The fifth annual Seward County Gives fundraising campaign will kick off Sunday,April 26, with a goal of raising more than $150,000 for 32 local nonprofit projects.
Fundraising will continue through May 3 at Sewardcountygives.com. Donors may also make gifts via the individual groups’ websites or in person at any partner organization or the “giving station” at Cattle Bank and Trust in Seward.
Last year, Seward County raised $148,176 in gifts and sponsorships for 39 organizations.
Board member Misty Ahmic said Seward County Gives has raised more than $850,000 for participating organizations in the previous four campaigns.
“This year we hope to cross the $1 million mark,” Ahmic said.
The board has revised the community match program for 2026, shifting away from a point system that provided each organization a share of the match pool based on the number of donors they had.
Ahmic said that match program encouraged broad participation and touched every fundraising group in the early years of the fundraising program.
“We believe the community understands the drive and its purpose, so we have shifted our focus toward helping organizations generate more direct revenue for their projects,” Ahmic said.
This year, organizations will be eligible for two possible matches made possible by this year’s sponsors, some of whom have been a part of Seward County Gives from the start.
The first match is based on the total amount each organization raises as a percentage of the total raised in the Seward County Gives campaign. So if the giving to organizations reaches $100,000 and one organization raises $10,000, they would receive 10% of the match pool.
“This ensures that all participants are still receiving a portion of the match,” Ahmic said.
The second matching program will feature six matches awarded in a drawing with organizations raising $1,000 or more being entered into two drawings for a $1,000 match, organizations raising $2,500 or more being entered into an additional two drawings for a $2,500 match, and organizations raising $5,000 or more entered into an additional two drawings for a match of $5,000.
That means organizations raising $5,000 or more would be eligible for all six drawings.
The 2026 fundraising organizations have scheduled a variety of special events and information sites tied to Seward County Gives, with details available on the Seward County Gives website.
As of April 17, those included a Bagels & Joe promotion benefitting the overall program, as well as programs tied to specific organizations’ efforts, such as the Milford Elementary School Free family event on April 27, a free “pizza and peer” event hosted by Wellbeing Initiative in Seward on April 28, a Beaver Crossing Volunteer Fire Department corn hole tournament on May 2, a Staplehurst Volunteer Fire Department breakfast on May 3, a Seward Read to Me story time with Carla Ketner at Chapters on April 27, a Seward County Genealogy Society garage Sale May 1 and 2, a Seward Disc Golf Day in Centennial Park on May 2, and a Seward Blue River Historical District open house on April 26.
More events will likely be added to the website.
To participate in Seward County Gives, organizations must have a current 501(c)3 nonprofit designation from the Internal Revenue Service, be a government entity or be sponsored by a group that meets one of those two criteria.
Also, the project for which funds are raised must be based in Seward County and directly benefit Seward County residents or visitors. General operating or administrative campaigns are not eligible.
Seward County Gives was initially operating under the umbrella of the Legacy Fund, but in 2024, it became its own 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
Ahmic said board members Joey Carder, Pleasant Dale, Katie Wergin, Milford, and Sharon Powell, Utica, have done great work organizing the event.
In addition to the match, funding from sponsors helps underwrite the technical and other expenses of less than $3,000 incurred by Seward County Gives board.
This year’s sponsoring organizations include: AKRS, Cattle Bank and Trust, Farmers Cooperative, Gabriel Burger and Else CPA, Hughes Brothers, Insure Nebraska, Jones Bank, Kinetic by Windstream, Levrack, Mark and Amy Patterson, Middle Creek Printing, Rembolt Ludtke, Sampson Construction and Union Bank and Trust.
