It wasn't pretty, but it worked anyway. More than 52,000 Minnesotans donated $17,145,000 on the annual day of giving, even more than the $16.3 million raised last year.
Give to the Max Day became a victim of its own success Thursday, raking in $9 million in record-setting donations before noon -- and then getting smacked with technical difficulties that put up a roadblock to giving.
The online giving marathon shut down for more than five hours, reopening for business about 6 p.m. Minnesotans forged ahead, donating almost $7 million more to their charities and schools before 11 p.m.
For GiveMN organizers, it was the best and worst of days.
"It's been frustrating, it's been disappointing," said Dana Nelson, executive director of GiveMN, the online giving forum that launched Give to the Max Day five years ago. "The nonprofits worked so hard to make this day come to life. Five hours is a long time. And it has an impact on their bottom line."
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Thousands of donors had responded to Give to the Max Day in Minnesota, an annual day of giving that last year raked in $16 million. The $9 million that had been raised by noon climbed steadily after the website came back up.
Nonprofits, at first, took the technical glitch in stride. Judith Kahn, executive director of Teenwise Minnesota, was among hundreds of groups that scurried to notify supporters that the website was down.
"Well, if this isn't the definition of Minnesota nice, I don't know what is," Kahn wrote. "Because of an outpouring of support, the Give to the Max website is currently down. Please know that if you're experiencing problems, you can always make your donation on our website at teenwisemn.org."
Augsburg College -- which had 27 specialized fundraisers in the mix -- took to the phones, calling potential donors and taking donations on the spot, said Heather Riddle, vice president for advancement.
"It was really nice to connect directly with people," said Riddle, who nonetheless said she would have liked to have had an online option.
By late afternoon, many nonprofits were getting nervous, rolling out a Plan B. Youth Performance Company, the Animal Humane Society and Teenwise Minnesota were among those that reminded supporters that they could also donate to them directly on their websites.
"Don't let the technical problems at GiveMN get you down!" the Animal Humane Society told its followers. "You can still Give to the Max directly through the AHS website."
Topping the donations list are Cretin-Derham Hall of St. Paul, Convent and Academy of Visitation in Mendota Heights, and Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners.
