BOISE, Idaho — Impact Club Boise gave $18,000 in donations to Boise non-profit organizations, Wednesday night at Payette Brewing.
The event, which is open to the public, gives three local non-profit organizations the chance to pitch their cause and why they are deserving of the money.
Members in the audience then vote on who they believe should get the cash. Impact Club says 100% of its donations go to the charities that get selected.
The winner of the $14,000 donation was Sweet Zola's Candy For Inclusion, a locally owned candy shop that is run by and provides training for individuals with developmental disabilities. Sweet Zola's owner, Cyndy Radovich has a master’s degree in Autism Spectrum Disorders and has 15 years of experience working in the developmental field.
"We've been working our tails off. No one's believed in us so far and we've applied for so many grants. You don't even know how much this means to us, we have needed this so much," Radovich said at the event.
So far, the club has given away over $370,000 to non-profit organizations in the Boise community. The club says this is an impressive achievement as no individual member has ever donated more than $100 per quarter.
The process for nominating organizations is conducted by Impact Club members. Members are notified when it's time to submit nominations and are able to cast up to three nominations, which are submitted 30-45 days before each event.
The nominations are then put into a drawing where three organizations will randomly be selected. Selected organizations are contacted and invited to give a 5-minute presentation. The identities of the selected charities are not revealed until the event, to ensure absolute fairness.
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