The season of giving is upon us, but when there’s barely
time to make dinner, it can be difficult to carve out an hour to make an extra
trip to the store. Fortunately, we have good news for generous souls on tight
schedules: YouGiveGoods, a socially
conscious and community-oriented for-profit company, is harnessing the powers
of technology and social media so you can give back in big ways without ever
leaving home or the office. With the click of a button and a few extra bucks, you can give food to those who need it most: food pantries, homeless and animal shelters. —
In a nutshell, users can select charities to support by
searching existing drives (like various animal shelters) or starting their own
(for a local soup kitchen of choice). Each drive will have a site hosted by
YouGiveGoods, featuring an online “store” of needed products, like beef noodle soup or rice. All donors have
to do is log on to see which items they’d like to contribute and pay,
and YouGiveGoods will deliver them for the users. The digital set-up of this
time-saving solution also makes it easy to spread the word quickly and
effortlessly—a link via email, Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms
gains instant visibility without wasting paper (i.e. flyers) or manpower.
We love what YouGiveGoods is doing on many levels. By
selling specific goods, YouGiveGoods ensures that every contribution reaches people (or animals!) rather than going
towards administrative or overhead costs (though these are also crucial for
keeping great programs running).
On a strategic level, friends and family members are also
more likely to pitch in when you personally ask for their help. Knowing that
someone they know supports the program encourages individuals to take a vested
interest in the cause, too.
But at the end of the day, charity is about making the world
a better place—it’s about people and connecting with others in the community.
At the core, YouGiveGoods establishes a direct link between those who want to
help and those who need their help, no middleman agency required. If this isn’t
grassroots at its best, we don’t know what is.
Interested in starting your own drive?
Visit YouGiveGoods for more details.
