SMG\'s Year Zero Budget
Your contributions will go towards the bare essentials: building our website, legal and marketing fees, and travel expenses. Without your help, we wouldn\'t be able to get started.
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Background
SMG was informally established in March 2011, when founder Taylor Jacobson recruited a team of undergraduates to begin working to create a social and viral phenomenon out of the concept of donating "a penny a day", i.e. subscription micro-giving (SMG).
Mission
Our mission is
to create the largest, most inclusive and most active philanthropic community in the world
Opportunity
The current industry for philanthropic giving by EDJs ("everyday Joes") is fragmented and often confusing, and underpenetrated as a result. The fundraising strategies utilized by organizations are often informed by conventional wisdom, despite the wealth of information that can enable these organizations to pursue and engage donors more successfully.
Solution
To address this gap, we are launching a website that solicits and allocates funds under the following simple scheme:
· Donors are asked to give a penny a day (or more), on a subscription basis and receive updates notifying subscribers of the impact they had, i.e. the projects they contributed towards in a given month, in the areas they care most about
· Grants are made on a near-continuous basis, allocated based on popular vote, backed up by an efficient due diligence process
Our aim will be:
· To create a unique and compelling online giving experience that is emotionally and socially rewarding
· To go beneath the threshold for financial decision-making so that donors are making only an emotional decision (and not a financial one)
· To leverage a marketing strategy that is compatible with a viral spread
· To make grants and investments in a responsible manner, to create positive social change
Business Model