Great Fish fundraiser enters fifth year of community giving

Fifty-three nonprofits are coming together this summer to raise awareness about their missions, but to also ask donors to give during a campaign through the Whitefish Community Foundation designed to make contributions stretch even farther.

Celebrating its fifth year, the Great Fish Community Challenge has raised more than $7 million total in previous years of giving. The nonprofits who participate say the challenge has made fundraising efforts easier and led to connections in the community that might not have otherwise happened.

The Whitefish Community Foundation organizes the Great Fish, which kicked off last week, and provides matching funds during the challenge to inspire the community to give to the participating nonprofits.

Linda Maetzold, board chair for the Community Foundation, said the challenge has really brought together a partnership between the nonprofits and the foundation.

“The challenge has worked and it’s everything we wanted it to be,” Maetzold said. “It’s energized the board to get more involved. We’re proud of the level of giving that has occurred as a result — this is an amazing place we live in.”

The Great Fish runs a total of seven weeks, and this year begins with a $200,000 match. At the end of the campaign, Whitefish Community Foundation will provide a percentage match on the first $20,000 raised by each participating nonprofit.

Karen Giesy, an organizer with the Backpack Assistance Program, points out that in part because of the match any donation — even $5 — makes an even greater difference, and the challenge seems to engage the community in giving.

The Backpack Assistance Program provides fruit, vegetables and dry goods on a weekly basis during the school year to help sustain children in need. It also stocks a pantry at Whitefish Middle School.

Giesy points out that the backpack program is led by a small group of volunteers and the Great Fish has become central to fundraising to make sure children are provided with the food they need.

“The Great Fish has become the heart and soul of our fundraisng,” she said. “It’s a massive amount of work to organize a fundraiser like this and we couldn’t do what we do without it. We hope to expand even farther.”

For this year’s challenge, giving runs through Sept. 13. The campaign is also designed to make it easy for donors to make one gift and benefit multiple charities with all donations made to the Whitefish Community Foundation.

Linda Engh-Grady, president of the Whitefish Community Foundation, says donors often say they’ll get around to giving to a charity, but the Great Fish Challenge places urgency on their donation because of the match.

“The challenge has really raised awareness and efforts to give,” Engh-Grady said. “The match provides a huge inventive to give, and all the nonprofits working together at the same time provides the message that were all in this together.”

The challenge started in 2015 with 32 participating nonprofits. Each year the number has increased, to this year including 53 charities.

In its first year the challenge raised $1.1 million and each year has grown by roughly $500,000 more with a total of $2.4 million raised in 2018.

The charities involved support the community through a number of causes such as conservation, human services, advancing education and support of local arts and culture.

Kelly Mortensen, with Project Whitefish Kids, says the Great Fish has completely changed the way her group raises funds and has increased the number of donors it has. PWK operates, maintains and develops the Smith Fields Youth Sports Complex.

“It’s so great to be involved with all these nonprofits,” Mortensen said. “It’s great that we can lift each other up and it has really expanded our donations because it’s made people aware of us. We’re essentially a park, but because of that a lot of people don’t know about us, so this has helped us find a way to tell our own story.”

Mortensen said the Great Fish has also influenced her connections and shifted the way she makes donations personally as well.

“I’ve made contact with a lot of different directors to hear their stories so now I can tell other people about them too,” she said. “But it also expands my donations every year when I know what they’re doing.”

Mike Koopal, executive director of the Whitefish Lake Institute, says the Great Fish is “a loop” with a dollar contributed to the Great Fish Community Challenge today turning into a community return on investment tomorrow.

“The Great Fish Community Challenge builds community and connections to increase capacity for participating nonprofits — all with disparate missions that define us as a whole,” Koopal said. “The Whitefish Lake Institute and Whitefish Lake benefit from the challenge via key science and education programs designed to protect the ecologic and economic value of the resource.”

Serving as a celebration heading into the final week of giving, the Great Fish Community Challenge Color Run and Community BBQ takes place on Sept. 7 in Depot Park.

Maetzold says the Color Run has become a great gathering.

“It’s an opportunity to celebrate and come together in one place, while seeing the impact that all the nonprofits are having on the community,” she said. “It’s really a chance to have those who have their hearts in helping the community all in one place.”

Throughout the challenge, nonprofits have the chance to earn incentive grants that total $25,000.

Engh-Grady says when the challenge first began there may have been concern that nonprofits would be competing against each other for donations, but they have actually benefited from participating together.

“People who give in similar areas — conservation or for children’s groups — often give to other nonprofits that work in those area,” she said. “It’s lifted them all up.”

“We’re really proud of the awareness it’s brought to some of the nonprofits that maybe donors didn’t know existed before,” she added.

Jenna Taylor, associate director with Child Bridge, says the Great Fish has allowed for great visibility to their organization that works statewide. Child Bridge works with families who foster or adopt children who have been removed from their home because of abuse and neglect.

“It’s been great to meet so many new donors, but to also to begin relationships and plant the seed for others. It’s a concise way to really share our mission and meet a lot of other people who are passionate about what they do.”

Donations for the Great Fish Challenge can be made online at www.whitefishcommunityfoundation.org, or by sending in an official donor form. Official donor forms will be mailed out and will be available in newspapers, at the Whitefish Community Foundation office, Flathead County downtown businesses, Whitefish Chamber of Commerce, and from participating nonprofits. Donation forms can also be downloaded from the foundation’s website.

Sign-up for the Color Run on Sept. 7 can also be done on the foundation’s website.

For more information, visit www.whitefishcommunityfoundation.org or call 406-863-1781.