Great Community Give 2026 generates $2.87 million for area nonprofits

April 22 marked an historic Great Community Give for 156 nonprofits in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, as more than 7,800 donors contributed $2.87 million.

“We were amazed and excited and gratified by the response,” said Lauren Jefferson, director of programs and marketing at The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham. “This is not a feat any one of us could have achieved alone, so let’s give credit to our hardworking nonprofit leaders, their staff, and the donors who stepped up to make this happen.”

View the 2026 photo album.

 

 

The ninth annual giving day opened at 6 a.m. with a record-high $600,000 in the coffers already, thanks to a two-week early giving period that helped build momentum. By the end of the event, at 8 p.m., GCG exceeded the goal of $2.5 million by more than $376,000.

Donations came in from 46 states and seven countries: Indonesia, Nigeria, Canada, New Zealand, Mexico, Norway, and the United Kingdom.

“We were only missing Alaska, North Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming, which could be a fun challenge for next year,” Jefferson said.

Forty-three organizations took home additional cash prizes by winning Power Hours, Leaderboard prizes for most dollars or most donors in an hour, or the Golden Ticket drawings. For equity, NPOs competed against other organizations with similar revenue balances.

Nonprofit organizations doubled the number of active peer-to-peer fundraisers, and doubled the number of matches and challenges — two best practices that contributed to the day’s success.

A group of 45 sponsors contributed a prize pool of more than $80,000.

“One hundred percent of the money given by the sponsors goes back into our local nonprofits,” Jefferson said.

Photos by Rachel Holderman