After a month of countywide fundraising, Give Big Kern broke records for the second year in a row.

In 2019, the countywide online giving event, hosted by Kern Community Foundation, raised more dollars, had more donors, pledged more volunteers hours and had more volunteers than in 2018 — a year that beat 2017 fundraising by 56 percent.

“Give Big Kern illustrates the giving nature of Kern County — bringing unrestricted dollars and priceless volunteer hours to participating nonprofits,” said Foundation President and CEO Kristen Beall.

The Give Big Kern website went live April 7 and closed a month later on May 8. In one month, community members donated $418,870, an 81 percent increased from the year before.

The event also brought in more than 2,700 donors, and had the most volunteers hours pledged, with 88,600 hours — a 70 percent increase from 2018.

Beall said, “Give Big Kern is KCF’s ‘gift’ to the nonprofit community and an integral part of the Foundation’s Nonprofit Strengthening Initiative to increase nonprofits’ visibility, capacity and sustainability.”