SAN ANTONIO – While organizers of The Big Give SA are disappointed they didn't reach their goal, they're happy that the 24-hour charity blitz set an all-time record.
Organizers had hoped to raise $7 million Thursday, but they were only able to rake in $5.75 million.
"I think the goal was very lofty, but we wanted to do that," said Scott McAninch, CEO of The Nonprofit Council, which organizes The Big Give SA. "I mean, if we don't set the bar high, and you reach the goal that you set that was too low, then (the) potential losses (are) even more impactful because then donors are, like, 'Well, they reached their goal, so, you know, it's over.' So it's always better to raise the bar higher."
McAninch said scheduling the event in March instead of May, to avoid Fiesta and the Spurs playoff run, and having less money for incentives to keep donations steady probably affected the fundraising effort.
McAninch said the goal for 2019 is $10 million.
He said organizers will review statistics and bring back more incentives for recipients to drive donations throughout the day.
"The advertising and all of the coverage that we got yesterday, it's bringing brand awareness to Big Give, and we never have had that before," McAninch said.
San Antonio Pet's Alive was hoping to raise $150,000, but only managed to get $88,000.
Despite not reaching its goal, the nonprofit is appreciative of the donations.
"I think the most important thing to say is 'thank you,' because we didn't hit our goal, but we are still overwhelmed by the generosity that we've seen from the community, not just during The Big Give, but all-year round," said Kylie Brasher, of SA Pets Alive.
McAninch said some nonprofits managed to reach their individual goals.