Brooks: It’s Give to the Max Day in Minnesota, with kittens and causes and caring

An air horn blasted and cheers erupted in the GiveMN office in St. Paul as the donation counter rolled past $16 million late in the morning Thursday. Within minutes, it soared toward $17 million as Minnesotans dug deep on the most generous day of the year.

“You are such a good fundraiser,” GiveMN operations manager Manya Jacobson whispered to the striped kitten snoozing in the crook of one arm while she typed with the other. “Banyan loves raising money.”

Banyan and his siblings — all named after trees — were visiting from Minnetonka animal shelter The Bond Between, one of 5,000 or so nonprofits and schools participating in Give to the Max Day 2025.

As GiveMN collected cash for kittens, the kittens raised spirits among the small staff steering millions of donations to thousands of worthy causes. Food shelves. Shelters. Schools. Community gardens. Community health centers. Environmental programs. Animal rescues. Theaters. Cultural centers. Local journalism.

“What I love about Give to the Max Day is that every gift counts and adds up to something bigger than ourselves,” said GiveMN CEO Jenna Ray, who heads the 10-person staff. “Whether it’s $5, $10, $100, we all work together toward a goal.”

This year has put Minnesota nonprofits through the wringer. The economy is shaky. Federal funding is even shakier. Demand is rising; donations are declining. Give to the Max donations could help get them through the holidays.

Even a $5 donation could make all the difference at Hammer & NER, a century-old nonprofit that provides homes and services for people with intellectual and other disabilities in the west and north metro.

“We have people who entered our care 40, 50 years ago. They’ve been with us literally decades,” Allen said. “We have people who are becoming senior citizens in our residential facilities who learned to shave when they were teenagers in our school.”

Give to the Max Day donations will help with almost everything: staff salaries, outings for the residents and retrofitting homes to accommodate an aging population that now needs things like chair lifts and accessible bathrooms.

A third of American nonprofits have had their funding reduced or disrupted this year by federal budget cuts or the government shutdown, according to an analysis by the Urban Institute.

Minnesotans are paying more for groceries, health insurance, housing and a mountain of tariffed goods. It’s not fair to ask anyone to give more. But the federal government slashed funding that kept our neighbors fed, housed, educated, warm, safe and healthy. If you can give, Minnesota nonprofits would be so grateful.

“This is the season of giving thanks,” Allen said. “It’s a bit challenging in the world we live in right now to find opportunities to be grateful and we’re glad we have the opportunity to help people have those feelings.”

Give to the Max Day was only half over.

“This is a story we all get to write together,” Ray said. “What story would we like to tell this year? I would like the story to say that Minnesotans were the most generous version of ourselves ever.”