As 2023 drew to a close, 16,639 of you really came through for our community.

You made 65,277 donations to 250 local nonprofits for a total of $8,359,266. Elsewhere on this page you’ll find a breakdown of this year’s numbers—and at giveguide.org you can see how much you gave to each of the participating organizations.

This year’s total is the most ever raised in a Give!Guide campaign, and it says a lot—all of it good—about this part of the world.

It also comes at a time when local nonprofits need your help more than ever. Giving by non-wealthy individuals went down significantly in 2023. Then, for nearly a month, the Portland teachers’ strike tore a big hole in parents’ budgets. On top of that, some people seem to think our nonprofit community is responsible for the problems on our streets.

As for that, nothing could be further from the truth. Without the hundreds of nonprofits that look out for locals in need, our community would simply come apart at the seams. That’s why we at Willamette Week feel honored to do what we can to support them during Give!Guide season. And though Give!Guide is closed until next fall, you can continue to use giveguide.org as a launching platform for additional support. All 250 nonprofit profiles featured on our website direct you to the donation section of their sites, where you can support them during G!G’s offseason.

Give!Guide turned 20 this fall. What began as something of an in-house mom-and-pop operation that raised some $28,000 for 24 nonprofits back in 2004 is now a community fundraising machine that has raised a collective total of more than $64 million. Over those two decades, our efforts have had hundreds and hundreds of helpers, sponsors, and business partners. We have benefited tremendously from the kindness of friends—and plenty of strangers, too. We cannot thank them enough.

The $64 million from Give!Guide donors has gone to support nonprofits that help make life in Portland and surrounding areas both possible and better. Give yourselves a big—really big—collective pat on the back.

Along the way, Give!Guide has handed out 81 Skidmore Prizes, honoring Portlanders under the age of 36 who do great work in our nonprofit community. If you ever find yourself in need of inspiration, look them up at giveguide.org/skidmore-winners.

We’ll start this process all over again in April when applications open for WW’s 2024 Give!Guide. In the meantime, we’re always looking for ways to do this better. If you’re a 2023 donor, you’ll be receiving a questionnaire soon. Please fill it out. And if you have specific suggestions, send them to giveguide@wweek.com.

For now, to everyone who gave this year, let us say again: You did a world of good—and you’re helping with the forward momentum we all want to see in our community.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank YOU!

Toni Tringolo, Executive Director

Josh Rentschler, Campaign Assistant

Richard H. Meeker, Founder

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A Look at the Numbers

Total Amounts Raised by Category:

ANIMALS: $830,443

CIVIL & HUMAN RIGHTS: $588,941

COMMUNITY: $805,967

CREATIVE EXPRESSION: $686,731

EDUCATION: $919,855

ENVIRONMENT: $733,693

HEALTH: $648,091

HOME: $524,240

HUMAN SERVICES: $1,118,72

HUNGER: $923,945

OREGON CULTURAL TRUST: $566,517

The 35 & Under Challenge Winners

Each of these nonprofits won a $1,000 cash prize for having the most young donors in its category. The challenge is sponsored by Tandem Property Management.

ANIMALS: Cat Adoption Team

CIVIL & HUMAN RIGHTS: Street Roots

COMMUNITY: Native American Youth and Family Center

CREATIVE EXPRESSION: Friends of Noise

EDUCATION: College Possible

ENVIRONMENT: Friends of Trees

HEALTH: Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette

HOME: Taking Ownership PDX

HUMAN SERVICES: Alano Club of Portland

HUNGER: Blanchet House & Farm

Where the Money Came From

Donations came from 49 states and the District of Columbia. The only state missing? South Dakota. C’mon, Sioux Falls! These 10 states had the most donations (in descending order):

1. Oregon
2. Washington
3. California
4. Arizona
5. Virginia
6. New York
7. Texas
8. Colorado
9. Massachusetts
10. Pennsylvania

Within Portland, however, our most generous ZIP codes were in Northeast followed by Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest.

PRESENTING SPONSOR: Morel Ink

MAJOR SPONSOR: NW Natural

35 & UNDER CHALLENGE: Tandem Property Management

SKIDMORE PRIZE SPONSOR: Comcast

CATEGORY SPONSORS: A to Z Wineworks, Bank of America, CareOregon, Davis Wright Tremaine, Neil Kelly, New Seasons Market, Meat for Cats and Dogs, Oregon Cultural Trust, The Standard, Willamette Week