Since July 2016, Programa Velasco (PV) has celebrated its annual Giving Day. Organized out of our headquarters in El Salvador but held online, Giving Day brings together supporters from various different countries and is our largest annual fundraising event each year.
Through the years we have learned a great deal about how to best facilitate this event. Above all, we have learned how loyal and amazing our supporters are. With each Giving Day, we challenge ourselves to raise more funds, knowing that more people may need our programs to educate and empower themselves.
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a huge challenge for not only PV, but for the entire world as well. With massive global unemployment and economic crises, we knew it was going to be a difficult year to fundraise for PV. At the same time, we also knew that this year was especially difficult for the most vulnerable, so canceling was not an option.
Giving Day symbolizes hope for all the families we serve. Many of them even get involved and are excited to be part of the day because they have the opportunity to share how the programs at PV have impacted their lives.
All communications, logistics, and creative efforts are motivated by the ultimate goal of bringing hope and possibility to the communities where we work. Especially during this pandemic, we realized that our participants feel truly accompanied by PV and its supporters. Many of them find comfort in knowing that there is a community determined to support them and committed to their triumph.
Along with raising $40,000, our largest goal so far, we have been challenged with adapting our projects to COVID-19 restrictions and ensuring safe social distancing measures among our participants. Among these challenges we were able to work together and achieve our fundraising goal. We are so proud of all the people who stepped up to help the entrepreneurs, children and their families.
Our supporters surpassed our original goal and helped us raise a total of $45,746!
100% of the proceeds will go towards ensuring that our participants can continue to engage in our programs and services in early childhood education, family support services, and women’s entrepreneurship. Of those three program areas, we split the funds equally and are able to provide essential services, such as:
- 35 entrepreneurs will be able to continue accessing business training and development, which is urgent for them as they pivot components of their businesses, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, while also generating income for themselves and their families
- 80 children and their families will continue to receive access to instruction and activities supporting their social-emotional health, as well as family development
- Counseling and mental health services will continue to be available to as many of our 35 entrepreneurs and 90 families who need it
We send our deepest gratitude to all our 212 donors, 40 ambassadors, 100+ participants, 6 board members, 8 staff members and everyone who supported us during our 5th annual Giving Day campaign. We will see you next year!
