New Haven Foundation Issues 36-hour local 'giving challenge,' Waterbury Up Next

To celebrate its 90th anniversary, the Connecticut Community Foundation is coordinating Give Local Greater Waterbury & Litchfield Hills, a "challenge" to area residents to give generously online to the region's nonprofits over a 36-hour period from 7 AM on November 12 to 7 PM on November 13.

"Give Local" is based on the successful three-year effort by the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, which now underway with its annual 36-hour effort, running on October 2nd and 3rd - under the name "The Great Give 2013."  The effort concludes at 8 PM on October 3. [As of midnight on Oct. 2, 4,000 individual gifts had been received totaling nearly $400,000 for local nonprofits.]

CFGNH reports more than $1.3 million has been distributed in new and matching funds through its three previous giveGreater.org giving campaigns.  All donations made during the 36-hour period of The Great Give® 2013 to qualified nonprofits on giveGreater.org® will receive a pro- rated portion of the match pool.

In addition, there will be competitive grant prizes, including $1,000 to the first three charities to accumulate 100 individual donors and grand prizes of $15,000, $10,000 and $5,000 for charities with the greatest number of new donors. A series of “Golden Ticket” awards wil also provide funds, recognizing gifts such as those given between 2 and 4 a.m. or those given closest to midnight. In the current campaign, a total of $70,000 will be awarded in match incentive grants.

The Valley Community Foundation has set aside a matching pool of $20,000 for the Great Give. All donations made between $25 – $125 by Valley donors (residing or working in Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour or Shelton) or Valley Community Foundation fund holders during the 36-hour period of The Great Give® 2013 will be matched until the pool is exhausted.

In Waterbury, the effort is underwritten by Naugatuck Savings Bank Foundation and Crystal Rock. The Connecticut Community Foundation hosted five workshops between September 10-16 for nonprofits in its 21 towns to explain the initiative.

For more information: contact (Waterbury)Edwin Rodriguez, (203) 753-1315 x102, erodriguez@conncf.org; and (New Haven) Tricia Caldwell, (203) 777-7090, tcaldwell@cfgnh.org.