Fundraising for charity is difficult enough in the best of times, but during a recession it's understandably harder then ever to persuade potential donors to part with their hard-won cash. Enter Kidonaki, a Belgian site that has come up with a way for consumers to help finance the causes they care about by buying and selling unused stuff.
Focused on assisting the efforts of nonprofits headquartered in Belgium—regardless of where they bestow their aid—Kidonaki (from 'qui donne à qui') is essentially an online auction where all proceeds go towards the participating nonprofits. Charitable organizations approved to register with the site are given a space to promote their efforts, including the opportunity to highlight particular projects they're involved in. Consumers, meanwhile, can use the site to list items they'd like to sell, whether it's jewelry, baby items or tickets for travel. In doing so, they also select an organization they'd like to help—current examples include the creation of a small biogas plant in Congo, the efforts of Sister Emmanuelle in Cairo or stories for children in Belgian hospitals. It's free to list items, and no commission is charged on purchases; rather, Kidonaki is supported through an annual fee paid by the participating associations (depending on the number of workers, according to a report on RTBF) and via advertising and sponsorships. Most importantly, when an item is sold, all proceeds go to the organization the seller selected to support. In other words, it's a win-win-win: buyer gets rid of stuff, seller gets something new, and nonprofit gets the cash.
More than EUR 2,000 has been collected for charities since the site's launch in September. One to sponsor, get involved in, or emulate for a new model of giving in your neck of the woods...?
Website: www.kidonaki.be
Contact: info@kidonaki.be
Spotted by: Sara Borremans
really good idea! very curious to see if this takes off in the States