Giving Day’s legacy as midnight approaches

Giving Day is going away. Organizers with Fairfield County's Community Foundation were already talking about it eventually wearing out its welcome even before it arrived at its fifth anniversary. The arrival of its 10th year seems like an ideal time to transition to new fundraising initiatives.

Giving Day “is no longer the most effective opportunity to support the marketing and fundraising capacity of local nonprofits,” the foundation explained in a statement.

Some Connecticut nonprofits are too small to participate effectively, if at all. Organizers said feedback from a survey identified the one-day event as a “barrier to building authentic relationships with community organizations.”

So the foundation will pivot to fresh ways to support the nonprofits, many of which compete for the same fundraising dollars every day.

Like any telethon, Giving Day was always a gimmick, a 24-hour window to challenge Connecticut residents to support favorite charities. And while it has arrived at its expiration date, it should be recognized for its successes.

First of all, raising $13.75 million since its kickoff in 2014 ($2.2 million of that came last year), is a formidable figure.

Perhaps more importantly, Giving Day marked a spot on the calendar when we could all pause to consider the breadth of needs and treasures in our state. Many causes have awareness weeks (such as National Volunteer Week), while others get an entire month (February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, for example). All of them deserve more attention and support every day of the year.

Even if you don't have the resources to donate to a cause Thursday, it's worth pausing to scroll — literally and mentally — through the list of nonprofits that raised their hands to participate in Giving Day.

For starters, just consider the categories of causes: animals, arts and culture, community advocacy, disability services, disaster relief, education, emergency response, entrepreneurship, environment, ethnic/immigration services, family violence shelters/ services, health and wellness, homelessness and housing, international, migration and refugee issues, LGBTQ+, politics, poverty and hunger, racial equity, religion, seniors, social justice, substance abuse prevention, veterans, women's issues, youth.

Within those categories are a few agencies that are known nationally, such as Sandy Hook Promise and the Red Cross. Many serve the entire state, including the Anti-Defamation League and the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants. But dig deep and you can find organizations that shape the identities of their towns. That can mean libraries and historical societies, theaters and museums, or Audubon and animal rescue groups.

Some of those needs overlap. Others might seem to have nothing in common. But they are all about the people (and yes, the animals) of Connecticut.

A tally of the agencies, and their needs, can seem endless. But the end of this chapter for the foundation cannot be written without celebrating the Connecticut residents who have participated on Giving Day. A year ago, almost 13,000 individuals and families contributed gifts.

Giving Day is going away. But it will have a legacy of pointing to the deep needs and resources in our towns, and demonstrating the willingness of the people of Connecticut to help.