Innovations in Philanthropy: GiveMN
Though it’s known for its Give to the Max Day, GiveMN is much more than a yearly fundraiser. It’s a nonprofit organization that uses its website for doing good by working with thousands of nonprofits and schools as a “digital hub for philanthropy.”
Founded on the idea that giving has the power to bring people together and strengthen communities, GiveMN blends altruism with good business practices.
“We know that when we give, we can have an incredible impact for our families, for our neighborhoods, for our communities—but something bigger happens when we give together,” says Jenna Ray, executive director and CEO. “We help folks feel seen and heard and know that they belong.”
Established in 2009 with an inaugural Give to the Max Day that raised $14 million in 24 hours, GiveMN has grown significantly; it raised $37 million for over 6,500 organizations during the 2024 Give to the Max Day.
“GiveMN has grown into a movement that not only supports nonprofits year-round but builds traditions that unite and strengthen communities,” Ray says.
Like many organizations, GiveMN is evolving to match the needs of the ever-changing digital age. It is constantly evaluating the role of nonprofits in the Twin Cities to see how it can best move forward, create progress, and continue making giving fun and easy, Ray says.
“We’re really committed at this moment to understanding our role as people who run a digital platform and the ways in which we can inspire new ways of generosity as a way of igniting community,” Ray says.
In 2025, GiveMN became the new host of Give OUT Day, the only LGBTQ+ national giving day in the United States. The day raises money for hundreds of LGBTQ+-focused nonprofits nationwide.
GiveMN employs staff with expertise from the nonprofit, for-profit, and government sectors as well as from startups and digital agencies. The organization’s leaders want to see how they can bring that experience together to reshape how the nonprofit functions.
No matter how much it evolves, the ultimate goal of the organization will remain the same: inspire generosity through creative approaches.
“Then do what it is that we do best, which is be in the business of loving people, loving one another, creating cultures of care in really smart, innovative ways that leverage technology, leverage data insights to create relationships at scale,” Ray says.
At its core, GiveMN believes that generosity is a powerful force for change and is working to create more opportunities to give, whether through individual or community initiatives or through innovative approaches to philanthropy.
“So one of the things that we know is that people have always been generous, people have always shown up for one another, and they have always made a commitment to and invested in the institutions and the solutions that make our communities stronger and more vibrant, more resilient, more equitable,” Ray says.
