Let’s be honest — you may want to be altruistic, but everyone is busy. That’s why giving back should be a cinch, not a chore. Crowdfunding donations has turned into a multi-billion dollar business, proving that e-donating is preferred among many consumers. Tech-enablement is also a plus in an age where millennials are more socially conscious and technologically advanced than any other age group — more than 55 percent of millennials are willing to pay extra for products and services from socially conscious companies, according to a recent Nielsen study. The higher the convenience level, the more the donations will roll in.
These six apps, all hailing from the Southeast, will help you weave giving back into your daily routine with simple activities like eating out, grocery shopping, and running.
Bidr
If you’ve been to any live bidding event, you may have already noticed that they can be inefficient. Bidr is here to bring live bidding into the future and make fundraising events 100 times easier. The software, based out of South Carolina, allows event attendees to bid on auction items, participate in raffles, vote and more. Bidr has streamlined the entire fundraising event process for organizers, using algorithms to make simple SMS text messaging a powerful tool for event goers everywhere.
Check In for Good
If you knew that a business you loved supported one of your favorite nonprofits, would you not shop there more often? Raleigh, NC-based Check In For Good has 3 different types of users: organizations, businesses, and individuals. Businesses can enroll in the app for free, and choose which participating organizations they’d like to work with. Then, every time someone from the organization checks in to their business, they make a donation to the organization. This allows for positive traffic to social-minded businesses, with lots of opportunity for word-of-mouth spread. Users build awareness in their community about businesses that support certain organizations, generating more donations for nonprofits and more traffic for retailers.
uBack
uBack is a minimal-click app based in Atlanta that uses data analytics to make finding donors easier for nonprofits. Cofounder Melissa Bedford came up with the idea for the app after witnessing a failed solicitation for donations at a local YMCA. In a few clicks, users can find their favorite non-profit and donate, while keeping the exact amount on file for tax season. The app also allows companies to enroll in a donation-matching program with their employees, making donating seamless.
LineLeader
We know you love to eat. For all our impatient foodies out there who want to give back, there’s LineLeader. LineLeader is an app out of North Carolina that allows users to pay to skip the line in participating restaurants. The giving back comes in when participating restaurants can choose to donate the proceeds from LineLeader to their favorite charity. All users have to do is make a purchase through the app, and let the restaurants do the rest.
Planet Fundraiser
Birmingham based Planet Fundraiser, which recently expanded to Atlanta, allows users to give to charities just by shopping at participating stores. By snapping a photo of their receipt, the retailers will donate a percent of their purchase to charity. “We wanted to build a fundraising platform that was a more efficient way for merchants to support the community,” founder Kasey Birdsong told Hypepotamus about creating an app that weaves giving back into the daily routines of users and retailers. It also makes taking a picture of your receipt and uploading it socially acceptable.
fitRaise
It’s officially crunch time for getting your summer body back. While you’re out on your morning run, you can give back to an organization you care about with FitRaise. FitRaise is an app that allows nonprofits to host “events” in which participants raise money for every mile they walk or run for the duration of the event. The Atlanta-based app, created by Bobby Valentine and Tom Vinkler is the only fundraising platform that allows peer to peer fundraising donations as a result of fitness activities. As if that wasn’t enough, the app can sync with your Fitbit or your UnderArmour app.
