This week is a big one for Minnesota nonprofits with the annual Give to the Max Day on Thursday.

Give to the Max Day was created in 2009 to launch GiveMN, a venture led by Minnesota Community Foundation and other organizations to make the state a better place.

The first year raised $14 million in 24 hours, and since then Give to the Max Day has become an annual tradition.

Last year, Give to the Max Day raised $20 million in 24 hours for nearly 6,000 nonprofits and schools.

Available year round, GiveMN.org provides people a secure place to donate easily with a credit or debit card from any location, and for each donation given, people receive a tax receipt via email right away.

Since its inception, GiveMN has raised more than $160 million for Minnesota nonprofits and schools, helping more than 10,000 organizations.

Why should people give on Give to the Max Day?

Each year there are prize grants given out to some of the participating organizations. This year, the 10 nonprofits with the most money raised in four categories will receive grants.

Each hour on Give to the Max Day, one prize of $1,000 will also be awarded to an organization selected at random that received a donation in the previous hour as well as one $10,000 golden ticket to an organization that received a donation from Nov. 1 through Thursday. 

Locally, organizations such as the Albert Lea Family Y, The Albert Lea Art Center, the Albert Lea Public Education Foundation, Albert Lea Community Theatre, Senior Resources, Youth for Christ, United Way of Freeborn County and the Freeborn County Humane Society are available for donations, along with many others. We encourage you to visit the site and familiarize yourself with the local organizations seeking donations and then consider giving. On a statewide level, there are organizations such as Workforce Development Inc. There is a search tool on the home page that allows you to search for your cause.

Let’s support our local nonprofits and take part in this online fundraiser.

Who knows — maybe a local initiative will receive an extra prize to add to their donations.