History
In 2009, The Alternative Giving Market of the Palouse was created through the work of Dianne Daley Laursen and Renee Hill who were both working on the idea of promoting local charitable giving in the Moscow-Pullman area at the holidays. They founded the Market under the umbrella of the City of Moscow Parks and Recreation Department’s Light Up the Night Holiday Parade. The Latah County Community Foundation and the Potlatch No.1 Federal Credit Union were recruited to handle the financial end of the Market. The first Market was held December 2, 2009 and 103 shoppers participated in the inaugural Market at the Prichard Art Gallery on Main Street in Moscow. $7,489.50 was raised for the 20 nonprofit organizations.
Organizers
There are three primary individuals overseeing the planning of the 2011 Market: Dianne Daley Laursen, daleylaursen@moscow.com, Mary Silvernale Shook, Silvernale@clearwire.net, and Renee Hill reneedhill@gmail.com.
Volunteer Information
The Market is organized and put on entirely by volunteers. There is no paid staff or office for the Market. We are always looking for volunteers throughout the year and for the day-of-event. In particular, if you have skills in the areas of marketing and publicity, event planning, volunteer recruitment and management, fundraising, or charity oversight please contact us at agmpalouse@gmail.com.
Our mission
Established in 2009, the mission of the Alternative Giving Market of the Palouse (AGMP) is to give residents of the Palouse a meaningful alternative to holiday gift giving and an opportunity to support local nonprofits. We strive to enhance community well-being and sustainability through celebrating personal charity and community partnerships.
The 2010 Alternative Giving Market of the Palouse was held on Wednesday, December 1, 2010 at the Prichard Art Gallery in Moscow. 25 local Palouse nonprofits were chosen to participate representing the areas of Animals and the Environment, Arts, Civic Improvement, Health and Human Services, and Youth and Education. 463 people attended the Market and we raised over $10,000. Over $2100 of that total was raised from online giving and mail-in contributions from this web site.
The 2011 Alternative Giving Market was held on Wednesday, December 7, 2011 and online giving on this web site ran from November 25 through December 10. 27 charities participated in the 2011 Market. We raised just over $13,350, almost a 24% increase over the previous year!
Photos
(This is a slideshow from last year's event. Click on the slider to navigate forward and backward.)
