Chautauqua County residents did, indeed, Give Big on Thursday.

The Chautauqua Region Community Foundation held its annual 24-hour Give Big fundraising campaign Thursday. Foundation officials said the drive is about more than just raising money for nonprofits.

“This event allows our non-for-profits to not only raise funds, but to engage donors as well,” said Elizabeth Jones, Chautauqua Region Community Foundation community impact officer. “Each organization sets up their own page on our site and sets their own goals and funding objectives.”

Jones also talked about how each year the drive appears to be getting bigger and bigger.

“Each year we see more and more non-profits becoming part of this drive,” said Jones. “I’m hesitant to set the bar for a target dollar amount. However, people within our community are very generous.”

Give Big CHQ 2024 raised more than $365,189, in the form of 3,795 monetary gifts to 132 organizations from 2,433 donors. According to givebigchq.org some of the top fundraising organizations include Options Care Center, raised $20,584 from 177 donors, ranking it number one; Westfield Memorial Hospital Foundation, raised $ 16,140 from 35 donors, ranking it number two; Reg Lenna Center for the Arts, raised $15,105, from 117 donors ranking it number three.

Additionally, some newcomer organizations did extremely well for themselves despite not having longevity or a large geographical footprint in the area. Some quasi-newcomers and some more established non-profits also brought in a decent hall for their prospective companies. Here are some of the results:

-The National Comedy Center raised $10,901 from 91 donors, ranking it at No.19

-Arise Chautauqua Inc. raised $3,925 from 68 donors, ranking it at No.21 (brand new)

-The James Prendergast Library raised $1,440 from 33 donors, ranking it at No. 52

-Prevention Works Inc. raised $1,130 from 17 donors, ranking it at No. 63

-Dunkirk-Fredonia Meals on Wheels raised $1.070 from 15 donors, ranking it at No. 66

-Dunkirk Historical Society raised $1,185 from 17 donors, ranking it No. 72

In June 2022, Give Big CHQ celebrated five years of impact, raising $347,000 for 112 organizations. In 2022 A total of 2,362 individuals made at least one donation during the 24-hour period, many giving multiple times to more than one organization.

For a complete list of all the non-for-profit organizations who took part in the Give Big CHQ 2024 see givebigchq.org. For more information on the CRCF see crcfonline.org,