A 36-hour online fundraising event last week netted more than $100,000 in donations for nonprofits throughout the lower Naugatuck Valley, the Valley Community Foundation announced Tuesday (Oct. 8).
Donations from individuals who live or work in the Valley more than tripled, to more than $60,000, compared with $20,000 last year, according to Sharon Closius, president and CEO of VCF.
The organization celebrated the second “Great Give” fundraiser on Tuesday by awarding several campaign-related “prizes” to Valley nonprofits during an ice cream social at the Plumb Memorial Library in Shelton.
Closius announced that a total of 708 gifts were made during 2013’s Great Give to 27 Valley nonprofit groups, totaling $77,543.
VCF added to that total by giving $26,500 in special prizes and matching grants for donations from the Valley.
“It was just an amazing Great Give,” Closius told about 50 people gathered Tuesday, calling the results “phenomenal.”
Click the play button on the video above to watch.
Click here for an album of pictures from the event from the VCF’s Facebook page.
Closius thanked officials from the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, who she said have been hard at work planning the campaign since Closius’ first days on the job in February. More than $750,000 in donations were made throughout Greater New Haven during the Great Give.
Closius also thanked John Corraro, a VCF intern who helped get the word out about the campaign through social media.
“Really, the effort at getting the word out was just absolutely fantastic,” Closius said.
But the response from the community was even more impressive, she said.
“When you think of over 700 gifts coming into the nonprofits, and over $115,000 now going into the work that our nonprofits do in the Valley, it really goes a long way,” Closius said. “At a time when we can’t count on the state and federal money coming in, these donations are really important to support the work that everybody does.”
Closius then announced Great Give-related prizes to nonprofit groups:
- $500 apiece was awarded to the Parent Child Resource Center, TEAM, and Center Stage Theatre for being the first groups to reach $500 in donations in the campaign’s last five hours.
- The Shelton Economic Development Corporation received a $1,000 “Nobel Prize” for receiving the most recurring gifts during the Great Give.
- Center Stage won a $500 “Golden Ticket” prize for receiving the single largest donation.
- TEAM won a $2,000 grand prize for having the most donors from the Valley contribute during the Great Give.
- The Shelton High School Robotics Team won a $2,000 grand prize for having the most new donors.
- Center Stage also won a $3,000 third place grand prize from the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven for having the most donors during the campaign.
Nonprofits React
Prize recipients said Tuesday they were happy with the extra boost in funding provided by the Great Give.
“We were just a newcomer to the whole thing,” said John Niski, the adviser to the Shelton High School Robotics Team. “We’re thrilled that we’ll be able to provide more opportunities for our kids … This is awesome, this is fantastic.”
Fran Scarpa, who runs Center Stage with her husband, Gary, said their group had set a goal of $10,000 for this year’s campaign, about the same amount they raised last year.
“I thought that was ambitious,” she said.
Not ambitious enough — the theater raked in more than $30,000 in donations by the end of the Great Give, not including the prizes awarded Tuesday.
Center Stage received the most money in the Valley — and ranked no. 4 of all the nonprofits participating in the region.
“It’s very humbling,” Scarpa said. “We hope to continue to be good stewards of that money.”
Diane Stroman, TEAM’s vice president of development, said she was surprised by the amount of donors that stepped up to give to her organization, which combats poverty and helps low-income families toward self-sufficiency.
“In this time, it’s vital,” Stroman said, referring to uncertainty about other sources of funding. “It’s truly vital, no matter how big or how small. When it’s added up, it all counts.”
Good Samaritan Award
Seymour resident and school board member Jennifer Magri donated to the most Valley nonprofits during the Great Give, and was allowed to choose one to receive a $500 “Good Samaritan Golden Ticket” prize.
Though she said all those gathered Tuesday were worthy recipients, she said she did not hesitate to choose this publication, the Valley Independent Sentinel.
“The void that they filled when they came into existence several years ago was large,” Magri said Tuesday. “In today’s society, where the need for accurate information is critical, and the demand for it is almost instantaneous, this organization has managed to successfully provide essential news and a vehicle for community conversation via the tools of the 21st century.”
“They have kept us in the know because they understand how important local news is to Valley residents,” Magri added.
Click the play button below to hear Magri’s remarks.
Planning Started For Next Great Give
Officials are already planning the next Great Give campaign, which is scheduled for May 6, 2014.
The event is being held in conjunction with Give Local America, celebrating the 100th year of the birth of community foundations.
For more information about the Great Give or VCF, call 203 – 751-9162, or visit their website, Facebook page, or follow them on Twitter.