First ‘Idaho Gives’ day brings in more than $578K for nonprofits
The take from the first "Idaho Gives" day: More than $578,000 in donations to 500-plus Idaho non-profits, with nearly 6,200 people across the state making donations. "I really felt that if we got a couple hundred thousand dollars I would have thought we were pretty successful," Lynn Hoffman, executive director of the Idaho Nonprofit Center, told the Associated Press. "So to almost reach $600,000 is amazing."
The Idaho Humane Society was the biggest beneficiary, with $13,123; both the Idaho Foodbank and Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest also received more than $13,000. Smaller nonprofits also got into the act, with seven small groups bringing in more than $3,000. Click below for a full report from the AP.
'Idaho Gives' rakes in $578,000 for nonprofits
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — More than 500 nonprofits and charities across the state raked in more than $578,000 Thursday as part of "Idaho Gives," the 24-hour, online fundraising blitz.
Organizers estimate nearly 6,200 people made donations to help the cause of hundreds of nonprofits taking part in the inaugural statewide fundraiser.
Borrowing from an idea in place in many other states, the Idaho Nonprofit Center teamed up with nonprofits across the state to encourage Idahoans to take a moment Thursday to pledge support for the cause of their choice. The fundraising — for groups ranging from Big Brothers Big Sisters to Idaho Youth Ranch and the Boise Bicycle Project — unfolded almost entirely on the web.
Lynn Hoffmann, executive director of the Idaho Nonprofit Center, said the final tally and total number of first-time donors helped meet first-year expectations.
"I really felt that if we got a couple hundred thousand dollars I would have thought we were pretty successful," she said. "So to almost reach $600,000 is amazing."
The Idaho Humane Society raked in $13,123, taking the top spot among large nonprofits, while both the Idaho Foodbank and Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest also received more than $13,000.
Smaller nonprofits also got into the act, with seven small groups bringing in more than $3,000.
More than 80 people donated to Girls on the Run, a Treasury Valley organization that empowers young girls to live an active lifestyle that ended up raising $3,410 Thursday.
Companies including St. Luke's and Idaho Central Credit Union have committed to matching a portion of the funds raised. So far, corporations have agreed to chip in $40,000. Hoffmann said Payette Brewing Company in Boise and Chili's Grill and Bar in Eagle also plan to donate a portion of their Thursday food and drink sales to nonprofits.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
