Catchafire

11/05/2025

We’re continuing our series highlighting the Foundation’s accomplishments over the past decade under the leadership of President & CEO Eric J. Jolly, Ph.D.

In part two of this series, we're reflecting on a few major pieces of Dr. Jolly's legacy at the Foundation:

🔹 OUR COMMITMENT TO EQUITY WAS REINFORCED
Our annual Facing Race Awards continued to honor those fighting racism in Minnesota. We started Shariah-compliant endowment and donor advised funds. Our Board of Directors has become more diverse, better representing the communities we serve. These are just a fraction of our efforts to advocate for equity, which will continue beyond Dr. Jolly’s legacy.

🔹 ACHIEVED GRANTMAKING MILESTONES
In 2019, we celebrated giving, with our fundholders and partners Mardag Foundation and F. R. Bigelow Foundation, a total of $1 billion to the community since the Foundation’s beginning. This number has now grown to more than $2.3 billion. In 2024, the Foundation had our largest year ever for grantmaking, distributing $197 million to the community.

🔹 STRENGTHENED THE NONPROFIT SECTOR THROUGH ENDOWMENTS AND ALLIANCES
Today we work with more than 215 nonprofit organizations to support 450 nonprofit endowment funds, creating financial stability so organizations can focus on their critical work. Additionally, we support and partner with numerous foundations including F. R. Bigelow Foundation, Mardag Foundation, the newly launched Taylor Family Farms Foundation, Red Wing Property Fund and the Jones Family Foundation; and 13 local community affiliates.

🔹 ACCELERATED CAPACITY BUILDING
In the last decade, we have led or participated in numerous initiatives, programs and organizations. In 2016 we created the East Metro Pulse survey and report — a tool to measure community vitality and quality of life in Dakota, Ramsey and Washington counties. In 2018 the Foundation spun off GiveMN.org as an independent nonprofit. We also launched an initiative that provided nonprofits with a free subscription to Catchafire, which connects organizations with pro-bono talent.

Stay tuned next week as we feature more of the impactful highlights from Dr. Jolly's last ten years! See more highlights at https://hubs.ly/Q03n7n2-0

11/05/2025

Hear about Ability Skateboarding and meet Andrew Garcia, the Executive Director. He talks about their mission and how they used Catchafire to help them with ...

11/21/2024

Giving Tuesday goes beyond donations—it's a celebration of community and collective action that fuels nonprofits bridging critical gaps. 💫 Whether through donations or skills-based volunteering, your contributions enable these organizations to increase their impact and strengthen their communities all year long.

Here are five nonprofits you can support this Giving Tuesday:

1️⃣ TWOC Healing Project
2️⃣ Resilient Community Arts
3️⃣ Center for Protest Law & Litigation
4️⃣ Parent to Parent USA
5️⃣ AMA Animal Rescue

👉 Learn more about ways to give back to the causes and communities you care about: https://hubs.ly/Q02Z4JV10

11/19/2024

Every day, education nonprofits solve critical issues in their communities–but they can’t do it alone. Nonprofits are turning to nontraditional grantmaking and capacity building resources like…

11/11/2024

🇺🇸 This Veterans Day, honor those who have served our country by sharing your professional skills with nonprofits that support veterans and military families.

Volunteer now:

American Legion War Memorial Commission - photo editing, video editing, brochure graphic design, and event planning projects: https://hubs.la/Q02Xs_WL0

Veterans Collaborative - tech systems question or customer database (CRM) setup project: https://hubs.la/Q02Xt3-Y0

Angels of America's Fallen - 1-hour call on visual branding needs: https://hubs.la/Q02Xs_5m0

11/11/2024

📢 Last call! Register now to join tomorrow's Giving Tuesday webinar with Michelle Roos of the Environmental Protection Network and Catchafire's own Sonia Aviv. Get inspired and receive actionable takeaways for holiday season giving. 👉 https://hubs.la/Q02Xt5vm0

11/05/2024

Today is Election Day, and it’s our chance to shape the future by making our voices heard.

Get to the polls and make sure your friends and family do too! Every vote makes a difference.

🗳️ Find your polling place at
https://hubs.la/Q02VT_hL0.

Vote.org

11/04/2024

Join us in celebrating our November Volunteer of the Month, Damien! 🌟 The CEO and Technical Director of Thoughts Brewing, LLC, Damien has shared his two decades of experience in IT, business development, and management across more than 20 skills-based volunteering projects to enable nonprofits to keep up with rapidly changing technology and bridge staffing gaps.

Hear from Damien about how sharing his tech expertise has impacted him and the nonprofits he works with, plus his tips for getting started with skills-based volunteering. ➡️ https://hubs.la/Q02WRX5z0

11/04/2024

Feeling overwhelmed with projects? Let us connect you with experts who can help! 🤝

Exciting news for Wisconsin health organizations! Through AHW's partnership with Catchafire, we're connecting expert volunteers with health departments, nonprofits, and AHW-funded community projects across the state.

These skilled professionals are ready to help with whatever you need to move forward! ✨

Want to learn how your organization can benefit from this free resource? Check out our website for details: https://info.ahwendowment.org/catchafire

11/01/2024

Get ready to ignite your Giving Tuesday impact and become part of the 34 million who supported their favorite causes last year!

At our November 12th webinar, hear from Michelle Roos of the Environmental Protection Network and Sonia Aviv from Catchafire as they share how you can align your skills, interests, and values with nonprofit needs to create lasting change.

Whether you're ready to give, volunteer, or inspire others, this session is for you! Register now at https://hubs.la/Q02VTTTQ0.

11/01/2024

This Native American Heritage Month, honor Indigenous communities with action. Support nonprofits dedicated to preserving cultural heritage, driving economic development, and protecting the environment by donating today. 🌿

Dream of Wild Health - https://hubs.la/Q02VVPYL0
First Nations Development Institute - https://hubs.la/Q02VVMNr0
Global Justice Ecology Project - https://hubs.la/Q02VVQZf0
Kukolu Organization - https://hubs.la/Q02VVJ2L0
Native Organizers Alliance - https://hubs.la/Q02VVHtq0

10/31/2024

Help empower the next generation to care for our planet! 🌎

Bunny’s Flowers is teaching children the importance of gardening, farming, and planting trees in support of the environment.

Support Bunny's Flowers and their environmental education work by donating or applying for open volunteer projects at https://hubs.la/Q02VNGMW0.

We are on a mission to mobilize the world's talent for good.