NPC: Tell us a little bit about your organization. Why was it started?
UniversalGiving: UniversalGiving™ (UG) is an award winning marketplace which allows people to give and volunteer with the top-performing projects all over the world. UniversalGiving™ offers a variety of ways for donors to become involved through individual Projects or Gift Packages. Visitors simply choose a region (such as Africa) and an issue (such as education or the environment) and receive a list of quality ways to give and volunteer. When giving, 100% of your donation goes directly to the project. UniversalGiving™ performs due diligence on all its projects through its unique, trademarked Quality Model™.
To date, almost $1.5 million and 8,000 volunteers have been matched through www.UniversalGiving.org. UniversalGiving™ has most recently been featured in the Christian Science Monitor, Self Magazine, Chicago Sun Times, New York Times, L.A.Times, and CNNMoney. In addition, UniversalGiving™ was the 2006 Webby Award honoree and won W3's 2007 Silver Award for Creative Excellence on the Web. UniversalGiving™ is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, which was started to "create a world where giving and volunteering are a natural part of everyday life."™
NPC: Who does it serve?
UniversalGiving: We serve those in need in the global
community through the donations and volunteer opportunities appearing on our
sites. We also therefore serve the nonprofit organizations who offer
these opportunities as well. We also have a Corporate service
provides strategy, operational support services, and high quality nonprofit
partners to scale community relations programs in more than 70 international
cities.
NPC: How long have you been
in operation?
UniversalGiving: UniversalGiving was founded in 2002.
NPC: How many people did you
serve your first year? And, this year?
UniversalGiving: We aren't able to measure exactly how many
people we've served because the different projects and gift packages appearing
on our site effect many different people (i.e. $200 to a school in Africa
might help 40 children). Volunteering opportunities are also not specifically quantifiable, although we do look at a social return on investment. As mentioned, we've passed through almost $1.5 million and matched 8,000 volunteers on the site.
NPC: What is your most
difficult challenge as a nonprofit?
UniversalGiving: Our CEO put it best in our recent Christian
Science Monitor article mention when she said "We aren't asking for a
change in donors' lifestyle, they already give for birhtdays or
anniversaries. We're just asking them to give something more
meaningful." Thus, our biggest challenge is educating people that
giving and volunteering are very valid ways to spend time and money.
NPC: What was your most
difficult challenge starting out?
UniversalGiving: Our idea and business model is new and
unique. Because it's not a traditional vehicle for donating and
volunteering, we had to build trust when it comes to online giving. Our
Quality Model which vets our nonprofits has allowed us to do this however.
NPC: What advice would you
give to someone who wants to start a nonprofit?
UniversalGiving: See a need and be passionate about it! Ask
why not more than why.
NPC: How can people help?
UniversalGiving: Have
fun with it and take a look at the many options for giving and volunteering!
Looking for unique gift ideas? Visit Gift.
Wanting to see how your contribution is helping? Check out some of our Projects. Looking
for a meaningful way to spend time off? Look at our Volunteer
Options.
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