Nearly 4.8 Million Raised for the Holiday Charity Challenge

The Holiday Charity Challenge is an annual crowdfunding competition that runs from November 22nd through January 5th, and raises millions of dollars for charities doing great work. Collectively, nearly $4.8M have been raised so far on CrowdRise.

I've been a sponsor for a few years now and this year is no exception.

The purpose of the Challenge is for orgs to rally their supporters to try raise as much money as possible. The top 5 charities to raise the most money online will each win grand prize challenge grants with the 1st place totaling $100,000 and the 5th place totaling $5,000. This Challenge inspires charities to connect with their supporters, promote their causes, and earn recognition for their efforts.

As of December 27th, 2016, the orgs at the top so far are: Cure JM, The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, The Multiple System Atrophy Coalition, and the Navy Seal Foundation.

Anyone can make their way to the top, though, and every year we see a photo finish. There are also bonus challenges that occur each week. The bonus challenges are great because they allow organizations to receive some recognition for their efforts even if they don’t necessarily make it into the top 5.

Bonus Challenge #1: There were 7 total winners for this Challenge, where orgs competed for who could raise the most money each day for 7 days. Each winner got $1,000. The winners were: Edible Schoolyard NYC, Red Wolf Coalition, The Food Project, Visiting Homemaker Service of Ocean County, National Justice for Our Neighbors, Inc., Spirituality for Kids, and the One Mind Institute

Bonus Challenge #2: This challenge awarded $25,000 to the charity that raised the most on #GivingTuesday. The winner was Cure JM.

Bonus Challenge #3: There were a total of 5 winners for this challenge, where orgs who raised at least $1,000 during the week of the contest were entered to win an additional $1000. Some of the winners were Spirituality for Kids, Visiting Homemaker Service of Ocean County, and the Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care.

Bonus Challenge #4: The two charities to raise the most online this week participated in a Rock Paper Scissors game, where the winning org got $3,000 and the one that didn't win got $2,000. The two winners were: The Multiple System Atrophy Coalition and The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee.

Bonus Challenge #5: This challenge is two-fold. The five charities that raised the most online the week of December 13th, won $1000.

There are 3 more challenges remaining until January 5th, and with your help, many orgs can make it to the top and win some money for their cause.

The Holiday Charity Challenge started on November 22nd and you'll have the opportunity to keep donating 'til January 5th at 1:59:59pm ET. There are tons of causes you can support, ranging from helping to save elephants, to supporting veterans, to helping alleviate childhood homelessness. Check ‘em all out here, and please donate if you can.