The Marietta Community Foundation has launched a matching campaign that will double qualifying unrestricted gifts through the end of the year, the foundation announced. Under the Foundation First Matching Campaign, which runs from October 12 through December 31, 2026, Ryan and Katarina Robinson will match gifts dollar for dollar, up to a total of $2 million, giving donors in Marietta and across Washington County a chance to see each contribution go twice as far.
The campaign is aimed specifically at unrestricted gifts. Unrestricted support gives the foundation flexibility to direct money where community needs are greatest, rather than tying each dollar to a single program. For donors, the structure is simple: a qualifying gift made during the window is matched by an equal amount from the Robinsons, up to the $2 million cap, effectively doubling the original donation.
The effort arrives with considerable momentum already behind it. As of launch day, the campaign had already raised $522,862, the foundation said. That total represents more than 25 percent of the $2 million goal, and it was reached before the campaign was even announced publicly, a sign of how strongly an early group of supporters has rallied around the idea.
That early group, known as the campaign’s “Friends,” stepped forward ahead of the public launch to help build the early total. The Friends include Artex Oil Company, whose support was made in honor of Bob Kirkbride, along with other local families and foundations. Their early commitments helped push the campaign past the quarter mark before most residents had heard about it, giving the public phase a running start.
Ryan Robinson said having support from that early group strengthens the message behind the campaign. In his view, the effort is about more than one family’s matching commitment; it is a chance for a community to collaborate for its own greater good. That framing is central to how the foundation is presenting the campaign, as a shared project for Washington County rather than a single large donation.
The foundation behind the campaign has deep roots in the community it serves. The Marietta Community Foundation has served Washington County for more than five decades, working to turn local generosity into lasting impact. Based in Marietta, the Washington County seat at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers, the foundation channels charitable giving from local donors into support that continues to benefit the area over time.
With more than $1.4 million of the match still available, the foundation is inviting residents, families, and businesses to take part before the December 31 deadline. Every qualifying unrestricted gift made during the window will be matched until the $2 million total is reached, so earlier donors can be certain their contribution is doubled. The remaining weeks of the year will show how far that early momentum can carry.
Photo: pasa47, CC BY