Boys & Girls Club makes its pitch Wednesday with WNHH radiothon host Babz Rawls-Ivy .
The “Great Give 2021” community fundraiser passed the $3 million mark as it ended its final hour — but no begins an overtime period in which New Haven can help break a $3.6 million record.
The festive event — the “Great Give 2021” convened by the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven —officially ended Wednesday at 8 p.m.
Over the previous 36 hours, over 14,000 donors ponied up over $3.3 million for 431 nonprofits.
Last year the Great Give raised $3.6 million through 17,000 donors. That was twice the previous record for money raised.
“We want to make that happen again” in this year’s version of the event and break the record, said Community Foundation CEO WIll Ginsberg.
That can still happen: While the fundraising event is over, the website remains open for overtime donations through Friday.
So … please click here to donate and to find out about all the organizations that are participating/
(Please consider making a donation to, in addition to the many other nonprofits in town, the Online Journalism Project, which publishes the New Haven Independent and Valley Independent Sentinel and runs WNHH FM community radio.)
As part of the give-a-thon, WNHH FM helped nonprofits pitch on air through a radiothon. Dozens of nonprofit leaders took turns appearing, reciting a poem or singing a song, then making a pitch about supporting their work.
As it did last May, the Great Give adapted this year to the Covid-19 pandemic, bringing online formerly in-person events related to the fundraising. And making a special pitch for helping nonprofits feed, clothe, house, and nurture New Haven amid the worst public-health crisis in over a century.
Ginsberg and Community Foundation grantmaking chief Jackie Downing made that point during a kick-off appearance Tuesday morning on WNHH’s Great Give radiothon.
“This has been the most challenging time. For many it’s a moment to feel proud or prouder than we’ve ever felt before. We’re coming out of this. The community is intact. The nonprofits are providing services,” Ginsberg told radiothon host Babz Rawls-Ivy, speaking of how the community has pulled together to turn a pandemic into the “moment of real pride” and “transformation” and “possibility.”
“The pandemic continues. The nonprofits in this community continue to respond, and respond heroically to the challenges that people in our community face. … The pandemic has been so disruptive to so many people in this community. It put so many demands on nonprofits.
“It’s been a very difficult year for our nonprofits. This is time for us to step up for them. This is a moment when progress can really be made if we put our shoulder to the wheel.”
