This year, the Williamsburg Community Foundation celebrated its 25th Anniversary through a fundraising campaign, raising over $924,000 for local nonprofits. WCF is a local charity founded in 1999, aiming to connect people passionate about their community with meaningful causes. The foundation has built and maintained strong relationships with both donors and nonprofits which all work together to help those in need.
President and CEO Nancy Coté Sullivan reflected on the organization’s impact so far.
“The most rewarding thing about our 25th anniversary celebration and the response from our donors and community members is the trust that those folks have put in the foundation to use their gifts wisely,” Sullivan said. “The connections we have built with our donors and grant recipients over 25 years have led to better understanding of the needs in our community and the work done by local nonprofits to improve the quality of life for local residents effectively and efficiently.”
This 25th Anniversary campaign was not just a way to celebrate their past but to look towards the future and discover new ways to increase their impact on the City of Williamsburg community.
WCF Development and Communications Officer Jenn Daley outlined the foundation’s dedication to fundraising for Williamsburg non-profits.
“Anytime you hit an anniversary as an organization, it’s a great opportunity to stop and reflect on where you’ve been and where you want to go,” Daley said. “We realized that the place we really wanted to make more of an impact was on our grant-making to the local non-profits.”
As the needs of the community grow and change, WCF wants to ensure that its ability to respond grows as well, and more funding is an essential part of that mission. Daley emphasized that the campaign’s success relied heavily on collective action.
“It wasn’t about just one major donor getting a huge amount of money,” she said. “It was about a lot of people coming together and embracing that shared vision to help the grant-making for the community.”
This was shown through the foundation’s matching campaign, where generous donors matched the gifts of others by half, exponentially increasing the potential impact. WCF also started a surprise grant program, where attendees of the campaign’s launch event were entered in a raffle to choose one of the foundation’s non-profit partnerships to donate to. These initiatives boosted donor engagement by creating fun opportunities to get involved.
“It was a great, creative way to highlight the kinds of organizations we support, but also, to illustrate what it means to give to and through a Community Foundation,” Daley said. “The response was overwhelming.”
WCF works across all areas of community life, including arts and culture, children and young adults, environment and conservation, senior services and health and wellness. The foundation’s leadership, the board of trustees, plays a huge role in ensuring that grants address the most pressing local needs.
Daley points out that for the non-profits providing these critical resources, it is important that they receive not only funding, but also recognition for all their hard work.
“Every single one of them is so passionate about the people they serve, and they all do such great work,” Daley said.
One of the organizations benefiting from WCF’s fundraising campaign is Grove Christian Outreach Center, which runs Williamsburg’s first free grocery market, The Gathering Place. With over 41,000 visits and 10,400 families served last year, Grove relies on support from the community to meet growing needs. With WCF funding, Grove was able to buy more shopping carts, explore new refrigeration options and expand its supply of fresh and culturally appropriate foods.
Grover Christian Outreach Center Development Manager Matthew Pollino explained how valuable the increased funding is to these growing organizations. However, their mission entails more than simply providing food.
“We want to make sure we break the stigma of what a food pantry is, to give people that opportunity to shop for themselves and to give them dignity back in what they’re doing,” Pollino said. “Not everybody that comes in here is below poverty, but there are a lot of people who are. We want individuals to feel comfortable, safe and cared about when they come in.”
He highlighted the importance of spreading awareness about issues like food insecurity, especially among college students.
“I didn’t know about this kind of stuff when I went to ’Bama,” Pollino said. “I wish I did, because now I’m excited when I see kids getting food, so the parents don’t have to choose between paying their bills or getting food for their kids. We have that ability to prevent that, and when you’re 19, 20, 21, 22, and you see that and you take that going forward, it totally changes the game and how you see life. Spreading the word is so important.”
Daley emphasized WCF’s goal to keep providing for the community by encouraging others to donate.
“Whether you have $10 or want to start a million-dollar fund, there’s a place for you at a community foundation,” Daley said.
She also encourages everyone, including students, to get involved.
“If you’re a student at the university, you’re part of this community. You’re part of the community foundation. Financial support is amazing, and I cannot stress how much we need that, but there is no value you can place on time, and for someone to come in and see the impact they’re making, it will change a student’s life,” Daley said.
