In what organizers called a "landslide" of giving, North Texas Giving Day raised $14.4 million Thursday for more than 900 nonprofit organizations.
The amount easily eclipsed last year's record of $10.7 million, officials said.More than $2 million of the online donations were made to 150 organizations in Tarrant County, up from the $1.6 million received last year, officials said."We are absolutely blown away by the record-breaking generosity and goodwill of North Texans," Brent Christopher, Communities Foundation of Texas president and CEO, said in a statement. "This is testament to the strength of our community and our shared desire to make North Texas the most viable, best place to life. We are humbled to say the least."Nonprofit organizations that received donations between 7 a.m. and midnight Thursday on www.DonorBridgeTX.org got a partial match from a pool of about $1 million in matching and prize funds.Donations came from every U.S. state and 14 countries, including Canada, Austria, Brazil, China, Kazakhstan, Nigeria and Finland, organizers said.Dallas County organizations received the most donations, collecting $9.7 million in gifts, officials said.This was the fourth annual North Texas Giving Day. Participation has grown rapidly in Tarrant County, officials said.Meals on Wheels of Tarrant County reported that it received more than $100,000 from 149 donations this year. Organization officials were "speechless" and thanked donors on behalf of their clients, an organization official wrote on Twitter.The W.I. Cook Foundation, Cook Children's health foundation, thanked donors for raising $6,800.North Texas Giving Day was created in 2009 to draw attention to online philanthropy and to help donors maximize their giving. The event is important because many nonprofit groups face funding problems in the stagnant economy, according to Tim Delaney, president and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits. Donations from all sources, as well as government grants, are generally down. But the need for services provided by nonprofits has grown, he said.Alex Branch, 817-390-7689Twitter: @albranch1
By the numbers
North Texas Giving Day has grown steadily since its first year in 2009. Here are the total funds raised by year:
2009: $4 million
2010: $5 million
2011: $10.7 million
2012: $14.4 million
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