To spread philanthropy across Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden counties, the fourth Valley Gives Day is set to bring a fundraising blitz to the area’s nonprofits, big and small.
The 24 hours of online giving began at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday and offers Pioneer Valley residents a chance to donate to a wide range of charities of their choice. The initiative is organized by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts.
Representatives of two Hampshire County nonprofits interviewed Monday said they see real, tangible benefits from the philanthropic events.
During the first Valley Gives Day, the Emily Williston Memorial Library in Easthampton received $585, then $736 the next year, according to Director Nora Blake.
The donations one year paid for two children’s performances.
“That’s what that money allowed us to do, really enhance the summer reading program for children,” Blake said. “It went right to programming.”
The library has set a higher fundraising goal for this year’s Valley Gives Day, aided by a match from the Emily’s Friends of the Library group.
If contributions from Valley Gives Day total at least $2,500, the library group will donate a matching $2,500, Blake said.
And if that goal is met, the library will have the chance to win additional cash prizes provided by the Community Foundation.
Blake said the $5,000 will allow the library to fund its children’s and teen programs for the entire fiscal year beginning July 1, pay for some adult programs and allow the library to build its video game collection for teens.
“The money will go really far for us,” she said.
Blake, who is also involved in Northampton Community Rowing, said she has personally seen how much of an impact Valley Gives Day can have.
“It’s staggering to me $2.5 million can be raised and go toward all of these worthy organizations,” she said. “Everyone wants everyone to succeed, which is really nice.”
Valley Gives Day also benefits larger nonprofits, such as the Northampton-based Cancer Connection.
“We’ve participated since the beginning,” Cynthia Tarail said. “We’ve raised just under $43,000 since the event began.”
The nonprofit provides support groups, classes and integrative therapies such as acupuncture and massage to those with cancer and services for those caring for someone with cancer, said Trail, who is on its community outreach team.
“All of the services at Cancer Connection are free,” Tarail said.
Even small donations can provide services. For example, a $10 donation goes toward flowering bulbs in the Cancer Connection meditation garden, while $50 pays for an integrative therapy session, according to the group’s Valley Gives page.
Tarail said the event is an important one in the Valley, which has nonprofits woven into the fabric of its identity.
“The Valley Gives Day event is a great collaboration of nonprofits that creates this kind of grand atmosphere of giving in the Valley,” she said. “To us it shows how much the community values its nonprofits.”
Donations can be made through the crowd-sourcing platform Razoo. All donations are tax-deductible and irrevocable, and donors will receive an email receipt for their gift from the Razoo Foundation. The organization will receive contact information for each donor, unless the donor elects to remain anonymous.
Since 2012, Valley Gives Day has had over 24,000 donors, together raising $5.8 million for more than 550 nonprofits throughout the Pioneer Valley, according to the event’s website, valleygivesday.org.
Chris Lindahl can be reached at clindahl@gazettenet.com.