The 12th annual Erie Gives broke all records once again, raising $8,178,207 for 467 nonprofits. For the past 12 years, the community has supported the annual day of giving, which was first unveiled in 2011 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of The Erie Community Foundation (ECF) and to support the nonprofit sector. Donors gave online, by check, by stock gifts and by utilizing (retirement minimum distributions (RMDs) from IRAs.
“We are thrilled that once again, Erie Gives has exceeded expectations. The overwhelming success of Erie Gives is thanks to generous donors, committed community partners and a dedicated nonprofit sector,” said Karen Bilowith, president and CEO of The Erie Community Foundation. “Annually, the Foundation commits significant time and grant resources to execute this event because our Board of Trustees believes the impact it has on our community is invaluable.”
This year, the 12 hours of giving featured the highest prorated match pool in Erie Gives history – $470,000.
Special thanks was given to ECF, Erie Insurance, Wabtec, Country Fair, Presque Isle Downs & Casino, ERIEBANK, Frontier General Contracting, Knox Law, UBS-The Murphy Group, E. E. Austin & Son and National Fuel. In addition, the Foundation’s regional affiliate community foundations in North East, Corry and Union City added to the prorated match for their local nonprofits by $30,000, $20,000 and $10,000, respectively. The Erie Community Foundation also introduced an extra incentives hourly giveaway. Throughout the day, Extra Incentives Sponsors randomly drew a nonprofit name and awarded special $500 grants. The participating nonprofit with the most donors at the end of the day received a $1,000 grant.
Hourly Extra Incentives
| Hour Drawn | Corporate Sponsors | Nonprofit Winner |
| 9:00 a.m. | MacDonald Illig Attorneys | Urban Erie Community Development Corp. |
| 10:00 a.m. | Pressed | Bhutanese Community Association of Erie |
| 11:00 a.m. | Interstate Nissan | Odessa’s Place |
| 12:00 p.m. | Red Letter Hospitaliy | Walnut Creek Baptist Church |
| 1:00 p.m. | Schaffner Knight Minnaugh Co | Park United Methodist Church |
| 2:00 p.m. | Allburn Florist | Fairview United Methodist Church |
| 3:00 p.m. | Merrill Financial Advisors | Young Artist Debut Orchestra |
| 4:00 p.m. | Jordan Financial | Mental Health Association of NWPA |
| 5:00 p.m. | Schaffner Knight Minnaugh Co | First Presbyterian Church of North East |
| 6:00 p.m. | Mazza | Bayfront East Side Taskforce |
| 7:00 p.m. | Mead Park Association | Marquette Savings Bank |
| 8:00 p.m. | CMIT Solutions | Erie City Mission |
Summary of Erie Gives 2022:
- 467 nonprofits received a record breaking $8,178,207!
- 282 nonprofits received at least one gift of $1,000 or more.
- 94 nonprofits received $5,000 or more.
- 18 nonprofits received $10,000 or more.
- The largest single gift was $300,000 made to Corry YMCA.
- The largest number of donors – 1,092 – contributed to the Erie City Mission.
- A total of 11,234 donors made gifts.
- 15 percent of Erie Gives gifts were less than $50.
- The average gross gift was $696.
- The gross prorated match amount was 6.01% and credit card fees were 2.62 percent. If a nonprofit’s donations were all given by credit card, the net match would be 3.39 percent. If gifts were made by check, there is no credit card fee. Therefore, each nonprofit’s average net prorated match will differ depending on the method by which gifts were received.
History of Erie Gives
| Year | Nonprofit | Donors | Amount Raised |
| 2011 | 212 | 2,770 | $776,435 |
| 2012 | 257 | 3,843 | $1,233,888 |
| 2013 | 301 | 4,613 | $1,738,236 |
| 2014 | 313 | 5,465 | $2,271,693 |
| 2015 | 336 | 6,466 | $2,843,371 |
| 2016 | 354 | 7,395 | $3,451,087 |
| 2017 | 374 | 7,685 | $4,427,877 |
| 2018 | 386 | 7,945 | $4,471,123 |
| 2019 | 393 | 8,976 | $5,569,161 |
| 2020 | 422 | 11,482 | $6,358,146 |
| 2021 | 438 | 10,808 | $7,057,176 |
| 2022 | 467 | 11,234 | $8,178,207 |
ECF also announced that the 13th annual Erie Gives will be held Tuesday, August 8, 2023.
The Erie Community Foundation works to improve the quality of life for all in our region by evaluating and addressing community issues, by building permanent charitable endowments and by promoting philanthropic and community leadership. To learn more visit www.ErieCommunityFoundation.org.
