Every year, Cobb Community Foundation equips nonprofits with the tools, visibility, and matching funds to boost community donations through this powerful holiday fundraising initiative, and in 2025 neighbors across Cobb donated nearly $1.6M to 27 local nonprofit organizations in just three weeks as part of our Match Magic campaign.
With our $138K in matching funds, that brings the total to over $1.7M, far surpassing our $1 million goal!
We are in awe—truly.
Please help us spread the word by sharing this story far and wide—so everyone knows about the incredible work happening in our community and the generosity behind it. Together, we can continue to make a difference.
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🎁 2025 Match Magic Giveathon
Record Results!
💰 $1.7M raised for 27 nonprofits in just three weeks
📈 Year-over-Year Growth
- 2023: $71,000
- 2024: $800,000
- 2025: $1,700,000
🔺 112% growth over 2024
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💵 Breakdown of Impact
- Nearly 1,000 donors
- ~$1.6M raised by nonprofits
- ~$138K in matching funds
Below are the amounts raised by each participating nonprofit and the portion of the match pool each received.
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⭐ Top Fundraisers & Highlights
- $385,327 — Matthew 25:40 Car Care Ministry
- $100K+ — Earl & Rachel Smith Strand Theatre; Good Samaritan Health Center of Cobb; Food Security for America
- Close to $100K — Loving Arms Cancer Outreach
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❤️ Why It Matters
Your generosity is supporting life-changing impact across Cobb County in:
🥗 Food & Basic Needs
🎓 Education
🏠 Housing
🩺 Health
🐾 Animal Welfare
💼 Workforce Development
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💕 A Heartfelt Thank You
This incredible success was only possible thanks to:
- Our Donors — Individuals, families, and businesses who gave so generously
- Our Nonprofits — Dedicated organizations serving our community with passion and purpose
- Our Media Partners — MDJ Marietta Daily Journal, for helping us tell this story far and wide
- The Cobb Community Foundation & Bower Comm Marketing Teams — For relentless energy and unwavering commitment
- Our Match Pool Lead Donors — Who made it all possible from the start
Research shows that matching campaigns can increase total donations by 19%–35%, encouraging donors to give more when their generosity is amplified. Cobb Community Foundation’s proportional match model reflects this research by distributing match dollars based on each nonprofit’s share of total funds raised — encouraging broader participation and larger gifts across the community. (CCF retains none of the donations raised.)
The success of Match Magic 2025 was anchored by Platinum Match Pool Lead Donor Walton Communities, whose generous $50,000 gift seeded the Match Pool in both 2024 and 2025. Additional support from Genuine Parts Company, S.A. White Oil Company, several donor advised fundholders, and other community supporters helped grow the Match Pool to $138,000.
Thanks to the generosity of Stephen W. Imler, who covered printing, mailing, and paid social media costs, the full Match Pool remained intact — maximizing impact for participating nonprofits.
“When our community gives together, the impact is powerful… and we’re honored to support.”
— Matt L. Teague, Director of New Development, Walton Communities
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Nonprofit Funds Raised & Match Allocation
🎭 Arts, Culture & Humanities
- $12,520.45 — Acworth Cultural Arts Center — Creating a performing arts center for North Cobb
- $3,047.93 — ArtsBridge Foundation — Transformative arts education experiences for students
- $111,204.58 — Friends of The Strand — Helping Cobb students shine on stage
🤝 Human Services
- $25,270.30 — Aloha to Aging — Supporting families facing Parkinson’s and dementia
- $19,861.52 — Blue Thanksgiving — Assisting law enforcement families in crisis
- $107,256.66 — Circles Cobb — Moving families from poverty to financial independence
- $39,210.22 — Family Life Restoration Center — Fighting food insecurity
- $107,903.69 — Loving Arms Cancer Outreach — Supporting cancer patients in crisis
- $398,144.75 — Matthew 25:40 Car Care Ministry — Keeping families moving with affordable auto repairs
- $44,650.89 — Simple Needs GA — Providing essentials to families starting over
- $14,639.77 — The Center for Children and Young Adults — Safe housing for foster care teens
- $33,548.60 — Tillman House — Helping families remain housed and financially stable
🥗 Food & Nutrition
- $54,165.49 — BackPack Blessings — Feeding students over weekends
- $155,392.22 — Food Security for America — Delivering fresh produce to families in need
- $64,883.06 — Reflections of Trinity — Weekend meals for at-risk students
🏠 Housing
- $35,145.39 — Cobb County Bar Association Children’s Emergency Fund — Preventing homelessness
- $55,636.39 — LiveSafe Resources — Shelter and safety for survivors of domestic violence
- $26,748.84 — Serenade Heights — Housing support for single moms and children
🌱 Youth Development
- $4,688.35 — Cobb PAL — Youth mentorship through sports
- $17,168.31 — Four Corners Group — Restoring hope for youth in crisis
🐾 Animal Welfare
- $29,233.95 — Atlanta Humane Society — Keeping pets and families together
💼 Workforce Development
- $5,475.10 — CobbWorks — Career training and employment opportunities
🩺 Mental Health & Healthcare
- $100,248.06 — Cumberland Counseling Centers — Affordable therapy for families
- $129,680.16 — Good Samaritan Health Center of Cobb — Healthcare for the uninsured
- $15,059.76 — Highland Rivers Foundation — Supporting mothers in recovery
- $82,818.55 — NAMI Cobb — A new mental health drop-in center
- $14,534.97 — YouthCentric — Helping teens build resilience
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How It All Started
💰 Built a Match Pool
We created a pool to proportionately match funds raised by nonprofits—up to 10%. Walton Communities once again stepped up, inspiring us to dream bigger. With support from Genuine Parts Company, the Pressley Charitable Fund, S.A. White Oil Company, and other generous sponsors, the pool grew to over $138,000.
📝 Selected the Nonprofits
Out of 52 applicants, 27 nonprofits were selected by 30 trained community reviewers, including local leaders and volunteers.
🛠 Provided Training & Tools
From storytelling workshops to ready-to-use templates for social media, email, and donor outreach, nonprofits were fully equipped for success.
🚀 Launched a Three-Week Blitz
The campaign ran November 11–December 2, culminating on Giving Tuesday—and the community showed up in a big way.
📣 Digital & Media Outreach
A multi-channel digital strategy created a “surround sound” effect, while a beautifully designed booklet featuring all 27 nonprofits reached 5,800+ households via MDJ and 1,500+ residents by mail.
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Exceeding Every Expectation
The result? Donations poured in through checks, stock gifts, wire transfers, and online contributions. Some donors even consolidated their annual giving to maximize impact through Match Magic.
In just three weeks, our community raised $1,710,586—far exceeding expectations and proving, once again, the power of generosity in Cobb County.
Our participating nonprofits had overwhelmingly positive feedback about Match Magic! 93% reported gaining new donors (up from 64% in 2024), and 89% received exposure to a new audience (compared to 68% last year), underscoring the program’s growing reach. Organizations also saw strong fundraising results, with 78% reporting higher donation amounts from existing supporters. Reflecting this success, 96% of the 27 participating organizations said they’d like to participate again, and 89% said the time they invested was worth the exposure and donations received.
