Rocky Mountain Youth Corps was one of many local nonprofits benefitting from December’s annual Yampa Valley Gives Day campaign, with donations bringing in roughly $103,000 for RMYC’s mission of providing meaningful service opportunities, educational experiences, and group recreational activities for youth and young adults.

“Last year’s Colorado Gives campaign demonstrated how community support fuels real impact at RMYC, opening doors for young people to build skills, form lasting connections, and care for the landscapes we all share,” says RMYC Development Director Lauren VandenHurk.

In all, the Yampa Valley Gives Day campaign benefited 107 area nonprofits by raising $1,466,081 in donations. That total was the largest ever for the local fundraiser, which kicked off in 2014 and is part of the statewide Colorado Gives Day that started in 2010.

The campaign culminated with the December 9 effort in the Yampa Valley, which gathered 4,834 individual donations from those living in Routt County, maintains Holly Wilson, philanthropic services manager at the Yampa Valley Community Foundation, which promotes the statewide Colorado Gives Day program locally. “This milestone speaks to the generosity and commitment of people who care deeply about the Yampa Valley,” she told the Steamboat Pilot. “The funds raised will have a direct and lasting impact in Routt and Moffat counties, helping local nonprofits continue to serve our neighbors and communities.”

The annual fundraising day has grown over the years, with $1,308,922 raised for 100 nonprofits in 2024, $1,394,971 in 2023 and $1,269,808 in 2022—up from its inaugural effort in 2014, which raised $371,109 for 40 participating nonprofits. Last year’s mark of $1,466,081 bested the previous high from 2023 by more than $70,000.

As well as helping RMYC’s efforts, funds raised through the campaign support such causes as food access, education, environmental stewardship, arts and culture, and programs for children, families and seniors throughout Routt and Moffat counties.

This year’s fundraising efforts began Nov. 1, with the main thrust targeted on Dec. 9 and the total raised locally increasing to $1,493,118 by the end of the year. The donations were augmented by $1 million in state-level matches from Colorado Gives Foundation, sponsor FirstBank and other supporters, as well as by local nonprofits such as RMYC securing their own matching funds, incentivizing donors. The foundation also offered a match for new monthly recurring donations.

Local nonprofits like RMYC promoted the campaign with e-mail blasts, newsletter mentions, postcards and gatherings along Lincoln Avenue, all helping to raise awareness of the important fundraising day.

Statewide, the campaign raised more than $56.5 million for 4,618 Colorado nonprofits supported by 261,513 individual donations, an increase of 8% compared to 2024. “Colorado Gives Day makes it so easy for people to support the causes they care about,” Kelly Dunkin, CEO of Colorado Gives Foundation, told the Steamboat Pilot.  

Info: ColoradoGivesFoundation.org.