CSB scores big in Give to the Max Day

For the second year in a row, the College of Saint Benedict was one of the top nonprofit organizations to receive donations from Give to the Max Day, an event designed to increase giving to Minnesota-based nonprofits.

Unofficially, 776 donors gave $80,636 to CSB. This is a nearly 8 percent increase in donors from last year and garnered CSB the No. 4 ranking in the Greater Minnesota Region category. For the 24-hour period starting at midnight Nov. 16, donors were encouraged to go to the website giveMN.org and make a donation. Gifts for CSB ranged from $10 to $5,000. In addition, CSB will receive a $2,500 bonus cash prize for finishing fourth.

CSB staff credit online connections and social media with the strong showing. Targeted emails to more than 16,000 alumnae, parents, students and staff and consistent buzzing a week before the event on Facebook and Twitter were the primary modes of communication about the giving opportunity.

"We are thrilled that we exceeded last year's number of donors and raised more than $80,000 for student scholarships and programs," said Kolleen Kellom, acting vice president of Institutional Advancement at CSB. "The commitment of our alumnae and friends is a reflection of the college's Benedictine value of community - a collaborative effort to make the world a better place. We are so very grateful for their wonderful support!"

Last year, CSB received $109,556 in donations from 719 donors, a second-place finish. This year's winners (based on number of donors) were the North American Bear Center with 1,816 donors giving $39,597 in the Greater Minnesota Region category and Second Harvest Heartland with 2,071 donors giving $242,136 in the Twin Cities Region.

Dubbed "The Great Minnesota Give Together," this year's Give to the Max Day event raised just over $10 million from 42,596 donors, exceeding the 40,000 donor goal.