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Alexandria's 16th annual Spring2ACTion roared past $1.3 million before noon Wednesday, putting ACT for Alexandria's 24-hour giving day more than halfway to its $2.5 million goal with roughly 12 hours still to give.
As of 11:17 a.m., the campaign's public dashboard showed $1,317,359 raised through 5,495 donations from 3,680 donors, with 177 of 196 participating nonprofits already on the board. That represents a 44% jump in the dollar total — and a 26% jump in donors — from the dawn snapshot of $912,810 and 2,925 donors.
"We're overwhelmed by the generosity of the community," Brandi Yee, chief program officer for ACT for Alexandria, said in a statement to the Alexandria Brief. "For over 20 years, ACT has been here to support the nonprofit sector and their work helping our neighbors in need. Every donation, no matter the size, fuels their incredible work."
Yee called Spring2ACTion a chance for Alexandrians to "thank and celebrate the amazing organizations for the lifegiving and lifesaving work they do every day in our community," and urged residents to check out the Spring2ACTion events happening at businesses and venues across the city. A full schedule is posted at spring2action.org/p/events.
Animal rescues punch well above their weight
Alexandria's animal organizations — a category that spans eight registered nonprofits from the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria to Marlees Misfits — emerged as one of the morning's breakout stories, collectively pulling in more than $75,000 and landing two groups inside the citywide top 10 by dollars raised.
King Street Cats led the animal cohort at $28,423 from 241 donors, ranking fourth in total dollars and third in donor count across all 196 participating nonprofits — besting much larger social-service organizations in both measures. The all-volunteer cat rescue also paced the medium-sized nonprofit tier (annual budgets of $250,000 to $1 million) by a wide margin.
Operation Paws for Homes Rescue raised $21,800 from just 29 donors — an average gift above $750, among the highest of any organization. Homeward Trails Animal Rescue, working out of a $1 million-plus budget tier, cracked the citywide top 10 at $12,050 from 101 donors. The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria ($6,233), Tails High ($5,065) and Wildlife Rescue League ($1,780) rounded out the rescue field in the leaderboard's top 100.
Citywide leaders
By total dollars raised, Casa Chirilagua held the No. 1 spot at $56,434, followed by the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic Association at $41,400 and ALIVE! at $30,182. King Street Cats ($28,423), the Alexandria Singers ($27,681) and Housing Alexandria ($26,460) trailed closely, with Operation Paws for Homes Rescue ($21,800), Alexandria Seaport Foundation ($20,095), the Campagna Center ($18,225) and Space of Her Own ($17,446) rounding out the top 10.
By donor count — the metric Spring2ACTion uses to crown tier winners — the Alexandria Singers extended their citywide lead to 291 donors, pacing the 106-organization small-nonprofit tier. Housing Alexandria held the 55-organization large tier at 246 donors, and King Street Cats led the medium tier at 241.
Free agents and early childhood push
The campaign's reach extended beyond the 196 registered nonprofits. A total of 218 "free agent" fundraising pages — individuals, companies and informal teams raising money for a chosen organization — were active by midmorning, led by World Cup Special & More! at 65 donors, Paige's Fundraising Page (39) and Stefanie's Fundraiser (36).
A new Early Care and Education leaderboard spotlighting members of the Kids' First Years collective was topped by ALIVE! ($30,182), the Campagna Center ($18,225) and the Center for Alexandria's Children ($7,436).
Context
Since its founding in 2011, Spring2ACTion — the only citywide giving day in the region — has drawn more than 75,000 donors and raised nearly $26 million for roughly 200 Alexandria nonprofits. Last year, nearly 8,000 donors contributed a record $3.1 million to more than 190 participating organizations. Organizers set a $2.5 million goal for 2026 as local nonprofits navigate rising demand alongside funding challenges and reduced capacity, according to ACT for Alexandria.
Participating groups serve a broad swath of community needs, including housing and food assistance, workforce development, healthcare, arts and culture, animal care and environmental conservation.
Donations remain open through midnight at spring2action.org, where givers can search by cause or organization and give from any device.
Amazon and the city of Alexandria are returning as presenting sponsors. The Alexandria Brief is a media partner for Spring2ACTion.
