If last year's $37 million is any indication, or perhaps the $370,000 WCCO and listeners raised for Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities earlier this week, the Give to the Max Day should be fruitful for Minnesota nonprofits.
At the Wildcat Sanctuary near Sandstone, founder Tammy Thies says every cent makes a difference.
"We don't know if it's a small little bobcat that somebody's gonna call us about or, you know, 15 or seven big cats," says Thies.
And that seven isn't a random number for Thies. That is the number of lions they just took in, and those lions eat a lot of expensive meat.
150 rescued big cats are living out their days on the sanctuary's 220 acres, something this former advertising pro, who was incensed by the way animals were treated during photo shoots, couldn't be more proud of.
"We see a lot of hardship, we see a lot of animal cruelty and neglect," she says. "And to be able to give them a little piece of being wild at heart, here in captivity, is just - it's unexplainable."
Thies says all donations to the Wildcat Sanctuary will be matched dollar for dollar, and contributors will also we entered into a drawing for a behind the scenes tour.
Give to the Max started in 2009 as a one-time campaign to mark the launch of GiveMN.org, Minnesota's digital home for generosity. Over the last 16 years of Give to the Max Day, donors have given more than $355 million to more than 14,000 nonprofits and schools.