Small but Mighty: Holy Family Parish Triumphs in Mohawk Valley Gives Campaign

This Fall, the Mohawk Valley Gives campaign, co-run by the UpMobility Foundation and the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, raised over $6.5 million for over 300 nonprofits. The top of the leaderboard included well-known Mohawk Valley organizations, including Anita’s Stevens Swan Humane Society, Integrated Community Alternatives (ICAN), ARC Herkimer, Notre Dame Schools and--Holy Family Parish. Yes, that’s right. Our very own Holy Family Parish beat out ICAN and ARC Herkimer to take fourth place in the campaign, raising over $130,995. This was a marked difference from their performance in 2024, when they raised a couple of hundred dollars.

So how did they do it? After all, Holy Family Parish is a small organization, with only a couple of employees. The answer to Holy Family’s success would come from a combination of leadership from a dedicated parishioner, Peggy Romano, efforts from Holy Family staff and volunteers, and a willingness to try new things. An important moment came when Holy Family partnered with Helping Hands, a program run by FMN Creative of Utica that helps nonprofits improve the marketing of their campaigns. “Going to Helping Hands helped me understand what we needed to do to be successful,” Peggy shared. The program gave Holy Family the tools and strategies they needed to stand out in the campaign—including helping them launch targeted Facebook ads and craft a powerful impact statement that celebrated the parish’s history and mission. Parishioner and communications professional Joan Reardon pitched in, reaching out to parishioners past and present through email blasts. With professional guidance and a clear story to tell, Holy Family used social media (including tapping into the Little Falls Alumni network site) to connect with supporters across the country.

But Holy Family’s success didn’t come from digital efforts alone. Peggy and her small team personally reached out to more than 600 people by phone, encouraging them to give. Peggy held daily office hours to walk donors through the online giving process step by step. The Holy Family team also sent postcards to every household on the parish mailing list—dropping off extras at the UPS Store—to make sure no one missed the opportunity to participate. Meanwhile, Father Brian Slezak kept the momentum going from the pulpit, speaking about the Mohawk Valley Gives campaign for weeks leading up to the event.

Together, these efforts created a powerful blend of faith, community, and innovation—showing that with open minds and dedication, even a small parish can stand out during a two-county giving event. Peggy shared that she was deeply humbled by the support that started to roll in, including a remarkable $10,000 gift from a donor living outside the region. “We were blown away by the kindness of people near and far,” she told us. “The generosity showed how many lives our parish has touched — even beyond the Mohawk Valley.” As she reflected, the success of Mohawk Valley Gives wasn’t just monetary. Being a part of the campaign made it evident how dear Holy Family Parish truly is to the Little Falls community, and to places far beyond. Peggy is already looking forward to next year’s Mohawk Valley Gives, realizing the importance of planning in building an effective campaign.