Do More 24 Delaware raised nearly $2M in 24 hours

Delaware’s 24-hour, multi-organization online fundraise-athon Do More 24 Delaware, held March 5 to 6, surpassed last year’s total of $390,691 five times over with a final total of $1,963,242.

That year-over-year milestone took only three hours for the competitive fundraising event, which drew more than 400 nonprofits.

The final “leaderboard” shows the top fundraiser of the event was OperaDelaware, with over $81,000 raised. The organization, like other live arts orgs, was hit hard by COVID-19. The Grand Opera House in Wilmington, Rehoboth Beach’s Clear Space Theatre Company and The Candlelight Theatre in Arden also raised $25,000 to $45,000 each.

Other board leaders include last year’s top fundraiser Family Promise of Northern New Castle County, which came in third with over $58,235, well exceeding last year’s $33,721; Georgetown’s Shepherd’s Office with $53,837 and Barbara K. Brooks Transition House, also of Georgetown, with $47,725. Both Family Promise and Shepherd’s Office serve Delaware’s homeless communities, while the Transition House is a sober group home serving traumatized and vulnerable women.

Although the competitive aspect of the event drew some criticism, its success shows an enduring commitment to supporting Delaware nonprofits through the pandemic, as well as a clear pattern of growth for the interactive fundraising event. This year, Do More 24, which had to scale back on in-person partner events, also featured a virtual concert with country music star. Milford’s own Jimmie Allen performed live from Nashville on Friday night.

The event was organized by Spur Impact, which among other things organizes Wilmington’s annual Millennial Summit, in partnership with United Way of Delaware. It was hosted on Spur Impact’s Delaware Gives platform, which also powers Delaware’s #GivingTuesday and #GivingTuesdayNow events.

“The pandemic has hit the nonprofit sector hard, but to raise nearly $2 million for more than 400 nonprofits serving Delaware in 24 hours speaks to the generosity of all Delawareans, and particularly those young professionals trying to make an impact with their philanthropic dollars,” said Spur Impact Executive Director Charlie Vincent in a statement. “We are proud that the Delaware Gives platform was able to power this event and look forward to seeing how much more we can do next year.”

Next year’s Do More 24 already has a date: Mark your calendars for March 3 to 4, 2022.