CHARLEMONT — More than 85 skiers gathered at Berkshire East Mountain Resort on Thursday, enjoying a snowy day and camaraderie while raising more than $40,000 for United Way of the Franklin & Hampshire Region.

The 15th annual Ski United fundraiser broke last year’s fundraising record of $28,000, bringing the cumulative total raised over the 15 years to more than $250,000.

“That’s huge for a one-day event,” said Steve Prothers, founder of Ski United.

This year, event sponsors contributed $37,000 for United Way. Sponsorship packages ranged from $40 to $2,000 and sponsors were given a T-shirt, lunch and dinner, and a ticket to hit the slopes at Berkshire East. Additionally an online auction has raised $7,500 as of Friday morning. Items available include gift certificates to local restaurants such as Eastside Grill and The People’s Pint, sports memorabilia such as vintage UMass hockey jerseys, a signed Antoine Walker Celtics jersey, and tickets to see a Worcester Red Sox game and to the Franklin County Fair.

Holly Martineau, director of development with United Way of the Franklin & Hampshire Region, said the organization has set a goal of $11,000 for the auction, and is hopeful that goal will be met as bidding is open until Feb. 10.

Ski United planning committee member Sue Monaghan said that all the items were donated, allowing United Way to keep the event costs low and put more proceeds toward supporting various programs for youth mental health, food insecurity, digital equity and more.

“We do a little bit of everything,” United Way of the Franklin & Hampshire Region Executive Director Geoff Naunheim said. “United Way works to make better communities through offering grants and partnering with other nonprofit agencies in the region.”

United Way helps fund 56 programs, including Big Brother Big Sisters of Hampshire County, the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and Greenfield’s Stone Soup Cafe, to name a few. The organization also manages an early literacy program that donated 4,214 books to elementary school classrooms last year, as well as a diaper bank that supplies 20,000 diapers to families in need each month.

Ski United is the organization’s largest one-day fundraising effort, and consistently breaks fundraising records set by the year before, according to Prothers. The event began in 2010 and was inspired by his “love for skiing, and wanting to give back to the community and raise funds for the best cause in the valley.”

Ski United volunteers said the event’s success can be attributed to how fun it is to spend the day on the mountain. Participants get to mingle with other skiers and snowboarders, enjoy Berkshire East’s various trails and participate in a friendly race.

“It’s a fun group and everybody’s here for the same reason and we have a great time,” Monaghan said.

“You’re outdoors getting exercise and you’re hanging out with friends,” United Way volunteer Roger Cooney added. “A bad day of skiing is better than sitting in front of the computer all day.”

Cooney said Thursday was a spectacular day for Ski United due to the snowstorm, which dropped plenty of fresh powder on the mountain. Monaghan added that with many schools closed, a lot of people brought their children with them to enjoy the snow day while supporting the cause.

“It’s a win-win kinda day,” Cooney said.

To learn more about United Way or participate in the online auction, visit uw-fh.org.

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.