Wow – Pittsburghers Really Did Give Big

See which charities attracted the most donors and raised the most money during the second annual one-day charitable giving extravaganza that's already exceeded last year's total.
Richard Cook,


 

Once again, Pittsburghers are giving back in a big way. On Nov. 28, 2017, nearly 7,000 people donated $1.3 million to local charities in the inaugural Give Big Pittsburgh event. This year on Giving Tuesday, $1.6 million was donated, an increase of more than $300,000. The Give Big Pittsburgh effort is the result of a partnership among Pittsburgh Magazine, the Pittsburgh Foundation and GiveGab, an online donation platform.

“We've always believed that Pittsburgh is one of the most generous cities in the country,” says Pittsburgh Magazine Publisher and Vice President Betsy Benson. “This year's increase is phenomenal, exceeding in one day the total amount raised for all of last year.”

More than 400 Pittsburgh-area nonprofits are registered to receive donations. If you missed out on Giving Tuesday, a nationally recognized response to the holiday spending done on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, no worries –– the Give Big Pittsburgh website will be open until the end of the year to accept donations. You can also track which charities have raised the most money and which have the most donors. Here are the top 10 in both categories as of Wednesday morning.

Most Raised

  1. Light of Life Rescue Mission: $166,602
     
  2. Humane Animal Rescue: $82,297
     
  3. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra: $80,899
     
  4. North Hills Community Outreach: $64,331
     
  5. Global Links: $52,405
     
  6. Benedictine Sisters of Pittsburgh: $43,028
     
  7. Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh: $36,298
     
  8. Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania: $35,046
     
  9. Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank: $34,026
     
  10. Pittsburgh Cultural Trust: $29,475
     

Most Donors

  1. Humane Animal Rescue: 831
     
  2. Light of Life Rescue Mission: 431
     
  3. Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh: 375
     
  4. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra: 367
     
  5. Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania: 305
     
  6. Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank: 287
     
  7. WQED Pittsburgh: 258
     
  8. Benedictine Sisters of Pittsburgh: 226
     
  9. Animal Friends: 163
     
  10. 412 Food Rescue: 161
This article appears in the November 2018 issue of The 412.
Categories: The 412