#charitable
Founded in 2020, #charitable sought to solve two of the major problems facing charitable organizations. "Having worked alongside the charitable sector for many years, there were a few issues we saw repeatedly. First, there is a significant amount of charitable cannibalism. And secondly, we continue to run into citizens who struggle to know when, where, and how to donate effectively," explains Executive Director, Rich Bouchard. With the help of technology and collaborative fundraising, #charitable is creating solutions to these problems."
"Charitable cannibalism is how we describe organizations competing with one another in an attempt to get fundraising dollars. It’s through no fault of their own. They are doing what needs to be done to meet their mandates, but there are only so many donor dollars to go around, and every organization can use more funding." To solve this, #charitable has designed collaborative fundraising events that bring together multiple charities for one singular, large-scale event. "Since 2006, we’ve been running Race to Erase and have seen that when everyone works together, everyone benefits," Bouchard explains. While it would be easier if every fundraising event ran without overlap, that just isn’t possible - yet. "Rather than forcing people to pick and choose the events they participate in, citizens can actively engage in one, and know they are benefiting multiple organizations."
Participating in collaborative events has other benefits to organizations. "Many charities run on tight budgets, which leads to small teams of staff who wear many hats. Being able to create fundraisers that one, work, and two, take pressure off charities to fundraise means that the staff can prioritize their mission. We are a charity that’s designed to help other charities!"
From the donor side, #charitable provides citizens with two different donation opportunities. "We know that there are community members who want to donate in the traditional way. They want their dollars to go to personally significant causes. But there are others who just want to know that their money is going where it’s needed most. With #charitable, citizens can do both." Donors can set up one-time or monthly donations through their personal profiles on the website. Their donations can be organization-specific, or they can let #charitable direct the funds to organizations most in need. They are also able to review past donations, learn more about the impact they're making through story updates, and easily access their tax receipts. "We’ve even built the platform to send you a reminder during tax season to download your receipts, or forward them straight to your accountant."
#charitable considers itself to be a citizen-led organization. On their website, this is explained as the board of directors are first and foremost active citizens. They are local professionals who volunteer their time to help create events and fundraisers that are for citizens by citizens. "As for our team, they are passionate about their community, and they are great at what they do. Good people, with great tools, making a big difference."
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