DonorSee
 | |
Type of site | Crowdfunding |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2016 |
| Headquarters | Fairfax Station, Virginia, United States |
| Industry | Charity |
| Website |
www |
| Current status | Active |
DonorSee is a humanitarian crowdfunding platform that is intended to allow donors to quickly and easily help people in the world's poorest countries. The platform lets donors see how their money makes an impact through raw video updates.[1] The company is based in Fairfax Station, Virginia.[2]
History
The company was founded in March 2016 by Gret Glyer, in response to what he saw as poor management of aid money by large aid organisations.[2][3] Glyer raised $150,000 in seed funding to build the platform on web, iOS and Android and launched it on 26 September 2016.[4] Two weeks after launch, Glyer appeared on the Tom Woods show to talk about DonorSee.[5] In October 2016, DonorSee was listed in USA Today as one of the best ways to give to those affected by Hurricane Matthew in Haiti.[6]
On January 26, 2017, the Peace Corps issued a ban preventing their volunteers from using DonorSee.[7][8] Glyer susequently initiated a Change.org petition asking that President Trump intervene and lift the ban.[8]
Glyer’s goal for 2017 is to reach $75 million in revenue.[9]
Business model
DonorSee allows aid workers to build a donor base by posting a feed of projects specific to the country they are serving.[10] During this process, members post a picture or video of the potential recipient and a story explaining how the money will be used, along with the amount of money needed.[11] They also have the option to say which country the project is in, and whether or not they want to raise money on a monthly basis. After posting, people can then donate to these projects using a debit or credit card, which is processed by Stripe. Stripe charges a 2.9% + $0.30 fee and DonorSee takes an additional 4% fee. After the project is funded, aid workers are expected to post visual follow up, which often includes the donor’s name in the video.[1][12]
DonorSee donations are not tax-deductible (it is not a 501(c)(3)). Anyone can post projects. Projects posted in the "Staff Picks" section are vetted by the DonorSee team.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 "DonorSee: Give and get raw video updates!". DonorSee.
- 1 2 "Business Entity Details". sccefile.scc.virginia.gov.
- ↑ "How teaching math in Malawi inspired this local guy to start a crowdfunding company - Technical.ly DC". Technical.ly DC. 2017-01-27. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
- ↑ "137: How I Raised $150,000 to Build My Own App". The Inner Tube!.
- ↑ "Ep. 751 Help People Around the World by Going Over the Heads of Governments and Aid Groups - Tom Woods". tomwoods.com.
- ↑ "How you can help Haiti after Hurricane Matthew".
- ↑ "Ep. 837 Peace Corps Declares War on Philanthropy App Built by My Guest - Tom Woods". tomwoods.com.
- 1 2 "This crowdfunding platform for international aid is beefing with the Peace Corps - Technical.ly DC". Technical.ly DC. 2017-02-06. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
- ↑ Glyer, Gret (1 January 2017). "My Goals for 2017".
- ↑ Freiling, Nicholas (5 October 2016). "How the Uber for Charity is Revolutionizing Humanitarian Work - Nicholas Freiling".
- ↑ "DonorSee Lets Givers See the Impact of Their Gifts - Opportunity Lives". opportunitylives.com.
- ↑ Sawchuk, Sam (21 December 2016). "Meet Gret Glyer - Learn How He Is Adding Transparency To The Way We Give".
