By any measure, the 24-hour online fundraising initiative dubbed Valley Gives went off with a bang Tuesday.
The swansong for the annual daylong fundraiser — the focus is shifting to a year-round donation drive next year instead of a one-day blast — collected a single-year total of nearly $1.7 million for area nonprofits and soared past $10.3 million in total donations over the life of the event’s six years.
“It was a great year for us,” said Sara Talcott, spokeswoman for the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, which oversees Valley Gives. “Last year we raised around $1.1 million, so this year’s total represents about a 46 percent increase in donation totals.”
The total funds raised came in at $1,695,398.22, but the foundation also awarded $97,360 in prize money to nonprofits that were able to reach fundraising goals within a certain time of the day, Talcott said.
The event has been wildly successful in its run, and this year was no different when slightly fewer than 10,000 individuals donated to 408 nonprofits across the Valley. Nonprofits across Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire counties will benefit from the donations.
Community members during the event could log onto the Valley Gives website, choose an organization and donate. Individual donations averaged around $74 per person, Talcott said.
This year marked the last for Valley Gives’ current structure of fundraising, as next year the foundation plans to make the fundraising more of a year-round effort. Details regarding the change in 2019 are not yet available since they are still in the development stage, Talcott said.
“We’re seeing nonprofits really begin to grasp how online fundraising works and how they can use it effectively,” Talcott said. “The structure of the fundraiser might change but the ethos and message will be the same.”
The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts topped the leaderboards this year in most money raised, bringing in $25,302.85. Since every $1 donated can provide three meals, the food bank anticipates that it will be able to provide over 75,000 meals to people in need, marketing manager Chris Wojcik said.
“We’re very excited and very honored to be the top donated,” Wojcik said. “I think the fundraiser fosters a spirit of giving amongst residents here in our own area.”
Wojcik said the change in design for future fundraisers could potentially get more people to participate in the donation effort.
“It would really depend on what kind of structure it has, I couldn’t say definitively if it would be beneficial or not,” Wojcik said. “Anything that encourages people to support the residents in our community would be a good thing.”
Coming in second on the list with $24,976 — and first in individual donors with 424 people — was the Dakin Humane Society. Development director Stacey Price said the support was indicative of the work that the animal shelter does.
“We had slightly over 100 more donors than we did last year, and having all of those individuals come together is amazing,” Price said. “It goes a lot deeper than just the money. The donor amount shows that we’re making an impact.”
Although direct online donations totaled almost $25,000 for the humane society, in-person and matched donations raised the total funds to $31,701, Price said.
Usually in the month of May, the humane shelter sees an influx of cats and kittens seeking refuge — jokingly referred to by workers at the shelter as “kitten season.” The summer months also see around three to four times the amount of animals coming into the shelter, Price said.
“This donation money comes at a very good time,” Price said. “We need to be prepared to not just take care of these animals, but also for any medical emergencies that might happen.”
In response to the change in fundraising structure, Price said it has to be beneficial to all of the nonprofits that take part in the day of donations.
“I think it all depends on the different organizations and their separate timelines. Smaller organizations may not have the resources to plan and sustain something longer than just one day. We started planning for this in February and March,” Price said.
Nonprofits interviewed agreed that, ultimately, the main focus of the event succeeded in connecting a wider community across the region.
“It’s not just about the money,” Price said. “It’s a day of giving and community.”