MEG's Gift, Inc.

What MEG's Gift, Inc. does

MEG's Gift, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity founded in 2015 in Rochester, New York, in memory of Megan Elizabeth Garbach, who died by suicide in 2014. The organization is volunteer-driven with 1–10 staff (effectively no paid employees) and is led by Megan's parents Ray and Kathy Garbach as co-founders and her sister Katie Scalzo as treasurer. Its core function is to raise funds from individual donors, family foundations, corporate sponsors, and community events, then redistribute those funds as annual donations to local mental health organizations in the Rochester area.

The organization's "products" are programmatic rather than technological: an annual primary beneficiary donation (typically $30,000–$65,000 per year), recurring secondary beneficiary grants, the MESSAGES annual newsletter publication, corporate sponsorship tiers ranging from $100 (Friend of Meg) to $5,000 (Gold), community fundraising events (NAMI Rochester Walks, the annual MEG's Gift Golf Tournament, third-party events like the Kringle Krawl), and PR/media appearances by leadership. Since 2015, MEG's Gift has distributed over $500,000 across at least 10 distinct recipient organizations including NAMI Rochester, Veterans Outreach Center, AFSP, Villa of Hope, Compeer Rochester, Children's Institute, East House, CACGROC, St. Joseph's Neighborhood Center, and TIG.

The revenue model is purely donations-based: voluntary contributions from individuals and family foundations, tiered annual corporate sponsorships ($100–$5,000), memorial giving, and event proceeds. There is no proprietary technology platform, no SaaS product, and no commercial revenue stream; the digital presence is a Wix-hosted website with a donation portal and basic social channels (Instagram, Facebook, X). Geographic scope is regional (Rochester, NY / New York State), and the primary segments served are local mental health nonprofits (as grant recipients) and individual/corporate donors (as funders).

Name

MEG's Gift, Inc.

Legal name

MEG's Gift, Inc.

Website

https://megsgift.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MEG's Gift is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Rochester, NY that raises donations from individuals, families, and corporate sponsors and redistributes them as annual grants to local mental health organizations. Since 2015, it has distributed over $500,000 across more than 10 beneficiary nonprofits in the Rochester area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAKAF

Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Sponsors

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

Keywords

• Mental health charity
• Nonprofit fundraising
• Community mental health
• Charitable giving programs
• Mental health advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Rochester, New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual and Family Foundation Giving: MEG's Gift collects donations from individual donors, families, and family foundations on a recurring basis throughout the year.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors support the organization through tiered sponsorship packages ranging from $100 to $5,000 annually.
3. Memorial Giving: The organization accepts donations made in memory of loved ones, connecting donors' personal loss experiences to the mission.
4. Community Event Proceeds: Proceeds from special community events including NAMI Walks, Golf Tournaments, and third-party fundraisers benefit the organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

MEG's Gift is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity that collects donations and redistributes funds to local mental health organizations in the Rochester, NY area. The organization supplements its financial support work with an annual MESSAGES newsletter publication, community fundraising events (NAMI Walks, Golf Tournament, third-party fundraisers), and tiered corporate sponsorship programs. It is run entirely by volunteers, with no paid staff.

Product overview

MEG's Gift, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity organization rather than a technology product company. The organization operates as a mental health foundation offering charitable giving programs including annual donations to beneficiary organizations, the MESSAGES annual newsletter publication, an online donation platform, and corporate sponsorship programs at various tier levels. These services work together to fulfill the organization's mission of providing financial support, educational resources, and advocacy for mental illness awareness. The core offering is the annual beneficiary donation program, supplemented by the MESSAGES newsletter for education, the donation platform for fundraising, and sponsorship tiers for corporate partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MESSAGES Annual Newsletter An annual printed newsletter publication available in PDF format that provides mental health information, resources, and updates about the organization's activities and community impact for the Rochester, NY community.
• Donation Platform Online donation collection system enabling individual donors to contribute any amount to support mental health causes and community organizations through the megsgift.org website.
• Sponsorship Programs Corporate sponsorship tiers including Gold ($5,000), Silver ($2,500), Bronze ($1,000), Angel ($500), Environmental ($250), and Friend of Meg ($100), offering name recognition on the website and other benefits for business supporters.
• Beneficiary Donation Program Annual primary beneficiary selection program through which MEG's Gift donates funds to selected mental health organizations, including NAMI Rochester, Compeer Rochester, Veterans Outreach Center, Villa of Hope, Children's Institute, East House, AFSP, and others, totaling over $500,000 since 2015.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $500,000 donated to mental health organizations since 2015
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered primary beneficiary and beneficiary.

