At 6 p.m. on April 1, after 36 hours of nonstop fundraising, the United Way of Rhode Island’s 401Gives donation campaign had raised a record-breaking $5,081,425 to benefit an unprecedented 705 local nonprofit organizations, according to a United Way press release.
The annual fundraising campaign, which launched in 2020, is administered by United Way Rhode Island and its Alliance for Nonprofit Impact, which aims to connect and support nonprofits across the state. This year, 401Gives received over 32,000 individual contributions from over 20,000 donors, both of which also surpassed previous years’ totals, the press release read.
“Raising $5 million was a work of extreme dedication and heart of every individual that gave,” Caitlynn Douglas, operations manager for the Alliance for Nonprofit Impact, wrote in an email to The Herald. “401Gives 2026 was a display of the radical love we all share for each other.”
Foster Forward, an East Providence-based nonprofit that supports young people impacted by foster care, finished in first place on the 401Gives leaderboard with over $218,000 raised. This is the sixth year in a row that Foster Forward has been the campaign’s top fundraising organization, according to Foster Forward Communications Director of Development and Communications Allison DeGerlia.
Rather than setting a specific monetary goal, Foster Forward approached 401Gives 2026 with the goal of attracting 401 donors. “We were proud to exceed that goal, ending the campaign with 451 donors,” DeGerlia wrote in an email to The Herald.
For Foster Forward, money raised from 401Gives “helps fill gaps in our budget so we can say yes when a young person needs emergency assistance, keep our Drop-In Center stocked with essentials” and continue operating housing and workforce development programming, DeGerlia added.
“What made this campaign so successful was the collective effort behind it,” DeGerlia wrote, adding that Foster Forward “focused heavily on community-driven strategies, including peer-to-peer fundraising.” Youth volunteers involved with Foster Forward also supported fundraising efforts by calling past donors before and after the campaign to express their thanks.
“401Gives is not a passive campaign,” Douglas wrote. “Real images of real people and a real mission are going to pull donors in.”
As a part of 401Gives, organizations can fill out a donation profile with a compelling story and images to attract donors. But many participating nonprofits did not stop there, using creative marketing strategies to attract potential donors. One organization produced parody episodes of Real Housewives of Rhode Island, Douglas wrote. Another fundraiser impersonated Hannah Montana on social media to drive donations.
With over $204,000 raised during 401Gives, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center came in second place for the highest total donations received. “401Gives has become a critical campaign in our fundraising year,” wrote Heather Hole Strout, the center’s executive director, because “it helps us reach a broader community of supporters.”
“The money will support our 25+ programs in hunger prevention and nutrition, early learning and out-of-school time education and community support wellness,” Strout wrote. The Newport-based community center far surpassed its fundraising goal of $150,000, she added.
Coming in at third place was the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, a nonprofit focused on environment protection and engagement, which raised over $165,000 during 401Gives.
Executive Director Jeffrey Hall wrote that the organization entered 401Gives with an “ambitious” goal of raising $120,000. This spring, they were fundraising not only for general programming expenses, but also to account for damage to wildlife refuges and snow-plowing expenses resulting from this year’s winter storms.
“Community support is absolutely essential (and) makes up a third of our overall revenue,” Hall wrote. “Our success was driven by our focus on clear, mission-driven projects, highlighting the direct impact that these gifts fund.”
The United Way of Rhode Island received over $85,000 in donations itself — the fifth largest fundraising total from 401Gives 2026. This large fundraising sum “was the result of over 200 gifts from donors — donations that came in all sizes,” wrote Michael Cerio, spokesperson for United Way of Rhode Island. A board member offered a matching gift opportunity for donations of up to $10,000, he added.
“Prizes and matches, which are rooted in our dedicated corporate sponsors, are foundational in 401Gives success,” Douglas wrote. “Donors are 80% more likely to give if their donation can be matched and transformed.” DeGerlia credited matching gifts and challenges for helping to raise Foster Forward’s donation total.
The eighth-place total — with over $75,000 raised — came for Children’s Friend, a nonprofit focused on the health and well-being of children in Rhode Island. Chief of Philanthropy Pamela Verklan wrote that the organization approached 401Gives with a theme for their fundraising campaign: “moving families forward.”
Children’s Friend “had 85 donors who gave $50 or less,” Verklan wrote, in addition to “one large donation, which was leveraged as a 1:1 match, and several other mid-range donations.”
For 401Gives, the Audubon Society of Rhode Island had “close to 300 individual contributors,” Hall wrote, adding that attracting these donors is a long-term benefit of 401Gives.
Douglas wrote that “folks who gave to a nonprofit on 401Gives should become reoccurring donors.”
“Nonprofits need funding,” she wrote. “It is important now more than ever.”
Pavani Durbhakula is a senior staff writer and photographer. She is a first-year from DC and plans to study IAPA and Public Health. In her free time, she enjoys baking, reading, and searching for new coffee shops.
