Officials at the nonprofit Project Fibonacci® Foundation (PFF) of Rome are expressing their strong endorsement and support of the annual Mohawk Valley Gives (MVG) campaign, claiming it to be one of the most successful fundraising, charitable giving, and philanthropic matching programs in the nation. Powered by the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties and UpMobility Foundation, the third annual campaign included about 325 nonprofit participants and nearly $5 million in total giving and philanthropic matches transacted mainly during a 24-hour period on September 20—Giving Day—with the support of a host of local for-profit sponsors and supporters.
According to PFF chairman Andrew Drozd, the campaign has become invaluable in uplifting our region’s nonprofit organizations and is unparalleled in enabling the reinvestment of dollars raised directly back into the Mohawk Valley—an effective mechanism for nonprofits to surge the delivery of programs and services of benefit to those facing economic uncertainty or experiencing hardships, including filling needs gaps for other no less worthy causes.
Drozd sees the MVG campaign as a model economic engine for nonprofits that upholds community well-being and revitalization and works in unison with for-profit organizations to leverage resources in support of a wide range of worthy organizations and missions. Drozd applauded the efforts of the Community Foundation and UpMobility Foundation for their vision and efforts in supporting regional nonprofits helping others.
PFF was thoroughly invested in the MVG campaign from the start, according to Amy Jaworski, PFF Public Relations Director. On September 16, PFF held a Tap Into STEAM fundraiser at Rome’s Copper City Brewery as a soft launch of the MVG campaign. Sponsored by the Mohawk Valley EDGE and attended by over 100 guests, the event benefitted PFF along with ten other local nonprofit affiliates for a night of basket and 50/50 raffles, silent and live auctions, entertainment, food and other offerings, raising almost $5,000—split among the participating nonprofits. Jaworski said, “Tap Into STEAM is meant to help kickstart the MVG campaign and inspire a giving mood.”
On Giving Day—September 20—PFF raised $46,616 essentially during a 24-hour period, securing a 20th-place ranking out 325 participating nonprofits. “It would take us weeks if not months to raise that amount of money and we were able to do this basically in a single day using the MVG’s ‘one-stop shop’ online platform giving anyone access to all the participating nonprofits to learn more about them, what they do, and allow anyone to readily make a tax-deductible donation to anyone on the list. It’s a win-win concept,” stated Drozd.
Drozd is thankful for the MVG campaign’s capacity to raise considerable funding for the Project Fibonacci Foundation which aims to leverage aspects of the arts to help grow the local STEM workforce giving local youth a boost in vying for high-paying jobs and pursuing rewarding STEM careers in the Mohawk Valley. The money raised through the MVG campaign will be used to seed PFF’s scholarship fund to provide stipends for students wishing to attend next summer’s STEAM Leadership Conference. Drozd looks forward to the 2025 campaign which is expected to be even bigger based on the growing number of nonprofits participating coupled with the community’s growing awareness of the campaign’s impact.
