The Now Go Do Good Five Questions

NGDG: Tell us about Givesome — why use technology to tackle social challenges?

JW: Times have changed. When I was helping support a few charities in my twenties, I would mail a cheque in an envelope every month. Weeks later I’d get a tax receipt and a thank you note. That was the norm back then. Now with technology, we’re capable of providing so much more to the giver. If done properly, technology can be used to speak to their heart. We can provide feedback and proof of impact. This is what moves people and connects a generous act to a real understanding of what you’ve actually helped accomplish. In our case, technology is being used to show people what they’re really accomplishing when they give to a project.

NGDG: There’s certainly utility in doing good mediated by technology; connection to an audience, as an example. What’s the danger? Something we think about is people losing their connection to the people they’re trying to help.

JW: The danger in combining technology with giving is that it can make giving so quick and easy that we don’t take a moment to think about and understand what we’re doing. If generosity becomes a quick checklist item, then I think we lose the essence of giving. Giving offers its greatest return when we’re able to truly understand what we’ve done. Giving should connect people to people, and if we remove that connection element we’re in danger of missing the heart of it. The technology around Givesome is designed to provide that very element — connection to the people you help. It’s true that we’ve made giving simple, easy, and mobile. But you can’t give through Givesome without seeing the impact you have when you give. We help put faces and stories and real people behind the projects we support.

NGDG: You chose to take the startup approach to doing good. Why not work through an existing organization? Is there something existing organizations might take from startup culture to improve the existing do-good ecosystem?

JW: I chose the startup route because I thought it would be a lot more fun to create something fresh. The more traditional methods of fundraising are not necessarily connecting with millennials, and I felt a new way of giving was needed to engage them. I also believed others would benefit from a more tangible giving experience. So I launched Givesome as a new non-profit, not to compete with other charitable organizations but to connect them to a new base of donors through our platform. And it seems to be working — existing charities are very interested in being featured and funded on our platform and givers are thankful they now get to see the impact of their giving on their devices.

NGDG: Was there a conscious decision to focus on the small dollar donations? Why? Is there something useful about us doing some small things together?

JW: The decision for smaller donations came from the research I conducted before launching Givesome. I was amazed at the number of people who, when asked ‘what keeps you from giving to charity?’, named the perceived size of expected donation as a big downside. They didn’t always have lots to give, and felt like giving a bite-sized donation wasn’t worth it. So we took that to heart and designed the app so that you can only give small donations of $2, $5, or $10. This leveled the playing field so that university students had just as much influence and importance as a generous executive. We’re now equal partners and play an equally important role. This model, by nature, also meant that funding projects became a larger community effort where more people’s interests were connected to the impact as a result. This means more people are invested in and impacted by the outcome.

NGDG: Storytelling isn’t just a part of Givesome; it’s fundamental to the platform. Talk about that decision. How important is storytelling to not just doing good but encouraging more people to do good (or people to do more good)? What responsibility do we have, as storytellers, in how we create, shape and share stories?

JW: The importance of story and personal connection is the reason we exist. This came from a very personal experience when I lived in Namibia, Africa in 2002. I saw for the first time the impact that a relatively small donation had on an entire community. I watched as the locals were moved to tears by the generosity of some of my friends back in Canada. That day I realized that, when given a chance to enter a story and see the impact, giving becomes an entirely different experience. This connection to story is the only thing, I believe, that is capable of getting more people giving.

In addition to the questions we ask the people we interview which are specific to them and their work, we also ask everyone we talk with the same five questions as part of our conversation with them. We call them the Now Go Do Good Five.

NGDG: What good thing/act/idea are you most proud of?

JW: I love that we have an opportunity to re-write the traditional way of giving. This is what I am most excited about. That we can level the playing field and give together in a way that exceeds the giving capabilities of a wealthy minority. We can engage and inform and inspire the masses to give a little together and watch as our collective efforts transform people’s lives around the world. That’s what get’s me up in the morning.

NGDG: What do most of us get wrong about doing good?

JW: Many believe that doing good is a sacrifice. It really isn’t. I love hearing people tell me that when they choose to do something good for another person, they are the one who feels better in the end. Doing something good for another leaves us feeling more satisfied and more full in the end. It’s a wonderful two-way exchange.

NGDG: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received or the most important lesson you’ve learned?

JW: One of the most meaningful pieces of advice I received before launching Givesome was very simple — wake up and do one thing that will move you closer to your goal. This came at a time when I was overwhelmed with what to do and how to do it. I knew I didn’t have the perfect plan and I was stalling. That advice got me walking, and the walking got me hooked. It’s great advice if you know what you want to do but are stuck trying to figure it all out first. Start with one thing and don’t stop.

JW: What’s the most important thing people can do to start doing good now?

It’s simple: start. I almost hate to add more to the answer. Just start. Don’t overthink it, don’t feel pressure to be perfect at it, and don’t wait any longer. Go do something for someone, and tomorrow, do it again. You’ll get more creative as you go and you’ll realize that the biggest obstacle to overcome in doing good is the decision to do good.

NGDG: Give us something to read.

JW: When I want to relax and read a good story about the old west there’s nothing better than some Louis L’amour. That’s what I read when I need a break. But for a great book to chew on and come back to, I’d recommend Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. What I learned through that book was instrumental in the launch of Givesome by challenging the way I think, plan and execute.

Check out our previous Now Go Do Good article, Lloyd Longfield, Member of Parliament for Guelph

Now Go Do Good is a project to inspire more people do more good by sharing conversations with people already making a difference — big or small — in their community or around the world. If you like what you read, share it. If you’ve got a story to tell, let us know.

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