Give Local kicks off, nonprofits seek support from community
By Deborah Rose
NEW MILFORD, Conn. — The town’s united effort to shine a spotlight on all its nonprofits participating in an annual giving campaign is a model for other communities.
No other town has a large sign on a bridge (or elsewhere in its community), banners highlighting participating nonprofits on lampposts downtown, or a proclamation about Give Local declared by its mayor or first selectman.
“We are an anomaly,” said Diane Swanson at the town’s Tuesday, April 29, kick-off event for Give Where You Live, a New Milford effort to lift all New Milford and Gaylordsville nonprofits during the Connecticut Community Foundation’s Give Local Greater Waterbury and Litchfield Hills online campaign.
New Milford is the first town whose mayor issued a proclamation for the 36-hour online campaign.
For the fourth year in a row, Mayor Pete Bass gathered in front of Roger Sherman Town Hall with representatives from at least half of the 30 participating organizations to read aloud a special proclamation for this year, the 13th annual Give Local GWLH campaign.
Local businessman Jeff Kilberg and Swanson have coordinated Give Where You Live as part of GLGWLH for the past several years.
Deborah Rose/Local businessman Jeff Kilberg welcomes representatives from New Milford and Gaylordsville participating nonprofits to the town's Give Where You Live effort as part of the Connecticut Community Foundation’s Give Local Greater Waterbury and Litchfield Hills online campaign.
“A rising tide lifts all boats,” Kilberg said at the ceremony.
Organizers of the local effort hope the nonprofits will, in their social media posts during Give Local, mention that there are other New Milford nonprofits on the Give Local website and the importance of supporting those organizations as well.
“We need to educate everyone to give locally and not to covet our clients or donors but to share, to go online and go look at the other nonprofits participating too,” Kilberg said.
Local participating nonprofits focus on a variety of themes, including animals, childcare, nature, food insecurity, history, community beautification, health, and more.
Mark Berardi, development director at the Connecticut Community Foundation, attended the ceremony and thanked the New Milford community for standing out in its effort to raise funds.
This year’s campaign will run April 29 at 7 a.m. through April 30 at 7 p.m. at https://www.givelocalccf.org. Donors can search for organizations they would like to support online.
Financial support from sponsors and the Foundation will provide nonprofits an opportunity to earn bonus dollars for every donor they secure.
Deborah Rose/Representatives from numerous nonprofit organizations attend the town's kick-off ceremony for this year's Give Local online giving campaign.
Deborah Rose/A Garden Club of New Milford member proudly holds a flower to represent their cause.
Deborah Rose/New Milford is the only town in the Connecticut Community Foundation's region to post individualized banners for nonprofits participating in Give Local.
