Valley Gives Day makes it easy to support nonprofits whose good works improve the quality of life for countless local people.
Until midnight Tuesday, online donations of $10 or more can be made to scores of organizations by going to the website https://valley-gives.org/. With a few clicks, it is easy to donate to 407 registered nonprofits in Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden counties.
Donors may search for a specific agency or explore broad categories to find organizations they want to support. For example, there are 126 nonprofits listed under Support for People, literally from A (A Full Circle Adoptions in Northampton) to Z (Zanetti Montessori School PTO in Springfield).
This is the fifth year that the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts has organized the online fundraiser. It began in 2012 as a three-year pilot program. During its first three years, when the event was held in December, it raised a total of about $5.8 million. It was not held in 2015 so the foundation could fine-tune the concept.
Valley Gives Day returned last year when it was moved to early May so it did not compete with traditional end-of-the-year charitable giving. In 2016, the event raised some $2 million for 453 nonprofits, and more than 10,000 donors gave money.
Michael DeChiara, Valley Gives coordinator for the Community Foundation, says the goal is to “have a stronger, more vibrant, high-quality Pioneer Valley.” This year, the foundation hopes to increase the total number of donors Tuesday. “No matter where you live, you’re part of the Valley and your donation matters,” he says. “If you live here, there’s something (nonprofits) can probably touch that would be meaningful to you.”
To encourage a larger number of donors, the Community Foundation has incentives for organizations to encourage their supporters to participate. For example, the three nonprofits supported by donors from the largest number of communities will receive additional gifts from the foundation.
Many organizations generate their own publicity around the event and use it not only to raise money but also to increase awareness about the work they do and who they serve. Valley Gives Day encourages gifts from new donors, and nonprofits large and small benefit.
During last year’s event, more than $15,000 was donated to Safe Passage in Northampton, which supports survivors of domestic violence. Sarah Smith, the agency’s director of development, said then that Valley Gives Day allows flexibility in how the money is spent. “It gives us the ability to hone our approach to clients and to be flexible and responsive to what they need.”
New to Valley Gives Day in 2016 was the Grace in Haiti School Project of Grace Episcopal Church in Amherst, which raised more than $6,000 from 109 donors. That money was targeted for a school in rural Bayonnais, Haiti, that the Grace Church’s congregation has supported since 2008.
The concept of designating a single day of giving through an online platform is still a relatively new fundraising strategy for charities. The state of Minnesota is credited with having the first 24-hour online fundraiser for nonprofits about nine years ago, and it has since been used in many communities across the country.
Charitable giving nationally dipped during the Great Recession from late 2007 to mid-2009. After peaking at $350 billion in 2007, giving declined for several years. However, charitable donations increased in both 2014 and 2015, according to the annual “Giving USA” report published annually by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Charitable donations set a record for the second year in a row with an estimated $373.25 billion given nationally during 2015, the last year for which figures are available.
In reporting the rebound in charitable contributions, Giving USA Foundation Chairman W. Keith Curtis said, “These findings embody more than numbers – they also are a symbol of the American spirit. It’s heartening that people really do want to make a difference, and they’re supporting the causes that matter to them. Americans are embracing philanthropy at a higher level than ever before.”
Area residents can do that by taking part in Valley Gives Day on Tuesday with a pledge to help those who are less fortunate in our communities.