By RONDA GRAFF

MCFF

Every year, residents of McCook and Southwest Nebraska continue to show how generous they are as the 2026 Southwest Nebraska Big Give again reached record numbers. These included a record number of sponsor funds, individual donations, number of donations and organizations participating.

The one-day of giving on Nov. 5, 2026, amassed a total of $404,978 in donations for 53 non-profit organizations. When the matching funds are added in, the total will surpass $480,000. The 2025 SWNE Big Give raised $410,000 for 45 organizations in McCook and Southwest Nebraska.

Just as importantly, the individual number of donations increased by 15% from 1200 to more than 1390. 

While the Southwest Nebraska Big Give is officially 24 hours long, donations trickle in on the days following the event so the final number may actually be higher with the official total announced in the upcoming weeks.

Along with individual donors, the Big Give is made possible because of generous sponsors which provide matching funds for the organizations.

The 2026 platinum sponsors include the Graff Charitable Foundation and MNB Bank. Gold sponsors are Community Hospital, Horizon Bank and Security First Bank.

While donations can no longer be made online, the Big Give website is still available at swnebiggive.org with a complete list of the organizations, the projects and needs, as well as their totals from the Big Give. 

The Southwest Nebraska Big Give is organized by the McCook Community Chest, a committee of local volunteers. While the SWNE Big Give is just 24 hours, planning takes place all year long with the 2027 SWNE Big Give scheduled for early November.

The McCook Community Chest is a sub-account of the McCook Community Foundation Fund, an affiliate of the Nebraska Community Foundation.