The coronavirus pandemic couldn’t stop last year’s Live PC Give PC.
In fact, COVID-19 may have helped the all-day fundraising event that ran from midnight to midnight on Nov. 6 gain a record amount of donors as well as funds for Summit County nonprofits, said Christine Coleman, vice president of communications and marketing for Park City Community Foundation, which organizes the event.
“We had nearly 1,000 more donors than we had in 2019, and that was truly amazing because we were in the midst of COVID,” Coleman said. “We really didn’t know what to expect.”
After tallying the numbers, Live PC Give PC had more than 6,000 unique donors give $3.4 million to 113 nonprofits, according to Coleman.
“We had nearly 1,000 more donors than we had in 2019, and that was truly amazing because we were in the midst of COVID. We really didn’t know what to expect.”
“We raised $1 million more than we did the year before, and I think it’s because people wanted to support all the nonprofits that had supported them during COVID,” she said. “I think people were ready to open up their pocketbooks.”
The numbers continue to amaze Coleman because the day of fundraising had to be executed differently in the past due to safety issues surrounding the pandemic.
“We usually hold the big tally party at High West Distillery, but we couldn’t do that due to COVID-19,” she said. “So we decided to have a parade that wound through many residential areas.”
The Park City Community Foundation also created a three-hour livestream that featured videos from 80 or more nonprofits and interviews with donors and nonprofit executive directors, Coleman said.
“Part of the success is because all the nonprofits did an amazing job reaching old and new donors,” she said.
The foundation also tried to reach people who may not have heard about the fundraiser, Coleman said.
“We appointed Neighborhood Ambassadors, which was new last year,” she said. “They were volunteers who signed up to talk with folks in their neighborhoods, put up some posters and throw socially distanced donation parties. It was all about involving our entire community.”
Coleman also credits longtime donors who celebrate Live PC Give PC as a local holiday.
“There are people who get so excited and take time off of work or their day to volunteer their time,” she said. “They are out on the street corners waving signs and recruiting donors.”
Last year marked Live PC Give PC’s 10th anniversary, and the day of giving has raised more than $16 million for local nonprofits since its inception in 2010, Coleman said.
Still the Park City Community Foundation’s definition of success for Live PC Give PC is not based on the amount of money it raises, she said.
“It’s about how many donors we can get,” Coleman said. “So, the fact that so many people came out last year and gave small, medium and large amounts blew us away.”
The goal for this year’s event, which will be held Nov. 5, is 6,500 donors, she said.
“Because of the coronavirus delta variant, we can’t do the High West party again, so we are going to host an outdoor party under the stars,” Coleman said. “We’re still working on finding a venue, but since it will be outside people will be able to socially distance and we can welcome all ages, unlike High West, which is a bar for ages 21 and older.”
For information about 2021 Live PC Give PC, visit livepcgivepc.org/giving-events/pc21/home.