• Veterans Outreach Center (VOC)primary beneficiaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Veterans Outreach Center was selected as MEG's Gift's 2026 Primary Beneficiary. VOC provides free comprehensive services to veterans and their families including housing, employment support, behavioral health care, and peer connection. MEG's Gift will support expansion of VOC's health and wellness programs including mental health services, suicide prevention, and peer support groups.
• Compeer Rochesterprimary beneficiaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Compeer Rochester was selected as MEG's Gift's 2025 Primary Beneficiary and received a $35,000 donation. The partnership supports Compeer Rochester's friendship-based mental health programs that match trained volunteers with children, adults, and veterans living with mental health challenges to foster connection and reduce isolation.
• Child Advocacy Center of Greater Rochester (CACGROC)primary beneficiaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Formerly the Bivona Child Advocacy Center, CACGROC provides trauma-informed, child-centered preventative, investigative and restorative services. Received $30,000 donation as 2024 Primary Beneficiary.
• NAMI Rochesterprimary beneficiaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023NAMI Rochester received $65,000 as 2023 Primary Beneficiary to support the Ending the Silence initiative providing mental health education to teens in schools.
• Villa of Hopeprimary beneficiaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Villa of Hope received $40,000 to expand behavioral health services. The organization partners with individuals, families and communities to rebuild relationships, recover potential, and renew hope.
• East HousebeneficiaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021East House received $30,000 to support transitional housing and rehabilitation services. The organization provides supervised and independent housing options along with programs for over 1,500 persons annually recovering from mental illness and/or substance use disorders.
• Children's InstitutebeneficiaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Children's Institute received $20,000 to support evidence-based prevention and early intervention programs for children, including assessments and trainings for parents and teachers.
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)beneficiaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019AFSP received $50,000 to support suicide prevention programs including Soul Shop for faith leaders, Suicide Bereavement Clinician Training, SafeSide training for medical professionals, and Talk Saves Lives community programs.
• NAMI RochesterbeneficiaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018NAMI Rochester received $45,000 to support the Ending the Silence initiative for teen mental health education.
• TIG (Consortium on Trauma, Illness and Grief in Schools)beneficiaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017TIG received $20,000 to provide centralized training to school districts for evidence-based crisis response skills related to trauma, violence, illness and death.
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)beneficiaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017AFSP received $30,000 in 2017 to help train individuals to administer suicide prevention programs to children ages 16-24.
• Veterans Outreach Center (VOC)beneficiaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Veterans Outreach Center received $55,000 to support services for veterans. The VOC christened Priscilla's House, a home for female veterans, with the front porch dedicated to the Garbach family, founders of MEG's Gift.
• St. Joseph's Neighborhood CenterbeneficiaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015St. Joseph's Neighborhood Center received $60,000 to provide comprehensive health care, social work, and counseling services to approximately 3,000 underinsured or uninsured individuals annually.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Trevor Project: Mental health and suicide prevention nonprofit with a strong donor-advised giving model. Comparable in raising and deploying donor funds for mental health beneficiary organizations and crisis services.
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP): National suicide prevention grantmaker and a repeat MEG's Gift beneficiary ($50K in 2019, $30K in 2017). Directly comparable mission (mental health/suicide prevention funding and advocacy) and overlapping donor universe.
• Active Minds: National mental health awareness and grantmaking nonprofit for young adults. Comparable mission overlap (mental health advocacy, education, and stigma reduction) and similar community-event-driven fundraising approach.
• NAMI Rochester: Local Rochester affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness and a primary MEG's Gift beneficiary ($65K in 2023, $45K in 2018). Comparable mission (mental health advocacy and support) and overlapping donor and volunteer networks in the same geography.
• The Jason Foundation: Family-founded nonprofit focused on youth suicide prevention awareness and education. Comparable as a small-to-mid grantmaking/awareness charity built around a personal-loss narrative.
• Bring Change to Mind: Mental health nonprofit and grantmaker founded on a personal-story narrative similar to MEG's Gift. Comparable model of using an emotional origin story to drive fundraising and awareness for mental health.
• Compeer Rochester: Rochester-based mental health nonprofit and MEG's Gift's 2025 Primary Beneficiary ($35K). Directly comparable as a local mental-health service organization sharing the same Rochester donor and volunteer ecosystem.

Regional players

• Rochester Area Community Foundation: Community foundation serving the same Rochester, NY region as MEG's Gift. Comparable in pooling charitable funds and distributing grants to local nonprofits, but operates at much larger asset scale.
• Greater Rochester Health Foundation: Rochester-based health-focused grantmaker. Comparable in distributing charitable funds to regional health and mental health organizations in the same geographic catchment.

Broad incumbents

• Mental Health America: Large national mental health advocacy and grantmaking organization. Comparable overarching mission (mental health awareness, education, and community support) but operates at significantly greater national scale than MEG's Gift.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/megsgiftinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/megsgift
• Instagraminstagram.com/megsgift
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/megsgift

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MEG's Gift, Inc.