#GivingTuesday, and Giving Hope
A conceptual illustration of the George Washington Carver Farm, a focus of Agraria’s #GivingTuesday campaign. (Illustration by Alisa Isaac)
By Audrey Hackett
The results are in! Nonprofits worldwide raised $3.1 billion on #GivingTuesday this year. Here in Yellow Springs, Agraria took part in the global day of giving, bringing in a bountiful $6,493 in donations toward the growth and development of the George Washington Carver Farm.
The Giving Tuesday effort was the first public phase of Agraria’s newly launched campaign for the Carver Farm, an 18-acre production site at Agraria that will serve BIPOC and other underserved growers through training, incubation, experimentation, and cooperative grants and enterprises.
“It was a very strong showing,” Development Director April Wolford said.
The George Washington Carver Farm honors the legacy of regenerative agricultural pioneer George Washington Carver by lifting up and putting into practice his principles and philosophies to regenerate the land and create opportunities for underserved growers.
“We’re building on and honoring his legacy, and that resonates with people,” Wolford explained.
Not only did Agraria’s Giving Tuesday total top, by 130%, its goal of raising $5,000, but the online campaign also brought in 31 new donors — double the number the development team hoped to engage. “We’re very excited about that,” Wolford said.
Agraria has participated in #GivingTuesday in past years through the Yellow Springs Community Foundation, or YSCF. This year was the first time Agraria ran its own Giving Tuesday campaign, using a crowdsourcing approach through its online community platform. But Wolford was quick to point out that Agraria worked to promote the YSCF effort as well as its own, noting that nearly $1,500 of this year’s donations came through the YSCF.
The crowdsourcing approach was a way to engage partners and supporters, according to Wolford. “Supporters like Diantha Duren of Marvin’s Organic Gardens could create a personal link and share it with their networks,” she explained. Duren’s network raised $460 for the campaign in this way. Marvin’s Organic Gardens also put up a challenge to match the first $2,500 raised with a $2,500 sponsorship toward the George Washington Carver Farm campaign.
Agraria’s development team followed the progress of Giving Tuesday with excitement and suspense. Donations picked up after 5 p.m., leading Wolford to speculate, with a laugh, that “people had their dinner and a boost in generosity.” Development team members were on a group chat together until 9 p.m., watching the generosity grow.
For those who wish to support Agraria’s service to the community and bioregion, there’s still time. “If you didn’t have a chance to participate in Giving Tuesday, there’s another opportunity before the end of the year,” Wolford said. Tax benefits and 401K distribution requirements are among the financial reasons people may choose to donate prior to December 31. But the core motivation and spark of purpose have to do with hope, according to Wolford.
“People say they donate out of hope for a better future,” she said. “A donor recently said, ‘Agraria’s my hope.’ That captures the sentiment. We’re serving the community in ways that make the world a better place to live.”
*Audrey Hackett is associate editor of Agraria Journal.
