Hometown Fundraising

Local fundraising events and projects are an important part of community preservation. While not usually the biggest part of a plan to raise funds, they frequently provide an opportunity for concerned citizens to participate and show their support for a particular effort.

Do you have a Hometown Fundraising idea to share? If so, please send it along to meg@ptvermont.org and we will consider including it on our website.

Norwich: Dan & Whit’s and the Norwich Inn
Dan & Whit’s general store in Norwich, in partnership with the Norwich Inn, is holding community wine tastings on a monthly basis. Each month a selected nonprofit is the beneficiary in return for its promoting the tasting. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door, with $6 from each ticket sold going to the sponsoring nonprofit. For each bottle of wine ordered at the event, $1 goes to the nonprofit. Each ticket also entitles the holder to $5 off dinner at the Inn that evening.

As of January 2015, the tastings have raised $25.497 for local nonprofits since December 2010 including the Norwich Historical Society, Norwich’s two one-room historic schoolhouses, the Norwich Public Library, and the Haven. Donations going to the nonprofits from a specific wine tasting depend upon the number of folks they attract to the tasting and their purchases.

The largest single event donation was $1,330 for the Hartford-Norwich Holiday Basket Helpers in November 2013. The largest turn-out of participants was 120 people.

The tastings are also wonderful community events – with folks talking with friends and acquaintances as they taste. In addition, several local food producers share samples of their products including King Arthur Flour, Vermont Farmhouse Cheese, Yummy Yammy Sweet Potato Salsas, My Brigadeiro Chocolates, and VT Savory Syrups.

Dan & Whit’s is happy for other communities to use this wonderful model.