Home Mission & Goals Get or Give Help Donors Press Releases Contact Us How it Works Our Criteria Members & Volunteers Other Resources
"Our Members. Making our Community Stronger. Making a Difference."



Misson & Goals

Our Mission Statement

Big Give MN assists families that need that little extra "push" to make it over a hurdle life may have presented them. We pride ourselves in assisting as many families as we can by using both our professional and personal contacts to spread the word.

Our Goal

By bridging our collective capital, Big Give MN can change lives, build strong communities and inspire a generation of leaders.


How It All Began

It was a day that started like any other day. But by lunch time, a group of St. Cloud-area business leaders had uncovered a set of needs they never realized existed in thier own community. Scanning a list of needs at a local non-profit, the participants in the 2008 St. Cloud Chamber Leadership Class saw one after another that the listed needs could easily be met by thier network of leaders.

That ah-ha moment led the class to create a more formal process to match the needs of individuals with business resources. The result: Big Give MN.


A Personal Call To Action

For Big Give MN Organizer Randi Tapio, the desire to make a difference started a few days before while watching “Oprah’s Big Give” show with her 7-year-old daughter. She felt called to do something. But it was not until she visited with a gentleman at the Salvation Army and saw the needs list that she realized what she needed to do.

During her conversation with the gentleman, she learned he was a Vietnam veteran like her father, Garry, who died in 2005. They talked about the services the Veteran Affairs offer veterans now that weren't available to the Vets of earlier generations. The gentleman talked about his current job situation and hopes of finding better employment. She shared memories of her father and the purpose of the leadership class to encourage business leaders to get involved in the community.

It was at that moment that this modestly dressed man encouraged her to consider her ability as a business owner to leverage her network to land him an interview for a better paying job. She asked him to give her the weekend to make some calls and encouraged him to call her on Monday. She entered her name in his cell phone. As he said good-bye and made his way to the door, Randi called to him, “Wait, I need your name!" He said, "You already know it. It’s Gary.”


A Ripple Effect

That day changed Randi. She learned that so many people do not have a family or resources to turn to. Together with her classmates, Randi aims to leverage business resources to meet nonprofit needs and change lives in the community.

Gary never called. But Randi calls him her angel. He not only changed her life, but also inspired a generation of leaders to change the lives of others by donating a bed or printer, or offering to complete a much needed renovation.


© 2008 BigGiveMN.org