2026 YMCA GIVING TREE
Every year, through the YMCA Giving Tree, community members - young and old - have the opportunity to bring joy, spread light, and make holiday wishes come true for those in need in the Fargo/Moorhead/West Fargo community. In 2025, together with the community we made the holidays brighter for 1,400 local children and teens!
2026 Giving Tree Registration is Open
Eligibility Guidelines
To help us serve families as fairly as possible, eligibility guidelines are in place. Parents or guardians will be asked to provide required documentation and complete information for each child during registration.
Who Can Register
- Youth ages 0–18 living in Cass County, North Dakota, or Clay County, Minnesota
- Families may register for one holiday assistance program only — either the YMCA Giving Tree or The Salvation Army
- Duplicate or incomplete applications will not be accepted.
Registration Details
- Registration will remain open until we reach program capacity.
- Returning families: If you participated in the Giving Tree last year, you should already have an online account. Please sign in using the email address associated with your existing account to access the application.
New families: If you did not participate last year, you will need to create an online account before completing the Giving Tree application. - The registration form works best on a computer.
- Families must upload all required documents as part of the registration process.
Register Children in Need
If you know a family with children in need of holiday gifts, please share this page with them.
- YMCA Learning Center Households: Early registration begins September 28. Eligible households will receive registration information directly from the YMCA.
- General Public: Registration opens October 5. Please return to this page on or after October 5 to access the 2026 Giving Tree registration form.
Support the 2026 Giving Tree
Giving Tree Tags will be available for adoption beginning November 2.
Beginning November 2, you can adopt a Giving Tree tag and shop for a local child or teen to help make their holiday a little brighter.
Find Giving Tree tags at:
🎄 Fercho YMCA
🎄 Schlossman YMCA
🎄 Participating Community Giving Tree locations
We’ll add Community Giving Tree locations here as they sign on, so check back for updates.
Want to help before then? Explore the ways below to get involved now, including sponsoring the Giving Tree, hosting a Community Giving Tree, sponsoring a large family, or collecting gift cards for teens.
+ Become a Giving Tree Sponsor ❤️
The YMCA Giving Tree would not be possible without the support of our community. Your business or organization can directly support children in need this holiday season. If you are interested in partnering with us on the Giving Tree, please consider lending your support today.
Sponsoring the YMCA’s Giving Tree is a win for your company:
- Opportunity to create meaningful relationships with leaders who also want to improve our community
- Increased employee morale
- Chance to develop new audiences and forge further connections within our community Here at the YMCA of the Northern Sky, we are dedicated to enhancing the spirit, mind, and body of all persons through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility.
Email GivingTree@YMCANorthernSky.org to learn how you can become a sponsor of this heartwarming community program.
+ Host a Community Giving Tree 🎄
Bring the Giving Tree to your business, church, organization, or community group and invite the people around you to help make the holidays brighter for local children and teens.
The YMCA will provide everything you need to get started, including a Giving Tree topper, gift tags with requested items, a complete tag inventory, and simple instructions for tracking tags and gifts. Your group will designate one contact person to help keep track of tags and make sure gifts are returned.
🎄 Ready to Host a Tree?
Sign up by October 26. Tags will be ready by November 2, and all new, unwrapped gifts are due December 5.
+ Sponsor a Large Family 👨👩👧👦
Each year, the Giving Tree serves families with five or more children, and fulfilling the wishes of a larger family can be a big undertaking. We’ve found that this is a wonderful opportunity for groups to come together and make a difference.
Gather your book club, service club, Bunco group, youth group, neighborhood, coworkers, friends, or family and team up to sponsor one or more large families. Your group will receive each family’s Giving Tree wish information and can divide up the shopping or shop together. You do not need to fulfill every item on the family’s wish lists. Every gift helps, and your group can give in a way that works for you.
✨ Ready to Sponsor a Family?
Complete our Community Partner Interest Form to get started. All new, unwrapped gifts are due December 5.
Note: Large family assignments will begin November 2, but we encourage groups to sign up in advance so we can begin matching families and sponsors as soon as they’re ready.
+ Give Teens the Gift of Choice 🎁
Help make the holidays special for teens in our Giving Tree program! Gift card donations give teens the opportunity to choose something they’ll truly enjoy and that reflects their own interests and preferences.
Give on your own or invite others to join you! Gift card drives are an easy way for workplaces, churches, clubs, networking groups, and other groups to come together and support local teens.
Gift cards of any amount can make a difference. Popular options include:
🎄 Walmart 🎄 Target
🎄 Amazon 🎄 Visa or Mastercard
🎄 Coffee Shops 🎄 Restaurants
🎄 Movie Theaters 🎄 Bowling Alleys
🎄 Ulta or Sephora 🎄 Other Teen Favorites
Ready to Give?
Drop off your gift card donation at any YMCA of the Northern Sky branch by December 4.
Please place gift cards in an envelope labeled “Giving Tree – Teen Gift Cards” and write the gift card amount on the card or envelope. This helps our Giving Tree team with sorting and distribution.
Questions? Email givingtree@ymcanorthernsky.org.
Your gift helps make the holidays a little brighter for teens in our community.
+ Shop Most-Requested Items 🧸
Help make the holidays special for individuals and families in our Giving Tree program! Our online gift lists feature some of the most commonly requested gifts and items from Giving Tree participants.
🎁 Shop our online gift lists to help fulfill Giving Tree wishes this holiday season.
Shop early if you can! Gifts received throughout the season help us fulfill wishes and fill remaining needs for Giving Tree participants.
For easy giving, purchases can be shipped directly to us. When selecting a shipping address, please send your gift to:
Attn: Giving Tree
Fercho YMCA Branch
400 1st Ave S
Fargo, ND 58103
Your purchase will help us fulfill Giving Tree requests and make the holidays a little brighter for individuals and families in our community.
Thank you for supporting the Giving Tree!
Volunteer with the Giving Tree - Join the Elf Squad!
Please consider volunteering for the next YMCA Giving Tree in December 2026!
Email givingtree@ymcanorthernsky.org with any questions.
Join the YMCA Elf Squad as a volunteer and help spread holiday joy! Various volunteer opportunities will be needed from November through December, including sorting and packing gifts, gift distribution, and more.