By RONDA GRAFF

MCFF

McCOOK, Neb. - Every year since the Big Give began in Southwest Nebraska, the one-day of giving has grown. The number of non-profit organizations participating has more than tripled from 2016 to 2026. The sponsorship dollars have steadily increased. And the number of individual donors has gone up every year.

With the 2026 Southwest Nebraska Big Give less than two weeks away, the Community Chest committee, which organizes the Big Give, hopes they will see record numbers again on Thursday, Nov. 5.

The SWNE Big Give has already set the bar high with a record number of organizations signing up for the one day of philanthropy. To be eligible for the Southwest Nebraska Big Give, an organization must be a 501(3) non-profit, have a physical presence in Southwest Nebraska and funds must stay local. 

Several non-profits have been part of the Big Give since it began in 2016 including the McCook YMCA, McCook Arts Council, McCook Humane Society, Family Resource Center, McCook Community Foundation Fund, Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska, Domestic Abuse/Sexual Assault Services, Salvation Army, Prairie Plains Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Southwest Nebraska Habitat for Humanity and McCook’s TeamMates Mentoring Program.

Other organizations which have been part of the Big Give for several years include the Community Hospital Health Foundation, ABC Pregnancy Help Center, Sixth Floor Project/ArtBank, Cambridge Senior Center, Curtis Area Senior Center, Discovery Center (Breakaway), Haigler Community Foundation, High Plains Historical Society and Museum, Hillcrest Nursing Home Foundation, Norris Institute, McCook Art Guild, McCook College Foundation, McCook Community Kitchen, McCook Education Foundation, McCook K9 Korner, McCook Legion Baseball Boosters, Southwest Nebraska Genealogy Society, St. Patrick School, Tri Valley Medical Foundation, TeamMates for Cambridge and Maywood, the McCook Freedom Festival and the Alliance for the Encouragement of Visual and Performing Arts (Fox Theater).

Several other groups are newer but familiar faces to the Big Give, including Beautify McCook,, Cambridge Community Daycare Foundation, Cambridge Park Foundation, Daughters of the American Revolution, Indianola Historical Society,Southwest Public Schools Foundation, the McCook Athletic Group Training Center, Cambridge Public Schools Foundation and the Community Indoor Association in McCook.

New this year are Bison Booster Club, Bridge of Hope Child Advocacy, Community Redevelopment Benkelman Foundation (Tiger Tot Childcare), Dundy County Senior Center, the McCook Economic Development Corp. Community Growth Fund, Southwest Nebraska Works (formerly Share the Heat) and the Elizabeth Project.

The 2026 Southwest Nebraska Big Give is made possible because of sponsors providing matching funds, which are used during the “power hours” throughout the day, as well as overall matching funds for each organization based upon their totals. 

Platinum and gold sponsors include Graff Charitable Foundation and MNB Bank, Community Hospital, Security First Bank and Horizon Bank. A complete list of sponsors is available on the Big Give website, swnebiggive.org.

Complete information about the Big Give and all the organizations participating can be found on the Big Give website. 

Online donations will begin to be accepted at 12 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 6 through 11:59 p.m. A complete list of in-person giving stations can be found on the website, along with a printable form so donors can arrive with their donation ready.

The Southwest Nebraska Big Give is coordinated by Community Chest, which is a sub-account of the McCook Community Foundation Fund, an affiliated fund of the Nebraska Community Foundation.