While the holiday season is always a time for charitable giving, it”s also a time when many homeless and low-income families struggle to make it through the bitter cold of winter.
Deanna Ward, development director of the Home Partnership Foundation, said that”s what inspired Avenues of Hope, a fundraising challenge held every December by the Boise-based nonprofit.
“The campaign is an easy online platform (nonprofits) can use to promote their community without doing a lot of the leg-work needed to fundraise,” Ward said. “Especially during the winter, when they”re busy taking care of people.”
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The Sojourners” Alliance is made up of Executive Director Steve Barron, Security Monitor Tom Clayton and Office Manager Elaina Pierson. It raised $21,827 through Avenues of Hope.
Ward said Avenues of Hope began in 2011, when the Home Partnership Foundation noticed the negative impact the economic downturn had on low-income families. The challenge, now in its fifth year, raises funds for nonprofits with housing-related missions throughout the state of Idaho, and calls on individual donors and corporate sponsors to donate to one of the many participating nonprofits.
At the end of the fundraising period, the Home Partnership Foundation matches donations made by individuals and organizations.
Ward said in 2015, the Avenues for Hope challenge raised over $317,000 to be divvied up between 34 housing-based Idaho nonprofits including three local organizations – Sojourner”s Alliance, which raised $21,827 Family Promise of the Palouse, which raised $16,637; and Moscow Affordable Housing Trust, which raised $1,042.
Steve Bonnar, executive director of the Moscow-based nonprofit Sojourner”s Alliance, said his organization provides on and off-site transitional housing for 40 to 50 homeless and disabled adults. Operational costs run about $225,000 each year.
Despite the tremendous cost of operation, Bonnar said less than half of the nonprofit”s funding comes from federal grants, which means fundraising is crucial for the well-being of the operation.
Though Bonnar said he was skeptical at first, the Avenues of Hope December fundraiser has quickly become the nonprofit”s largest and most successful fundraiser.
“Avenues for Hope provides opportunities for people to donate online so it”s easy and efficient,” Bonnar said. “It has been a great fundraiser – it equals all other fundraisers we do combined.”
Katii Colson, executive director of Family Promise of the Palouse, said the challenge also makes fundraising a much simpler and less time-intensive process.
“I love working with the Avenues for Hope challenge,” Colson said. “Having the ability to raise that much money and not use that much overhead cost and time is so helpful to us.”
Ward said at the end of the day, she appreciates that the fundraising challenge provides Home Partnership Foundation and every-day individuals with the opportunity to make a difference.
“It”s been inspiring to see the hard work of so many nonprofits around the state who take care of people everyday,” Ward said. “There is a lot of suffering – people are hungry or homeless, and anything each of us can do to make their lives better is pretty important work.”
Corrin Bond can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @CorrBond