The Wyoming County Cultural Center at the Dietrich Theater in Tunkhannock (top) enjoyed a banner first year as participants in the NEPA Gives initiative on June 4. Interfaith of Susquehanna County will put a portion of the money they collected via the campaign toward the restoration of their new headquarters in Montrose (above), in addition to purchasing shoes for local students when they return to school this fall.
A number of nonprofit organizations in the Endless Mountains took part this year in the annual NEPA Gives initiative sponsored by the Scranton Area Community Foundation (SACF) and the NEPA Nonprofit & Community Assistance Center (NCAC). On June 4, more than $1.2 million was raised by 218 participating organizations.
Seven non-profits were offered cash matches from Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation and, of them, three finished in the Top 100. “We’re especially proud of a number of organizations that participated for the first time as NEPA Gives was opened up to include Susquehanna and Wyoming counties,” said Bill desRosiers, external affairs manager at Cabot. “We would also like to thank the staff of the Commonwealth Charitable Management (CCM) and the Community Foundation of the Endless Mountains for the guidance they provided to this year’s participants.”
Countryside Conservancy, which manages nature preserves and trails in Susquehanna, Wyoming and Lackawanna counties, finished in fourth place. Two years into the initiative, they solicited $36,576 from 112 donors, surpassing their goal of $25,000. In addition to the amount that Cabot contributed, Countryside Conservancy picked a couple of prizes from the sponsors along the way, including a $5,000 bonus for the medium-size organization to earn the most over the 24-hour donation period.
“We spent a lot more time preparing, so I was hopeful,” said Conservancy director Bill Kern. “At the end of the day, I’m always blown away by how generous our area is.
The Wyoming County Cultural Center (WCCC) garnered $16,460 for their efforts, including a $500 prize for getting a donation the closest to 7 a.m. that day. The Cultural Center is the home of the Dietrich Theater and its staff, board members and volunteers rallied for the campaign, keeping social media followers apprised of their progress throughout the day.
“We were absolutely amazed by the outpouring of support we received on NEPA Gives Day,” said WCCC director Erica Rogler. They got some important help from Jesse Ergott of NeighborWorks PA, who shared what that organization had done the previous year and helped Erica and her team develop a strategy.
Susquehanna County Interfaith picked up $2,325, including a $500 prize for organizations serving the disability community, to help fund their initiatives. The money is earmarked for Interfaith’s Back to School Shoe Program and building renovations. According to Interfaith director Cynthia Beeman, it was the second year that key supporter and blogger Andi Marrs spearheaded their efforts, with social media help this year from intern Maria Wetzel.
“Last year, we had more individual donors, but this year the donors gave larger gifts,” Beeman related.
Experience means a lot, so first- and second-time participants will likely do better with more time to plan for next year. For example, Interfaith also received two significant off-line donations totaling $2,000 but forgot to add them to their total, which Beeman feels might have encouraged more people to help them meet their goal. She’s confident though that donations will continue to arrive in coming weeks, as was the case in 2020, from supporters who don’t traditionally use the internet.
In addition to learning from other organizations, Rogler recommends taking full advantage of the help offered by the SACF. “They have so many tools to utilize and are readily available to help with any questions,” she remarked. In addition to Cabot, the Dietrich Theater was also able to secure matching funds from numerous individual and families who have been long-time supporters. The money they raised will help the Cultural Center provide more programming for people of all ages, including children in need.
Local youths are among the many benefactors of The Wyoming County Cultural Center at the Dietrich Theater in Tunkhannock.