CHEYENNE (WNE) — The third annual WyoGives fundraising campaign brought in more than $3.1 million Wednesday. 

In a 24-hour period of online giving, WyoGives saw 5,586 donors make 9,198 gifts to 256 organizations, according to the WyoGives website. 

WyoGives is a campaign initiative started by the Wyoming Nonprofit Network in 2020 to give Wyomingites a chance to come together in a statewide day of giving separate from holiday giving seasons. 

“We’re just incredibly excited about the results of the campaign this year,” WNN Executive Director Jody Shields said in an interview on Thursday. “The $3.1 million is just a tremendous example of the generosity and support of people across the state, as well as people who love Wyoming but may not live here.” 

Shields said the campaign saw “tremendous growth” in its number of donors, as nearly 2,000 more of them contributed this year than in 2021. Those who give to multiple organizations are counted only once, so the tally on the website represents 5,586 individuals. 

The Hughes Charitable Foundation provided a $1 million matching donation to WyoGives for a second year; in 2021, HCF’s gift helped the campaign raise $2.3 million.

Shields said the goal for WyoGives this year was to surpass the total amount raised last year, which it achieved. 

“The board of the Wyoming Nonprofit Network, I know, are incredibly excited by the results and how quickly this has grown since it started in 2020,” Shields said. 

She said she hopes future WyoGives events will continue to surpass previous years, both in dollars raised and in the number of donors.