all celebrate each other.”

Last year was yet also a record-breaking year for Palmetto Giving Day with $4.2 million raised from 7,968 donations. While the number of donations was down by 5.5 percent this year, the total was $1 million more. That shows the generosity of donors, Nelson said. 

There were 16 organizations that raised more than $100,000.

“They’re such a vital part of our community. To see our community and folks across the nation believe in the power of the work of our nonprofit community here in Georgetown County is a true testament to the work that they do,” she said.

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The 10th anniversary of Palmetto Giving Day was particularly special to Nelson who was a driving force behind its creation.

The online fundraiser was her first project after she joined Bunnelle in 2014. It began as Lowcountry Giving Day by the Coastal Community Foundation in 2016. That helped build the framework for Palmetto Giving Day in 2017, Nelson said.

“It really was a full circle moment for me,” she said. She became executive director last year.

The first Palmetto Giving Day raised $676,000 for 33 participating organizations. It has now raised a total of about $27 million. 

“We were floored, and we have grown every year,” Nelson said.

St. Frances Animal Center had the largest number of donors this year, 527.

Ray Funnye, the executive director of the Village Group, led the Champion leaderboard, gathering $10,825 from 26 donors. There were 192 individuals, or “champions,” who raised money for the participating nonprofits.

SOS Care set a new record for the most champions it’s ever had, 21, Grace said. One of those was Richard Euchner, a student in SOS Care’s independent living skills program, who raised $5,330 from 22 donors.

“We’re stronger together,” Grace said.

Nelson said she wants to raise more money next year.

“The goal for next year is at least one more dollar than this year,” she said, and to see donations from all 50 states. “But if we can do $5.2 million, we certainly can do $5.3.”