Charity Results

The Destination Kia Charity Challenge Results:

We conceptualized this contest as a way to give back to local charities in what we thought was a fun and exciting way.  We did this event before in 2019 and it was very successful, we experienced no issues and we were excited to bring it back.  For our “Charity Challenge” the rules stated, “Entrants must be a designated 501(c)(3) charity at time of submission”. The rules further stated, “Destination Kia has the right, in its sole discretion, to maintain the integrity of the Campaign, to void votes for any reason, including, but not limited to: multiple entries from the same user from different IP addresses; multiple entries from the same computer in excess of that allowed by Campaign rules; or the use of bots, macros, scripts, or other technical means for entering.”

We were amazed by the response and the passion that people brought to the Challenge. It’s absolutely amazing what a wealth of outstanding youth and charity organizations we have in our area!!!   

There were unusual circumstances brought to light in the contest, which is why the public announcement of the winners had to be delayed  We through our agents and lawyer, had private conversations with impacted organizations through the day and night of January 14th, 2025 so they had the opportunity to choose how to communicate the information to their groups before we made a public announcement.

Background:

We retained a national company to manage the voting platform for this campaign.  This company is an expert in the field and manages similar contests for multiple Fortune 500 companies.

In the week leading up to Christmas, the company informed us of unusual voting patterns and bot activity in the voting, with a substantial number of votes being flagged to be voided.  The company added another layer of transparency and security during the end of the contest requiring email addresses. This was done with the aim of minimizing bot activity, making it more apparent, and reducing the number of votes that needed to be voided.  Unfortunately, the bot activity continued with disposable email addresses from domains such as pixdd.com and chansd.com voting multiple times in the same minute from the same IP addresses.  This led to more votes that needed to be voided.

We certainly did not take this abuse of the rules lightly and wanted to ensure accuracy in the vote count as per our authority under the official rules.  At Destination Kia’s expense, we utilized three different companies, – the platform provider, the digital agency, and a cybersecurity firm to gather the raw data, analyze such data, and agree on the methodology to determine the votes voided for rule violations.  We are fully confident in the results of the analysis.  We would be happy to share the results with any local TV news, newspaper, or law enforcement organization.

After voiding approximately 28,000+ bot votes and requesting proof of each potential winner’s organizational status – here is the final list of winners:

Junior Wolfpack – They were the winner in number of natural (i.e. non bot votes) – they finished #1 and are awarded the top donation of $10,000.  Congratulations!  Thank you for a great campaign.  We hope it makes a big difference for the kids in the organization.

Triple Threat – tied for #2 – Triple Threat had the 2nd most natural votes.  This was more challenging since they have a for profit company, however there is also a 501c3 with the same name that serves as a booster club to subsidize travel, fees for competitions and scholarships.   This 501c3 Triple Threat Booster Club will receive $5000.

Bethlehem Softball - tied for #2 – Their vote total was in the same band as Triple Threat and they are a 501c3.   Their organization will be awarded $5000.

Wide World of Dance – Unfortunately the Wide World of Dance (WWOD) entry was hit the hardest by bot activity voting and artificially inflated their total votes and expectations in the contest.  After voiding the bot votes from the total, the WWOD “natural” vote total ended in a position between Bethlehem Softball and Guilderland Softball.  As a reputable local organization, we’d guess they were as shocked as we were with the robust bot activity and the unfortunate impact on the competition votes.  This was also difficult because WWOD is a for profit company.  Although WWOD is associated with a 501c3 called the Dan Bruno Memorial Foundation (provides scholarships to dancers to go to college). WWOD was able to submit this documentation late in the contest.  Since this 501c3 has a different name, we were unsure if the votes for WWOD would necessarily have translated to this charity.   However, recognizing the passionate kids, parents, and dancers that energetically participated in the competition securing the 4th highest number of non-bot votes – we are donating $2500 (equivalent to a 3rd place finish) to their associated 501c3 – the Dan Bruno Memorial Foundation for college scholarships to dancers.

Guilderland Softball – #3 – They are a 501c3 and finished in the 3rd place band.  We are awarding $2500 to their organization.

And now for the other fun part – dealer choice:

Dealer Choice Winner – Shaker Crew – They created a very memorable and engaging video.  We enjoyed the shots of the crew boats on the river and the staging of the City of Albany behind them.   The production of the video was very well done and showcased both their sport and the area.  The Shaker Crew organization will receive $2500.

Dealer Choice Winner -   Burnt Hills Rowing Asssociation – They made us laugh!  Outstanding – we needed it.   Thank you for that Burnt Hills Rowing!   Your organization will also receive a $2500 donation with our compliments and gratitude.  Keep sharing your laughter and sense of humor with the world.

We’d like to thank all the other wonderful causes that took time to participate in our challenge.  Please keep up your wonderful work – you make the Capital Region a better place for everyone.  To aid in your individual mission, we will be making a $500 donation to each of the remaining entries.  Thank you for participating!

We understand no matter how hard you try – you cannot make everyone happy.   We’ve endured a lot of nonsense and aggravation running this contest – complaints, accusations, fake press releases, pseudo legal letters, and myriad emails, phone calls, and facebook messages including on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.   Ultimately you must make the choices that are in line with your moral compass and that “let you sleep soundly at night”.   We have done so.   We will endure the “boycott” threats, “have you no integrity” taunts and “we will take appropriate remedies” warnings.   We will do so confident that these contributions to the community organizations will continue to make our area better and a wonderful place to live.    

Our Charity Challenge was supposed to be a fun and engaging way to give back to the community.  Our $20,000 commitment has turned into a $42,000 contribution.   We hope that somewhere along the way this substantial donation enables an opportunity for a child to smile.  That, ultimately, is why we do what we do.

Megan and James.

January 18, 2025