LEXINGTON, NE – Lexington Community Foundation’s (LCF) 16th annual Give Big Lexington, a day of giving across Lexington and surrounding communities of Cozad, Gothenburg, Overton, and Elwood, is coming up Thursday, November 12th, 2026.
With 170 causes over five separate communities to benefit from the annual day of giving, LCF’s online platform (givebiglexington.org) with all the causes and their initiatives is live and open for early donations.
LCF Give Big Lexington Publicity Chair Barry McFarland talks about why they open the platform early.
The day of the event, Give Big Lexington headquarters will be at the Orthman Community YMCA where donations can be dropped off in person on Nov. 12th. McFarland says it doesn’t matter the size of donation; anything makes an impact.
Different causes will be set up at the Give Big Lexington headquarters for donors to see how the money they give is used.
McFarland says there will be prizes throughout the day including:
- 16 “$100 Small Acts Spotlight” prize grants will be randomly chosen from online donations. An additional $100 will be added to their donation to the participating nonprofit. These prizes will be drawn randomly on the hour, every hour from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and are sponsored by valued community partners.
- LCF will contribute an incentive fund of $50,000. Every participating organization, project, or program will receive a proportional share of this fund based upon qualifying donations received and their percentage of the total dollars raised.
- Understanding that even small gifts can make a BIG difference, one $1,500 bonus grant will be awarded to a participating Give BIG Lexington organization that receives at least 20 gifts of $50 or less. This prize will be drawn at random and added to the winning organization’s total amount raised upon completion of the event.
In addition, the Lexington Community Foundation covers the 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction fee charged by the Mightycause Foundation for expenses and campaign costs (including credit card transaction costs). Donors have the option to cover these fees during checkout.
The Lexington Ministerial Association will also be hosting their chili cookoff at the YMCA during the Give Big Lexington event.
To donate now, look at a full list of causes, or to donate online the day of during the 24-hour window, go to givebiglexington.org.
