New Haveners responded to a “moment of urgency” to pitch in a record amount of donations to local nonprofits in this year’s “Great Give” fundraising drive.
The 16-year-old annual drive, conducted on Wednesday and Thursday by the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, has taken in more than $4.2 million, more than ever before.
Foundation CEO and President Karen DuBois-Walton had set a goal of $4 million for the drive, hoping to top last year’s $3.8 million. She appealed to New Haveners to dig deeper to help nonprofits keep our neighbors fed, clothed, housed, protected, and inspired, at a “moment of urgency” driven by federal funding cutbacks.
“We are thrilled by the extraordinary generosity in Greater New Haven. This is a moment that demands urgency, and our community responded with record-breaking support,” DuBois-Walton stated in a press release issued Friday.
More than 16,000 people donated to the drive; participating groups qualified for a total of $227,600 in matching funds and prizes. Integrated Refugee and Resettlement Services (IRIS), which has been particularly hit by federal funding cutbacks, topped the list of 542 participating organizations in dollars raised, nearing $150,000 from 465 donors by the end of the 36-hour drive.