The November 6, 2025 Adams County Community Foundation Giving Spree saw donors making larger gifts to a greater number of nonprofits than in prior years. In total, $4,342,196 was donated to 100 nonprofits. Of that, $1,261,600 was donated as “forever gifts,” adding to endowments to benefit the nonprofits designated by the donors. This year, 2,700 donors gave an average of $1,600 each. The highest average gift amount in the country.
This year’s Giving Spree featured a live, in-person event at the Gettysburg Wyndham where donors could meet and talk with hundreds of nonprofit representatives. Community Foundation CEO Ralph Serpe noted that donors turned out by the thousands. “The turnout at the live event and the interest in Community Media’s live broadcast was beyond our expectations. People wanted to learn about the nonprofits that make a difference in Adams County and speak directly with those they’d like to support.”
This Giving Spree coincided with the conclusion of the Community Foundation’s 40th Anniversary Campaign, a drive to raise $40 million for Adams County. Reaching this goal would triple the Community Foundation’s annual grants. Giving Spree donors who made “forever gifts” participated in the Campaign, as their gifts were added to endowments at the Community Foundation benefiting individual nonprofits. These designated endowments provide an annual grant to the nonprofit once its endowment reaches $10,000.
This year, “forever gifts” from Giving Spree donors reached $1.2 million and lifted 15 nonprofits past the $10,000 mark, enabling them to receive the first of their annual grants on February 14, 2026.
The Community Foundation awarded prizes to the nonprofits that saw the greatest percentage increase in endowment giving during the Giving Spree. This year, Gettysburg Film Commission took the top spot, followed closely by Adams County Trout Unlimited, Find Toby in PA, Visiting Nurse Association of Hanover & Spring Grove, St. James Early Learning Center, Adams County Arts Council, and Camp Nawakwa. Nine other nonprofits ranked in the top tier for endowment gifts and received endowment prizes: Adams County Children’s Advocacy Center, Adams County Farmers Market Association, Inc., Adams County Library System, Adams Rescue Mission, Forever Love Rescue, Gettysburg Garden Club, Land Conservancy of Adams County, South Central Community Action Programs, Inc., and Thaddeus Stevens Society.
Each year, the Giving Spree includes an Incentive Match Pool, providing donors with the option of making a gift that will benefit all participating nonprofits. The total in the Incentive Match Pool is allocated to all 100 participating nonprofits based on the amount of Giving Spree gifts raised by each. This year, donors lifted the Adams County Historical Society, Shining Stars Therapeutic Riding Program, and South Central Community Action Programs to the top three spots measured by total donations.
New this year, the Community Foundation provided $100,000 for a special incentive pool designed to boost nonprofits raising less than those in the top tier. The pool provided an extra gift to each participating nonprofit, allocated in proportion to the amount up to $40,000 raised by each.
In contrast with most giving days, the Adams County Community Foundation Giving Spree aims to create a culture of endowment giving rather than simply redirecting annual donations to specific nonprofits. Donors are encouraged to support the nonprofits they know with an extra gift, to discover and give to a new nonprofit, and to support nonprofits with gifts to an endowment that will sustain them for decades to come. The success of the Giving Spree shows in the strong community culture of support for the nonprofits that sustain a healthy, vibrant Adams County.
The Giving Spree is only possible with support from its generous sponsors. This year’s Presenting Sponsors included Sharon C. Magraw, Cynthia & David Salisbury and Danny Sebright as well as Event Sponsors Adams Electric Cooperative, Brown Advisory, Kampstra Wealth Management, Members 1st Federal Credit Union, John & Kim Phillips, Julie Ramsey & Bruce Bigelow, and the Rice Fruit Company.
The Incentive Match & Endowment Prizes were made possible by the J. William Warehime Foundation, Thomas E. & Florence B. Metz Fund, Luther & Lois Smith Fund for Adams County, and the Community Foundation’s President’s Fund.
In-Kind, Volunteer and Media Sponsors includedAdams County Historical Society, Biggerstaff Catering, Members 1st Federal Credit Union, and the United Way of Adams County.
A detailed list of 2025 Giving Spree results, sponsors, and more may be found at ACCFGivingSpree.org.
About the Adams County Community Foundation
The Adams County Community Foundation was created to promote and facilitate charitable giving and to build The Fund for Adams County, a permanent civic endowment for Adams County. The Community Foundation also provides a home for a variety of charitable funds created by donors including endowments directed to a specific organization or purpose, scholarship funds, and donor-advised funds, which may make grants anywhere in Pennsylvania or across the country.
See the complete list of awards here.