Giving Tuesday — a fundraising day that encourages people to support the causes and communities they care about through donations, volunteer work and education — was in full swing throughout the University and Charlottesville community.
Local organizations like Madison House and the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank used the day as an opportunity to reach new goals in their fundraising.
Madison House received gifts from three University alumni who challenged Madison House to reach a $15,000 fundraising goal on Tuesday alone, and in return, they will match that $15,000 with their own gifts.
“It’s a nice challenge to really bring the Madison House community together and celebrate U.Va. alumni and Madison House alumni,” Mary Shea Valliant, Madison House director of communications, said.
The money raised in this fundraising effort on Giving Tuesday will go to various aspects of Madison House’s operations, including training for volunteers, backgrounds checks for different programs, building maintenance and transportation and food costs.
Valliant said many of the programs — especially those in which volunteers work with youth in the community — require people involved to get background checks.
Another program called Creating Savings, Assets and Hope, which provides voluntary tax assistance to low income individuals in the Charlottesville community, also requires funds to be able to operate specific training for its volunteers.
Once the money comes in after the fundraising, there is a collaborative effort in deciding where the funding goes in Madison House.
“We have a pretty intensive budgeting effort each year because we have a budget that has to be approved by our Board of Directors,” Valliant said. “This is really cool because there [is] a variety of representatives from Charlottesville, so it can be anyone from people who have experience with nonprofits in Charlottesville to U.Va. students.”
In the past, the University has also participated in a Giving Tuesday fundraising campaign, specifically targeting young alumni to give back to the University. Last year, however, the University decided to rename its initiative “Giving ToHoosDay” and push it to Founder’s Day in the spring.
Giving ToHoosDay raised over $2 million for the University in April.
“Both of the days serve different functions that are both really necessary. I think Giving Tuesday is a really nice focus in the aftermath of Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It’s a great focus on giving back in the season of getting and receiving,” Valliant said. “I think ‘Giving ToHoosDay’ is also important because it sort of brings the entire University together in this University-wide giving effort.”
The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, which has a large footprint in central and western Virginia, also had major goals on Giving Tuesday. This year they are asking all of their donors to make Giving Tuesday a “Giving Food Day.”
“From a food bank perspective, it’s Giving Food Day because one dollar provides four meals for neighbors who are food insecure,” Abena Foreman-Trice, Blue Ridge Area Food Bank communications director, said.
The food bank’s goal this year is to raise enough money to provide 56,000 meals in one day.
While a portion of donations received on Giving Tuesday will be from regular donors, Foreman-Trice said that it is important to note that they also do see a lot of first time donors.
“We’ve moved people to be compelled to give for the very first time which means that they understand that there is still a great need out there for hunger relief and they want to do something about it,” she said.
Foreman-Trice said the food bank has enjoyed a wonderful relationship with the University and its students through various organizations on Grounds — including Madison House — hosting food banks and fund drives.
“U.Va. has just done so much to support the activities and work of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank in feeding hungry neighbors,” Foreman-Trice said.
Organizations are encouraging people to donate in whatever amounts they can contribute.
“Every dollar amount counts, every dollar that you donate is going towards really important causes and student development opportunities and building community partner relationships, Valliant said. “So even if you’re donating five dollars, that could be a meal for a student volunteer so every dollar really does count no matter how big or small.”
Foreman-Trice also had a similar message.
“Giving Tuesday is the day that after all the shopping that you’ve done and all the ways in which you’ve thought of the loved ones in your family, it’s a moment to ask that one takes time to think about those who are less fortunate,” Foreman-Trice said.
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