What started as a graduate school project has blossomed into Long Beach's most impactful annual giving campaign.
Long Beach Gives, now in its seventh year, has raised $10.8 million for more than 380 local nonprofits, fundamentally changing how the community supports its most vulnerable residents.
From Humble Beginnings to Major Impact
The campaign was launched in 2019 by Julie Meenan, Executive Director of the Josephine S. Gumbiner Foundation, along with Michelle Byerly and Christina Kreachbaum from The Nonprofit Partnership.
Back then, Meenan recognized a critical gap in nonprofit funding. She saw that organizations were relying too heavily on foundation grants, which typically should account for about 15% of their income, while individual donations should comprise about 67% of their revenue. However, many local nonprofits struggled to connect with individual supporters.
"Through my history as a grant maker at the Gumbiner Foundation and getting to know so many hundreds of nonprofits, I realized that connecting individuals with nonprofits was where there was opportunity for growth," Meenan said.
Through research of various community giving days for a grad school project, she realized that could be the engine that would drive Long Beach to give, powered by one giving site through which local organizations would be promoted and individuals could donate.
"We turned the site on, and we had no idea what was going to happen," Meenan recalled.
That first year exceeded all expectations. With a goal of $500,000, Long Beach Gives raised $822,000 for 93 participating organizations in 2019.
The timing proved fortuitous with that initial campaign launching just before COVID-19 emerged. In 2020, after many traditional fundraising events were canceled, the digitally-driven fundraiser provided nonprofits with a crucial lifeline, helping 154 organizations raise more when community support was needed most.
Six Years of Exponential Growth
Today, the numbers continue to tell a remarkable story of community engagement.
From those initial 93 organizations in 2019, participation nearly tripled to 270 nonprofits in 2024. Annual fundraising has more than doubled, reaching $2.12 million in 2024. The campaign now supports 16 different nonprofit cause areas in Long Beach, from children and families to environmental initiatives.The campaign has activated over 42,000 individual donors through more than 52,000 donations since its inception — exactly the kind of grassroots engagement Meenan envisioned.
Evolution and Innovation
Long Beach Gives has evolved far beyond a simple fundraising platform. The campaign now operates year-round, providing nonprofits with ongoing support services through The Nonprofit Partnership. According to campaign manager Carrie Eldridge, organizations receive over 100 hours of free professional development, capacity-building workshops and fundraising training.
The annual campaign has expanded from a single 24-hour giving day to a month-long initiative, allowing for deeper storytelling and sustained community engagement. This year, Long Beach Gives takes place on Sept. 18, though donors can begin giving as early as Sept. 11.
Another evolved element is the growing number of support services available to participating nonprofits. Initiatives like the Long Beach Gives Summit, added last year, empower organizations with knowledge and tools to execute successful campaigns. This year, a new live training session was added to the program to help nonprofits level up their fundraising through gamification strategies.
This layered support has been transformative for participating organizations. According to the 2024 impact report, 81.82% of nonprofits stated that Long Beach Gives increased community awareness of their organization, while 78% gained new donors during the campaign.
Why Long Beach Gives Works
The campaign's success stems from its focus on community connection rather than competition. Unlike other giving platforms that pit organizations against each other, Long Beach Gives celebrates collective impact. The diversity of participating organizations — from small community groups with budgets under $100,000 to large established nonprofits — ensures every community need garners support.
For donors, the campaign provides an accessible entry point into philanthropy. Whether someone contributes $10 or $10,000, their gift directly supports neighbors and addresses hyperlocal challenges.
Real Community Impact
The beneficiaries represent the full spectrum of community needs. Organizations serving children and families, addressing food insecurity, providing mental health services, supporting seniors, promoting arts and culture and advancing social justice have all received crucial funding through the campaign.
By prioritizing relationships over transactions and community over competition, the campaign has created something rare in modern philanthropy — a giving initiative that truly brings a city together around shared values.
One 2022 donor captures the campaign's essence: "An entire community coming together can impact real change!"
For more information about Long Beach Gives or to participate in the campaign, visit longbeachgives.org.
"An entire community coming together can impact real change!" –Anonymous donor
"We had no idea what was going to happen," Meenan recalled.