Sixth annual 36-hour online giving campaign raised more than prior years Hailing from local towns and such far-flung places as China and New York City, 4,465 donors from around the world contributed a total of $1.34 million during Give Local Greater Waterbury and Litchfield Hills, the sixth annual 36-hour online giving campaign hosted by Connecticut Community Foundation. All donations supported the work of 257 nonprofits serving communities in the *region. Give Local rallied individuals, businesses, and media outlets to raise as much money and awareness as possible for local nonprofits. Connecticut Community Foundation and dozens of sponsors, including presenting sponsor Ion Bank Foundation, contributed more than $190,000 in bonus funds and $58,000 in competitive cash prizes that were awarded to nonprofits during the event. Said Julie Loughran, president and CEO of Connecticut Community Foundation, “Once again, we’re in awe. It is an honor to be part of a community in which generosity runs so deep, and a joy to think of the good that will come from dollars raised through Give Local Greater Waterbury and Litchfield Hills. We are grateful to everyone who gave during Give Local in support of the work that matters most to them, and to every nonprofit that works all year to improve lives throughout the region. They’ve shown us all the power of giving-together!” Total dollars raised for each of the participating nonprofits can be viewed on the leaderboard of the Give Local Greater Waterbury and Litchfield Hills website at www.GiveLocalCCF.org. Leading organizations by the end of the campaign (which concluded at 7 p.m. on April 25) included: Top five nonprofit organizations by dollars raised:
- Washington Montessori School
- Wellspring
- ASAP!
- Lake Quassapaug Association
- Roxbury Land Trust
Top five nonprofit organizations by number of gifts received:
- Wellmore Behavioral Health
- Animal Welfare Society
- Washington Ambulance Association
- Washington Montessori School
- Connecticut Choral Society
Trish O’Reilly, director of development at Washington Montessori School said, “We are so grateful to Connecticut Community Foundation! The funds we’ve raised through Give Local will enhance every aspect of our children’s education-including music and theater experiences that create a global awareness; outdoor education and field trips that expose children to the natural world; and tuition assistance that keeps our community a diverse one.” Added Roxane Sanders, development manager at the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury, “Give Local Greater Waterbury and Litchfield Hills has become a yearly opportunity to connect to our friends through a playful marketing and social media campaign! This year, we are very grateful to our board of directors for embracing this challenge and securing matching funds. All funds raised will support our five upcoming summer exhibitions and related programs, including monthly Community Free Days and Story Time for Toddlers.” The more people that are reached through these social media campaigns, the more awareness they will have, especially with the help of an instagram manager who can help to grow their account and followers in time for events like these. And more awareness will increase their total amount of funds in the process. *Beacon Falls, Bethlehem, Bridgewater, Cheshire, Goshen, Litchfield, Middlebury, Morris, Naugatuck, New Milford, Oxford, Prospect, Roxbury, Southbury, Thomaston, Warren, Washington, Waterbury, Watertown, Wolcott, Woodbury
