Adams County Giving Spree donors gave big

Ralph Serpe

(12/3) This month, Giving Spree donors packed a jumbo helping of generosity into three short hours. On November 7, no fewer than 4,000 people streamed through the doors of Gettysburg Area Middle School and donated $1.24 million to the Adams County nonprofits participating in this year’s event.

This total far outstripped the record-setting 2018 Giving Spree, when donors gave $733,000.

How did the Giving Spree get so big so fast? For starters, this year’s efforts focused on boosting Giving Spree’s visibility, educating prospective donors about the event, and providing some incentives to nonprofits who reached out to their own supporters.

The first thousand guests who attended received a Giving Spree "coin" to deposit in one organization’s piggy bank, resulting in an additional $10 gift to that nonprofit courtesy of an anonymous Community Foundation donor.

There was the Giving Spree "stretch pool" which distributes the entire stretch amount raised to all the participating charities. This year, donors contributed $100,000 to the stretch pool, and every dollar of that will be distributed in proportion to the amount raised by each charity.

Donors appreciate that Giving Spree gifts stay local. All participating nonprofits have an office or significant presence in Adams County, and all commit to using the money donated through the Giving Spree to serve the people of Adams County.

Giving Spree donors demonstrated care about the Adams County of today and the future. A dozen Giving Spree nonprofits were also raising money for their designated endowments, held securely for them at the Adams County Community Foundation. Over the course of the evening, donors added more than $100,000 to those endowments, helping to ensure long-term sustainability.

We realize that events of this magnitude require a huge cast of volunteers and sponsors. We extend heartfelt thanks to the 58 volunteers of all ages, who helped set up the event and worked throughout the evening to welcome donors as they arrived. Thanks to our presenting sponsors for making the Adams County Community Foundation Giving Spree possible, including ACNB Bank, Adams Electric Cooperative, Biggerstaff’s Catering, Brown Advisory, FirstEnergy Foundation, Giant Food Stores, Rice Family Foundation and Rice Fruit Company, with additional support from Fred & Susi Guinn, CS Davidson, New Oxford Social Club, Stonebridge Financial Group, APM Building Materials, Consolidated Scrap Resources, Destination Gettysburg, Hockley & O'Donnell, and Tevis Energy.

Thanks to our Stretch Pool Partners, including the LeCompte Family, in honor of their ancestor Lydia Ziegler, J. William Warehime Foundation, Thomas E. & Florence B. Metz Fund, the Community Foundation Board of Directors, Knouse Foods Fund, Gettysburg College Alumni & Friends of Adams County and Gettysburg Community Theatre Patrons.

Thanks to our media partners for helping spread the word: Community Media, Gettysburg Times, Trone Outdoor and Ziegler’s Mobile Entertainment.

Special thanks to our event chair, Stacey Green, members of the Giving Spree committee and the leadership of staff Beverly Grazulewicz and Lisa Donohoe for coordinating an extraordinary Spree.

To the board, past and present, of the Adams County Community Foundation, and to the more than 1,400 donors who gave big, thank you for making this year’s Giving Spree a memorable and unqualified success.

Ralph Serpe is President and CEO of the Adams County Community Foundation. If you’re interested in sharing your own Spree memorable moment or supporting next year’s Giving Spree, contact him at 717-337-0060 or rserpe@adamscountycf.org.