The DonorSee Fundraising Philosophy

Interactions sustain who we are. As a society, we cultivate meaning through the bonds we forge, and the experiences we share. Technology today terraces very large gulfs of distance and circumstance that once separated us; offering the world a new space for human interaction to occur. 

And while the digital landscape can sometimes feel cold or artificial, we must remain aware of the person behind the screen, and of the tangled dependencies and dreams that define our shared humanity. DonorSee has been designed to strengthen compassion, and to connect people from all walks of life who want to make the world a better place.

The DonorSee fundraising philosophy is built upon three basic principles:

1.     People first 

We leverage technology to create and sustain human connection. Real change occurs when people share a common concern. But that alone is not enough. They also need to develop the relationships and the trust necessary to animate their ambitions forward. Based on these precepts, DonorSee tools are built to foster deeper connections that extend beyond the patterns of normal digital interaction—and translate into real world impact.

 2.    Local problems require local solutions

 We operate using the three “I” model- 

1.     Identify: We identify partners who are deeply embedded in their local communities through our rigorous vetting process. 

2.     Invest: We connect these partners with the tools they need to amplify their impact.

3.     Inspire: We reinvest resources, and work to expand the digital footprint of our partners so that they can continue to inspire the world.

By identifying local partners that best understand the needs of a community, we can support a diverse range of global initiatives. There is no silver bullet for poverty relief. When great programs meet the complexity on the ground, things rarely go as planned. But by working at the grass-roots level, we can support interventions that are adaptable and responsive to the needs of unique groups of people, set in unique contexts. 

3.    Amplify Impact

DonorSee looks at impact, not percentages.

As a platform, we want to help the helpers. Unfortunately, that isn’t always easy because the way we think about charity is broken. What do we mean by this? Charities are often evaluated by looking at what percentage of their funds go directly toward projects. They are criticized when they spend money on campaign awareness, or promotion--strategic investments that could have helped raise more funds.

We’d like to change that

Our goal is to maximize the impact our partners have, by investing in efforts that expand their reach, and attract new donors to their cause. DonorSee partners earn 100% more than they would have through a traditional crowdfunding platform. 

Put simply, this means that a charity can earn 80% of 10,000 = $8,000 on DonorSee with an investment in their work versus 95% of 5,000 = $4,750 on a crowdfunding platform that charges a smaller processing fee. We strongly believe percentages alone are not the best indicator of success.

It’s our goal to re-imagine charity and to shift its focus away from percentages and toward the amplification of real impact. There is no reason to deoxygenate good causes, and to prevent charities from growing the way other enterprises are encouraged to. And while we recognize this inversion of the charity model may be uncomfortable for some, we’re willing to act as an advocate on behalf of our partners, by upending traditional assumptions about giving, and by showcasing the impact we can all have together.