“Brilliant.”
That is how Rabbi Kolby Morris-Dahary at Har Mischpacha in Steamboat Springs describes JEWISHcolorado’s Jewish Days of Giving, the only statewide Jewish giving event in the country.
“ A great opportunity.”
That is what Melanie Schoeberger, Board President of Denver Academy of Torah, says about her organization’s experience with Jewish Days of Giving.
In May, Jewish Days of Giving, a JEWISHcolorado initiative in partnership with Colorado Gives Foundation, will celebrate the third year of successful fundraising across the state during three days of giving focused solely on Jewish organizations.
Each year has produced greater success. In 2024, a combination of donations and matching funds raised $387,000. In 2025, that number increased by more than seven percent to $415,000 raised for 45 different organizations. As it has done in the past, JEWISHcolorado organizes a Community Match Fund, matching donations up to $1,000 for every participating organization.
For Rabbi Kolby, those matching dollars make a difference.
“This is a really impactful way that JEWISHcolorado helps local organizations thrive,” she says. “For an organization that is small like ours, that extra matching amount is really meaningful.”
Rabbi Kolby has also seen other advantages to Jewish Days of Giving.
“Our synagogue has never really had a formal development strategy,” she says. “That’s why I jumped at this opportunity. Lots of people were inspired to make gifts the first year and even more so the second year.”
For Melanie Schoenberger, Jewish Days of Giving serves a dual purpose.
“Of course, it’s great to have the donations, because I am constantly fundraising!” she says. “But this is also a wonderful way to showcase our Modern Orthodox school as part of the infrastructure and ecosystem of Jewish life in Colorado. Someone who cares about what we do now sees that we exist and can support us.”
In two years of participation, Schoeberger says that Denver Academy of Torah has seen results. “We have engaged with new donors,” she says. “This is an opportunity for them to feel good about giving on days that the entire Jewish community is engaged in giving.”
How does Jewish Days of Giving work?
JEWISHcolorado created Jewish Days of Giving in the spirit of Tzedakah as a way to strengthen and unite the statewide Jewish community. The event raises awareness and amplifies philanthropic support for all participating organizations while celebrating the values of Colorado’s Jewish community. Organizations simply sign up and JEWISHcolorado spreads the word about the giving opportunity.
This year’s Jewish Days of Giving will take place on May 18-20. Once again, JEWISHcolorado will organize a Community Match Fund, offering all participating organizations up to $1,000 in matching funds for online donations.
Participating organizations are included on the coloradogives.org platform and receive:
- Webinar library with slides and recordings focusing on digital fundraising, donor retention, PR, storytelling, endowments and more;
- Opportunities for 1:1 fundraising coaching;
- Help articles;
- Year-Round Giving Toolkit for ColoradoGives.org;
- Grant opportunities;
- Free Catchafire subscription.
“All Jewish Days of Giving organizations have the advantage of being listed on coloradogives.org throughout the year, so that people can make donations at any time,” says Jason Oruch, JEWISHcolorado Director of Campaign Operations and Digital Philanthropy.” If you are not listed, you are missing out on potential new donors.”
JEWISHcolorado also hosts two webinars focused on sharing best practices for creating digital campaigns, organizing matching funds, and navigating the Colorado Gives platform.
Organizations that have participated in the past can prepare for May 2026 by filling out the registration form by March 1, 2026.
Organizations that are interested in participating in Jewish Days of Giving for the first time should fill out the registration form. They must be registered on Coloradogives.org by April 1.
Don’t miss Jewish Days of Giving
Har Mishpacha and Denver Academy of Torah are already preparing to participate for a third year in Jewish Days of Giving.
Rabbi Kolby likes to create a campaign for her giving platform, describing specific projects and initiatives that will receive the funding.
“As a donor myself, I think it’s more interesting to give to particular initiatives,” she says. “The platform makes that really easy. And we have also used the platform for other purposes, including a campaign this summer to bring IDF soldiers to Steamboat for respite.”
For Melanie Schoeberger, the benefits of Jewish Days of Giving extend beyond three days in May.
“This has helped our school build a stronger relationship with JEWISHcolorado,” says Schoenberger. “Having JEWISHcolorado help support our school through Jewish Days of Giving and having the broader exposure for our school makes this a really beautiful partnership.”