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Idaho Gives raises over $4 million

by LAUREN REICHENBACH
Staff Writer | May 4, 2024 1:00 AM

Idahoans raised over $4 million in just four days in support of local small businesses and nonprofits across the state during the week of Idaho Gives.

Over a dozen organizations in Bonner County participated this year, with 173 donors raising a total of $25,317.54 for the local nonprofits.

The organizations who received donations this year were: The Bonner Community Food Bank, Bonner Community Housing Agency, Creations, Festival at Sandpoint, Friends of Pend d’ Oreille Bay Trail, Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness, Kaniksu Land Trust, Memorial Community Center, Panhandle Special Needs, Project 7B, Sandpoint Teen Center, Selkirk Outdoor Leadership & Education, and The Yellow Room.

Nearly 14,000 individuals donated throughout the week, supporting over 600 nonprofits across the state and raising a total of $4,148,374, said Idaho Nonprofit Center marketing and communications director Kim Ellsworth, breaking last year’s fundraising total of just over $3.8 million.

“We had been on the cusp of the $4 million mark since 2020,” said Idaho Nonprofit Center CEO Kevin Bailey. “It is a testament of the generosity of Idahoans and their dedication to their home state.”

This year’s donations bring the total amount that has been raised in the 12 years of Idaho Gives to almost $28 million supporting local nonprofits.

Not only did local Idahoans donate, but people from 68 countries outside the United States have given to the fundraiser as well. Donations have been received from Mongolia, Singapore, Romania, and the Netherlands, to name a few. A donation has also been made from every state in the country, Ellsworth said.

“It’s always exciting to see the total amount raised at the end of Idaho Gives,” said Laura Smith, vice president of public relations at Idaho Central Credit Union. “But more impressive is the number of individual donors that came together to make it happen.”