Hey guys,
I hope this isn't against OzBargain's TOS (fingers crossed) but I was hoping if you guys can do this quick survey (Only 1 minute I promise!):
This is to grab people's current donating habits and overall people's interest in whether a possible startup is possible.
Every response will be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks a lot!
Nice idea
When you say "We will be choosing a charity every month to donate all profits to base on the current affairs" do you mean you will decide or the people who donate will vote for the charity that month.
Also who would we be able to claim a tax deduction for the donation. And what sort of percentage will be taken as administration costs?
Currently it is in the idea concept state, however we currently plan to choose one based on current affairs, eg Bushfire Appeal during Bushfire season, homeless appeal during winter etc.
There will be a suggestion box for current donors to have their input to what they want want this month's funds to go to.
However, we do not plan to run off a majority vote off donors because:
1. We don't want to turn it into a political debate
2. It will be an annoyance for donors by making people vote for their wanted charity
3. Our model is an intent for seamless monthly donations, majority of people would not vote
4. Politics ruins lives
Yes tax deductions would be available because it will follow Australian laws in regards to charities. The percentage taken as admin costs will only be in relation to the costs to run websites, pay regulators and transaction fees. As it is currently only a concept, I cannot give you an estimate, but once an estimate can be made, then we can determine the viability of this model.
We don't want to turn it into a political debate
I think this is inevitable. There are some strongly opposing views in Australia about issues relevant to charity. Not everyone wants to donate to Greenpeace and not everyone wants to donate to religious or Christian charities (of which there is an abundance).
There's also the issue of how some charities are vastly more efficient than others in terms of the percentage of their donations which merely go to administration costs.
Anyways I don't want to turn this thread into a political debate.
just did.
I completely understand, but because not everyone agrees with each other doesn't mean it can't go forward. Our aim is more leaning towards helping with charities helping current events in Australia, and won't be reaching internationally (as of yet). The main intent is for examples like bushfire appeals, flood appeals, youth of the streets, the cancer council, Surf Lifesaving Australia, SES etc where the visibility is actually high.
Sure some charities are more efficient than others, but if you don't inject money, there will be no money there in the first place.
We do also intend to the a monthly blog to show the purpose of the charity we have decided to donate to, so it can promote awareness to society as well, potentially getting their names out in the open.
The running costs for charities is very large, for example, the Red Cross spends almost $2 million a month for the critical administration costs alone. Without everyone's help, this would not be possible.
The mid to large organisations certainly aren't doing it tough. Take your example Australian Red Cross, we already provide 84.5% of their yearly income: $1.06 billion dollars for the 2013/2014 financial year (we give only 10% of that voluntary). They spend more than half a billion on employee costs, so $24 million a year for "critical admin" isn't a lot in comparison. And there's plenty of waste in their organisation that could be trimmed before they could claim hardship.
if 10% of Australians just donate an extra $1 a month, charities collectively will have over $700 000 more every month to meet their tight budgets, and that is just the beginning.
It seems like a lot of money, but again for perspective, the Australian Red Cross alone get $88 million dollars a month from us. Even for smaller charities and non-profits, financial issues are more often down to their own mismanagement - extra funds doesn't solve that.
Obviously you're in the early stages of formulating your idea, but after completing uni you might consider working in the financial side of the charity/non-profit sector to gain direct insight in how the money flows. There's certainly a lot of room for improvement, but it's a bit more complicated than throwing up a website seeking donations.
Haha thanks for the feedback!
Yes it is true that it is only a concept right now, but I do intend to delve deeper as the time comes. I do hear about corruption and mismanagement which exists in many not-for-profit organisations, and I'm sure it is very prevalent. We will be taking that into consideration, but the reason why not-for-profit organisations are singled out for that in comparison to many other companies (which also have the same problem) is that through the transparency and the need to show where every dollar goes.
I understand that everything is more complicated as it seems, but does not mean it is impossible. I intend to pursue a purpose which can make a change in this world, and that change can only be made if you take the first step!
I really dislike the attitude that says you shouldn't bother because you can't be 100% perfect.
Good on you for trying.
Enable your PMs.
Oh, no wonder I never got any PMs ever… I didn't know it was disabled by default. Enabled!
Done.