Do you ever wonder?
Ever wonder what makes Adams County, PA truly distinctive? I certainly do. Let me start by establishing an incredible baseline fact. Adams County is the most generous county per capita in the entire U.S. for a single day giving event (our Giving Spree)! This may not be widely known, but here is why it matters and makes us fundamentally unique.
Adams Countians have figured out that the best way to put their resources to good use and to advance the needs within their local community, is to support their very own local nonprofit network. Civility, responsibility and accountability all perform best when enacted at the local level. Who else but locals in a community themselves knows what others living nearby as neighbors may need to improve their situations? Why defer our authority on local issues that locals know best how to solve? Do we suspect that farther afield entities could have a better understanding of the exactitudes of our specific community? A dollar spent locally with a worthy nonprofit is a dollar to the good of the community. A dollar spent afield may come back as a mere fraction of the original amount.
Across the spectrum, from the needs of the food and housing insecure, to children’s services, elderly assistance, county beautification (i.e. Garden Club), protection of our land, look, feel, natural resources, history, culture and so very much more, the impact is direct and immediate. The roughly 100 nonprofits who participate in the Giving Spree provide every resident a personal choice as to the area of interest and need to which they wish to give. There is something for everyone.
I'm always excited to donate to a cause I respect and where I know the money will be put to good use. A fundraiser and author friend of mine says the key is to give “through, not to” an organization you feel resonates with your interests. Furthermore, since these organizations are local and I often know the people involved, I can monitor how they are doing and enjoy the actual impact they make in our own community. Do well, hopefully more donations come. Do otherwise, maybe not. It is the ultimate efficient, transparent, continually-, locally-monitored and accountable system.
Many of you know I work closely with the Land Conservancy of Adams County. On behalf of our organization, I thank those of you who have chosen to support our critical mission of preservation. Your generous gifts continue to impress and be put to permanent good use, keeping our spectacular county open, rural, natural and increasingly unique and desirable. A win-win-win, now and forever. I mean forever.
It’s amazing what can be done when we care for our own neighbors and neighborhood. Just a suggestion…when you drive around Adams County and marvel at this little piece of paradise we’ve helped create and strive to sustain, let the pleasure of your visual experience be a reminder of all the other nonprofits in our sphere that work to better serve us in myriad ways.
Can you imagine what remarkable things might be accomplished elsewhere in our country if we could replicate Adams County’s generosity? A back of the envelope calculation estimates that one day giving challenges like ours, nationwide, could generate $13.4 billion. Yes, $13.4B actually doing $13.4B worth of work with neighbors caring for and bonding with neighbors. May 2026 be your best year yet.
Dave Salisbury serves on the board of directors of the Land Conservancy of Adams County. The Land Conservancy is a fully accredited, member-supported, non-profit land trust with the mission to preserve the rural lands and character of Adams County.
The Land Conservancy is proud to participate in the Adams County Community Foundation’s 2026 Giving Spree. Join us in person on Thursday, November 5 at the Wyndham Gettysburg Hotel to learn more about the important work being done by 100+ amazing nonprofits supporting Adams County.