Pledgit is launching a new concept in fund raising which is requesting individuals to ‘match’ donations. The platform is seeking to encourage all of us to ‘double our generosity’ by way of a unique approach to donating which will see those people who are fund raising putting their own money at stake as part of the pledge.
Everyone needs to contribute
Philip Jenks started the company with his son Billy after they decided to participate in a bike ride through India which would benefit the Urology Foundation. He realised he felt reluctant to ask friends for donations without making it clear he was also contributing as well.
“People are tired of getting daily requests to sponsor small physical exertions, wacky stunts and holidays they’d quite like to go on themselves if only they had the time.”
“There’s nothing wrong with those things being part of a campaign,” he says, “but they’re no longer enough to stimulate donations, and that’s a problem because charities are losing out.”
“What’s different with our offering is that we’re saying ‘hold on, let’s stop asking OTHER PEOPLE to stump up money, without first putting our hands in our own pockets.”
“We’re a generous society, but I think for a long time there’s been a need for something which digs deeper than the likes of the main fundraising platforms out there, and actually asks for commitment and participation at the front end.”
The platform seeks to make charities more successful
Pledgit seeks to enable charities to become more successful when a ‘Pledger’ signs up to a cause. The individual making the pledge initially agrees to match all fundraising up to a predetermined level or finds a corporate sponsor willing to carry out the ‘match’ on their behalf. Companies also have the option of participating as a Plegdger in their own right as part of their corporate social responsibility activity. Campaigns can be any length of time ranging from ‘flash’ one day events to concepts that run over a number of weeks or months, such as training for a trek or marathon.
Philip says: “This approach to ‘matched fundraising’ has so many benefits, but what it really promotes is an ethos of leading by example and being prepared to commit your own money as well as to ask for it from others. It doesn’t matter if the pledge is for £50 or £50,000. The important thing is the principle.”
“We’re already signing up major charities and campaigning celebrities, so now we’re excited to see which companies will be the first to jump on board on with us and to say that they will pledge a campaign effort because they want to act out their philanthropic corporate messaging and do something great for a deserving charity.”
