Colorado Gives Toolkit
Colorado Gives provides just about any campaign support you need, including templates for emails, social media, print and digital ads, and more! Bookmark the Toolkit for easy access as you work on your campaign.
Better Together.
Colorado Gives Webinars
September 15 | Maximize CO Gives Day: How to Make the Toolkit Work for You
In this session, you’ll learn how to use the toolkit strategically, coordinate messaging across channels and engage the people who can help expand your reach. We’ll also cover how to prepare your team to confidently support donors throughout the campaign.
October 13 | Maximize CO Gives Day: Strategies To Drive Results
In this session, you’ll learn how to align your fundraising strategies with donor behavior, use incentives effectively and strengthen your campaign plan before launch day. We’ll also explore peer-to-peer and matching gift strategies that can help increase engagement and giving.
October 20 | Maximize CO Gives Day: Your Readiness Checklist
In this session, you’ll walk through a final readiness checklist to help ensure your campaign, team and systems are prepared for launch day. We’ll cover common challenges, staff coordination and how to plan donor stewardship before Colorado Gives Day even begins.
Southwest Colorado Gives Data & Branding
As a localized regional effort, the Community Foundation provides Southwest-specific badges and graphics to use in your marketing materials. We also have an insightful summary of 2024-2025 metrics covering our five counties. We hope this information is helpful for your year-end fundraising efforts!
“Working Workshops” with the Community Foundation
October 28 | Working Workshop: Crafting Your Year-End Emails
Email is the number one way to earn online donations, and so our time and attention to these communications is essential as we move into the giving season. This is a working workshop with the goal to leave with three quality emails ready to schedule. Join Kim Cassels from the Community Foundation to check this very important to-do off your list.
November 18 Tips & Tricks: Working Workshop for Optimizing Your Donation Landing Page
Whether you’re utilizing the Colorado Gives platform or driving traffic directly to your website, there are multiple methods to ensure your messaging makes it easy to hit the donation button, and your checkout process is seamless and fast. Join us to work on your landing page in real time, and get inspired about the different tools you can use!
About Southwest Colorado Gives
As a Regional Champion, the Community Foundation offers participating regional nonprofits collaborative opportunities to connect with peers and potential donors, ensuring a successful online giving initiative. If your nonprofit is not currently participating in SWCOGIVES, and your organization hopes to join, please mark your calendar to create a profile next spring at www.coloradogives.org. The enrollment period runs through the fall each year.
What is Colorado Gives…and what is Colorado Gives Day?
Colorado Gives is a year-round online giving platform that makes it easy for donors to search for nonprofits and donate online. Hosted by the Community First Foundation in Arvada, CO, Colorado Gives features more than 4,000 Colorado nonprofit profiles.
Colorado Gives Day – scheduled for December 8, 2026 – is an annual giving initiative that celebrates philanthropy statewide and inspires donors to “give where they live” through online donations. In 2025, $56.6 million was donated statewide in just one day, making Colorado Gives Day the state’s largest one-day giving event.
What is the Community Foundation’s role as a Regional Champion?
As a Regional Champion, the Community Foundation leads the local effort to strengthen online giving in Southwest Colorado. The Community Foundation spearheaded a regional online platform (swcogives.org) specifically for Southwest Colorado, making it easier for donors to find nonprofits in our region and give locally.
Additionally, the Community Foundation coordinates marketing efforts to promote Colorado Gives and Colorado Gives Day, as well as provides support and professional development as local nonprofits build and plan their campaigns.
In our 5-county region, we have seen incredible generosity on Colorado Gives Day since the introduction of our Regional Platform, with more than 150 participating nonprofits. The local donations of $868,000 in 2025 and $7.3 million raised since the regional effort began in 2017.
Why should my nonprofit participate in Colorado Gives?
Benefits of participating in Colorado Gives include:
- Access to an inexpensive online giving platform
- Inclusion in an additional Southwest Colorado platform, making it easier for donors to find your organization and donate online
- Collaboration with other Southwest Colorado nonprofits
- Local support and professional development opportunities
- Added visibility to your campaign through the Community Foundation’s marketing efforts
- Minimization of operational costs and staff time (Colorado Gives Foundation handles gift processing and receipts)
How do I get started with Colorado Gives?
1. Determine if your nonprofit is eligible by reviewing the Colorado Gives Eligibility Requirements
2. Enrollment for new nonprofits runs throughout the spring, summer, and fall. Complete and submit your Colorado Gives profile for review before mid-October. (More info about the review process here)
3. Attend Cohort meetings with the Community Foundation serving SW CO as necessary to ensure your organization’s success.
