50 local nonprofits raising funds in October through The Amazing Raise

Pottstown-based TriCounty Community Network provides platform for collaborative effort

POTTSTOWN » More than 50 nonprofit organizations in Montgomery, Chester and Berks counties are in a race during the month of October, a race to raise funds through a collaborative effort known as The Amazing Raise.

The Amazing Raise is a fundraising campaign conducted annually in October by TriCounty Community Network, a Pottstown-based nonprofit that serves nonprofit agencies in Montgomery, northern Chester and eastern Berks counties.

The mission of TCN is to provide support for local nonprofits, and The Amazing Raise is at the heart of that mission. Funds raised are boosted with a “bonus gift” that enhances each donation.

Started by TCN in 2017 with support from the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation, The Amazing Raise was initially a 24-hour online fundraising appeal in the style of Giving Tuesday, a global campaign used by many nonprofits the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Beginning last year, The Amazing Raise became a month-long effort and carries over through the year as a support mechanism for participating nonprofits.

In the last five years, The Amazing Raise has brought in $1.3 million for local nonprofit organizations. But the program does more than raise money.

“The goal is to go beyond the month of fundraising and create a culture of philanthropy in the community,” said Holly Parker, executive director of TCN. “We began this as somewhat of a crazy idea — we’re a small organization to take on this challenge, but we believed it was worth it to try something different for the community .

“We want to be more than a platform to raise money. It’s like teaching a man to fish — we want to provide the framework and support to allow nonprofits a way to try out new fundraisers and be creative to grow their capacity to serve their clients in the community and grow.”

The Amazing Raise is especially valuable to small nonprofits who may not have the resources to concentrate on fundraising, Parkers said. The nonprofits participating include agencies that provide take

home food for school children, educational resources in struggling schools, community programs in libraries and churches, food pantries, child care, workforce training, housing, collaborative gardens, museums, and the Pottstown Fourth of July celebration.

Pandemic changed fundraising

The need to get creative with fundraising has been critical since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic which put a hard stop on in-person fundraisers.

“Local nonprofits had to change traditional fundraising methods and become more sophisticated and savvy with data analytics, social media and innovative ways to tell their story to funders,” Parker said. TCN responded to that need by establishing a support system with free consulting services by fundraising professionals available to all nonprofits participating under The Amazing Raise umbrella.

The consulting service benefit has been a tremendous boost to the individual nonprofits, said Joe Rusiewicz, executive director of the Foundation for Pottstown Education, which provides resources to Pottstown School District students and teachers.

“We’ve used the consultant to help us become a better nonprofit in how we fundraise,” Rusiewicz said. “The consultant has helped us with research and with one-on-one outreach strategies toward our goal of more alumni participation in our fundraising.”

The efforts tie back to The Amazing Raise, which has netted $142,000 for the education foundation in the past five years. Rusiewicz said the money enhances programs and equipment in the district, including the Early College Program that pays high school students’ tuition to attend classes at Montgomery County Community College, field trips for elementary students, fees to take Advanced Placement exams, and grants to school art departments and libraries for equipment that is not in the district budget.

A ‘quiet movement’

The Amazing Raise has been “a quiet movement,” Parker said, without the national exposure of United Way or Giving Tuesday campaigns. “It’s hyperlocal and is publicized through the individual nonprofits.

“A donor comes to The Amazing Raise website because they love the mission of a participating nonprofit and they give to support that local mission.”

Participation also supports the full community effort. “We want this to be the hub for fundraising in our community, galvanizing a movement around the Amazing Raise. We are different than other fundraising movements — we’re local, and we provide handson training and support beyond the fundraising to help our nonprofits gain capacity and grow.”

And there’s the bonus: Every donation is increased by a bonus at the end of the campaign. The bonus fund this year includes $15,000 from TCN to recognize their 15th anniversary and donations from several area foundations, private individuals and a Pottstown Hospital employee campaign that has netted $40,000 over the past three years.

To participate in the Amazing Raise, go to https://www.amazingraisetricounty.org/nonprofits/ and search for a nonprofit. Each nonprofit has a goal and a profile and the fundraising through the month is visible on the website. Parker stressed all donations are managed in a secure portal, and all money stays local enhanced by the bonus gift match.