Earlier this month during The Great Give, five-hundred eighty people made 800 ‘Be The Seed’ gifts to seventeen (17) #greatgive06492 nonprofits raising $100,000. The Great Give is an annual community giving day hosted by the Community Foundation For Greater New Haven. The annual opportunity returns May 6-7, 2026!
The seeds you helped us plant will blossom for many to reap… The Sisters’ Project
The GreatGive raised 4.4 million for 574 nonprofits. Twenty-four (24) of the nonprofits have a Wallingford footprint. Seventeen (17) were part #greatGive06492. #greatGive06492 has involved 20 nonprofits since 2022, starting with 12 in 2022.
What is the difference between The Great Give and #greatGIVE06492
The short answer is #greatGIVE06492 happens within ‘The GreatGive’. It is a collaborative effort among local nonprofits with a Wallingford footprint. On behalf of people connected to their mission, these nonprofits formally agree to work together for this annual fundraising event. Each commit to asking for gifts as little as $5. WPAA-TV commits to supporting all nonprofits with video story production for the event and their mission.
Why as little as $5? – The Power of Connection
Sometimes Thank you feels inadequate. Often the bar to ‘giving back’ or ‘giving toward something” is too high. Sometimes you have already given and wonder if one more gift can make a difference. In the ‘Be The Seed’ campaign, a gratitude, or ‘I believe in you’ gift of $5 has the same ‘Be The Seed’ potential as all other gifts. This campaign puts being part of the solution in reach for nearly everyone. Matching is based on connections, not the amount given. Thirteen people gave $5 to all seventeen nonprofits. Three will be rewarded for this community commitment with swag that will show off their support all year long at Gratitude Event later in June.
Why do we call donating during The GreatGive: Be The Seed?
A gift received during the 36-hour window is a ‘seed’ to more revenue for participating nonprofits. There are connection-matching dollars, mission-centric matches, and random grant prizes. This year, The Wallingford Family YMCA and SCOW each received a random gift during TheGreatGive. The library’s gifts grew with a New Alliance Literacy match. WPAA-TV and the Wallingford Chorus received a boost for gifts received during ‘Raising the Curtain on The Arts’ Power Hour. This match was for Greater New Haven Arts Organizations receiving gifts in a designated hour. The Konopacke Fund added to the dollars raised by Friends of Wallingford Animal Shelter and Progreso Latino Fund amplified gifts to SCOW.
Be The Seed – A Greater Local Connection? THANK YOU
In response to the collaborative effort, the connection-matches of the Community Foundation For Greater New Haven have been amplified further with commitments of local sponsors. Annually since 2022, the James H Napier Foundation Trustees have approved a $5000 match to #greatgive06492. This gift has been the backbone of our success. Similarly, the foundation of the Wallingford Rotary provided $1000 each of the four years. The studioW advocacy Fund founder provided $11,000 in matching in the initial years. This year The Regan Foundation ($7,500) and The Elks ($1,000) gave to all based on connections. Locally $14,500 was raised in matches. The goal is $20,000. Our $5 connection goal is 10 x what we saw in this year’s campaign. 5,000 community-connections.
Why 17 nonprofits?
Changes in the make-up of local nonprofits and commitment to common values impact who is part of the ‘Be The Seed’ campaign. #greatgive06492 is a commitment beyond our individual missions. It is a belief that ‘Together We are stronger.” as our partner TriCircle’s branding suggests.
The Ulbrich Boys & Girls Club was among the original 12 collaborators. That organization, now part of Greater New Haven Boys and Girls Club, raised $103,000 from 339 community donors before the closing bell of TheGreatGive. As a larger organization with a broader strategy, the local fit was not easy to accommodate. As before, Wallingford friends supported them and the CFGNH amplified all gifts. Others in the original collaboration, like ARSC, had organizational changes as well.
In 2024, CT Stem Academy, Fostering Family Hope, TriCircle and WeCare participated locally for the first time and the Wallingford Chorus returned. A Kinder Ground and The Sisters’ Project were new in 2024. These nonprofits discovered the local initiative by way of collaborative promotion. Full-page Ads, contributed by the Record-Journal, now CT Hearst, as well as video promotion produced by WPAA-TV connected these nonprofits to the local effort.
Promotional stories help with the broader goal of community awareness and connection.
Nonprofit Stories? A Feature of Be The Seed
Sometimes the added boost of visibility can remind a lapse donor of the reason they gave. This was the case for Connecticut Foodshare the 1st year they joined the local effort. Promotion also heightens awareness of our missions. This is said to be the case this year for the Wallingford Family YMCA ‘Just Add Water’. This ongoing community campaign had an increase in visibility during TheGreatGive.
Nonprofits are constantly fundraising. What sets ‘Be The Seed’ apart is the storytelling. You get a closer insight into the work and the people committed to it. Every organization has a profile on The GreatGive giving portal. This profile is one place where you will find mission stories. In addition to TV and social media, videos produced by WPAA-TV are on the profile pages of Masters Manna Resource Center (Food Is Not an Option) and Connecticut Foodshare. Many of the video stories used in this year’s campaign can be found here.
Looking Forward Back | Outcomes
In 2022, $7,000 in local sponsor commitment helped raise $50,000 for 12 nonprofits. In the next two years about $100,000 was raised for a dozen slightly different nonprofits. This year, the amount raised was about the same but the number of people giving increased. Wallingford saw a higher community commitment than Greater New Haven as a whole.
Success was shared as “Our Best Year Yet!” by Wallingford Public Library. They use funds for The Wallingford Table. The Wallingford Chorus, not quite sure how to fit in, were delightful participants in the Be The Seed Launch event performance hosted by WPAA-TV. They described 2025 as “Beyond our expectations.”
WPAA-TV | More Than TV | (Behind the Scenes Sponsor), Recipient, Impact
Even though it is the only time WPAA-TV actively solicits donations, it is NOT a major revenue source. The built-in matches boost outcomes immensely. Active users at the time of the campaign, give $5. They are contributing to their own projects. The Board and staff donate, as do a dozen faithful supporters to bring up to four, free community performances to Wallingford including the Be The Seed launch each year. Food & drink is included. Community-minded performers (The Bargain Band) uplift what we do together. For refreshments, we buy local. This year’s supper included soup from ‘A Kinder Ground’, beverages from Soulstice Kombucha and Apple Strudel from Elizabeth’s Bakery.
Historically, funds WPAA-TV receives from people who also gave directly to SCOW helped to underwrite In2Languages. Unfortunately, WPAA-TV was in arrears with this content expense. It is the only content WPAA-TV pays for. The insignificant cross contribution activity jeapordes continuing this program started in 2013. At this time, it is scheduled to cease before next year’s campaign due to insufficient community financial support.
For years, we offered to help tell nonprofit stories. But, it was not until #greatgive06492 that it really began to happen. Assisting in the video production of non-profit stories is expected of community media organizations. How such stories come into being varies widely from community to community. This campaign features what is possible when community media is integrated into the fabric of a community. The level of free production support provided is over and above anything we have seen across the nation. Video production and campaign facilitation of #greatgive06492 is a 12-week, intense commitment to our mission by uplifting the mission of others.
Nonprofit representatives meet one last time next week to review outcomes, impacts and preparation for next year. The 2025 final Ad runs in the Record-Journal on June 7th. If you see it, take a look at what the local nonprofits do. Mark your 2026 calendar. May 6-7 THE GREAT GIVE portal opens again. Watch for campaign video stories like this one for Fostering Family Hope or Soups On beginning in March. Decide what you value with a gratitude gift as little as $5. Be The Seed.
