In many of our entries, we blog about consumer-facing brands doing amazing good. Most of these brands are unapologetically for-profit, and we think that’s great too. Why? Well, for starters, creating a sustainable revenue model allows brands the flexibility to invest regularly in solving social problems. So long as they’re transparent and honest, we have no qualms about it. In fact, we think it’s pretty awesome.
That said innovative nonprofits are equally as compelling. Just as for-profit social enterprises have the power to positively revolutionize consumerism, organizations fully committed to philanthropic ambitions help refocus our priorities from the goods we own, to the good we do.
One of our new philanthropic favorites is Philanthroper. Like us, they’re another Chicago startup. Still we can assure you, we’re not bias. Location aside, they’ve built an extraordinary model democratizing philanthropy (making it easy for anyone to make a difference). They’re trying to make doing good a habit, and they’ve been able to demonstrate the extraordinary social value of $1. They’ve also already proven their tagline of “A little helps a lot.”
More specifically, what is Philanthroper? In their own words –
You know those daily deal sites? We’re another one of those. But instead of selling something, we’re sharing the story of a new 501(c)3 nonprofit every day. And if you’d like, you can give them $1 (or up to $10). We’re trying to make doing good a habit.
Philanthropers have officially donated over $100,000 to nonprofits, a majority of which was given just $1 at a time. Most of us think that $1 isn’t very much, but the tiny bills sure add up.
Kudos to the team over at Philanthroper. It’s inspiring to see how easy they’ve made it to make a genuine difference. And with $100,000+ in donation momentum, we’re excited for all the good that’s undoubtedly still to come.