By Kate Bartlett
Every year on “Giving Tuesday* since 2017, the Cattaraugus Gives program has held a 24-hour giving event supporting the nonprofits in the area. This year, the event raised a remarkable $302,192 in just one day, and a cumulative total of $1,340,449 over the past 7 years. These are truly remarkable numbers especially during such times of economic and financial hardship for many.
Kirk Windus is the agency’s executive director and has been involved in the event since its inception, as he formerly served as the communications and fund development manager and was the lead Cattaraugus Gives coordinator. “Cattaraugus Gives has been a very successful regional day of giving for our community. It brings together area nonprofits of any service area, size, or mission in friendly competition to celebrate the community’s spirit of giving.”
The event started small in 2017 and has grown substantially over the past 7 years. “It has become an important event in our community,” says Kirk. “We encourage all nonprofits in the community to register and take pride in the impact and success we’ve had over the years.”
This year, 95 nonprofits registered, and 87 received donations setting a new record from the previous of 75. Top fundraisers included Empire Animal Rescue collecting $27,800, SPCA with more than $23,800, Olean Food Pantry with $16,000 and the Olean General Hospital Foundation at over $20,000.
“These numbers are incredible, and they have a direct impact on our community,” says Kirk. “Our ultimate goal is to raise as much money as possible for our nonprofits, and to receive this kind of funding in such a short time span is outstanding.”
Giving kicks off at midnight on giving Tuesday every year. Donors directly contribute any amount of money online to the causes they wish to support. “No amount is too little, it all adds up to make a big difference,” says Kirk. This year, 1,319 individual donors contributed anywhere from $5 to $10,000, and it’s considered to be one of the biggest grass-roots fundraisers in the area.
Prizes were awarded to the nonprofits who had the most donors during certain time frames, as well as other categories including random drawings for participating organizations, with a total of over $21,000 in cash prizes this year. The Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation directly sponsored $5,000 in prizes, with the remainder having been collected through sponsorships from area businesses.
“This event truly demonstrates the power of grass-roots fundraising. No matter how big or small the monetary donation, the cumulative effect has a big impact on the community. Cattaraugus gives is a real pride point for our organization; a true celebration of giving.”
(*Giving Tuesday is held the Tuesday after Thanksgiving every year.)