Mark your calendars: Give Miami Day is returning for its 15th year, giving people in South Florida another chance to open their wallets to help local causes.
The 24-hour philanthropic event, hosted by the Miami Foundation, is on Thursday, Nov. 19, from midnight to 11:59 p.m. But early online giving opens at midnight on Saturday, Nov. 14, and runs through Nov. 18.
Give Miami Day began after a 2012 survey by the Knight Foundation revealed that the Miami metro area was the least civically engaged in the country.
“Consider this an invitation to the most meaningful quinceañera Miami has ever seen,” Rebecca Fishman Lipsey, president and CEO of The Miami Foundation, said in a statement. “We’re celebrating 15 years of building a generosity movement that supports nonprofits and their leaders. Make this city feel like home. Come celebrate what we can become together and help us do the brave work that gets us there.”
Last year, the event shattered records, with more than 60,000 donors raising nearly $44 million for local nonprofit organizations.
[WLRN is among the non-profit organizations listed as part of "Give Miami Day."]
In Miami, over 77,000 people, about 5.5% of the workforce, are employed by nonprofits, according to Give Miami Day.
“Thanks to Give Miami Day 2025, we nearly doubled the number of teachers trained to bring Everglades Literacy into their classrooms,” said Jennifer Diaz, vice president of education at the The Everglades Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring America’s Everglades.
“The support also helped provide teachers with free classroom materials needed for lesson planning, giving more students the opportunity to understand the vital role the Everglades plays in South Florida and inspiring the next generation of Everglades stewards.”
The Everglades Foundation hopes to raise at least $40,000 on Give Miami Day.
READ MORE: 'Give Miami Day' reports raising record-breaking $43 million for more than 1,400 non-profits
Nearly one in four Give Miami Day nonprofits went through budget cuts driven by reductions in federal, state and local government funding, according to a 2025 Miami Foundation survey.
“The ripple effects are immediate: Organizations are reducing programs, cutting staff or facing waitlists for services they can’t deliver. Further, more than half of Miami’s nonprofits operate on budgets under $250,000, and more than one in four small nonprofits have less than one month of cash reserves on hand,” Give Miami Day organizers said in a statement.
“Too many organizations lack the cushion to weather unexpected funding challenges,” added Kerry-Ann Royes, Miami Foundation board chair, and president and CEO of YWCA South Florida.
Give Miami Day will culminate in a quinceañera-themed celebration honoring Miami’s participating nonprofits at loanDepot Park in Little Havana on Nov. 19., but celebrations start days earlier.
Folks with an affinity for racing can lace up their shoes for Give Miami Day’s 5K + Festival on Nov. 15, where runners can donate 100% of their entry fee to a nonprofit of their choice.
More than 4,000 people are expected to run or walk along Biscayne Boulevard and through Maurice A. Ferré Park in downtown Miami. The event will also feature a free mid-morning concert by Flo Rida, followed by a festival with live music, food vendors, family-friendly activities, wellness events and a 305-meter dash for kids. Participants can also meet representatives from local nonprofits and learn more about the causes they support.
The race is sold out but you can still RSVP for the post-race celebration.
It all counts
Give Miami Day’s fundraising success is driven by a combination of numerous small donations and larger contributions from major donors. Across all mission areas, most donations were under $100, followed by contributions of less than $250.
The most common contribution last year was $25, the minimum donation amount, which accounted for 30% of all transactions. While smaller gifts made up most donations by count, contributions under $100 accounted for nearly 7% of the total dollars raised. Donations under $1,000 accounted for 23% of the overall fundraising total, according to last year’s data.
Smaller nonprofits relied more heavily on grassroots giving, with 68% of their transactions coming from donations under $100. By comparison, 52% of transactions received by large nonprofits — those with budgets exceeding $2.5 million — were under $100.
Organizations that fall under Education and Youth got 40% of total donations, according to 2025 data from The Miami Foundation. Community Care got 15% followed by Arts and Culture with 14%. Inclusion and Accessibility organizations received 2% of donations.
Last year, Achieve Miami raised the most money, with $2,186,727 from 555 donors, followed by Lehrman Community Day School which raised $2,168,377 from 434 donors. These organizations are considered “large” organizations by Give Miami Day, with an operations budget of at least $2.5 million.
The “small” nonprofits that raised the most money last year were Gene Spotlight, with $172,335 raised by 43 donors, followed by Ari Arteaga Foundation - BE THE LIGHT, with $168,285 raised by 162 donors.
For information on all participating nonprofits visit https://www.givemiamiday.org/.
