Get on POINT

Hi there. I’ve been meaning to talk to you.

So, we are asking you for money.

I know. It’s annoying sometimes, all these charities asking you for your stuff. Your time, your money, your old clothes. But hear me out for a minute, because it’s also really awkward and embarrassing to have to ask, and I’d like the chance to explain myself to you a little bit. I want to describe to you two different scenarios.

Scenario 1:
Something really, truly terrible has happened. A tsunami. A pandemic. A fire in a nearby community. People are displaced, homes and lives are lost, and you see it on TV and look at your friends, everyone aghast. You want to DO SOMETHING, so you go to CNN or Fox or MSNBC or the New York Times to guide you, hoping that at the end of all the horrible details they are passing along, that they will tell you how you can help (spoiler alert: they usually don’t.) So you google what charities are giving aid. But you heard of a friend who gave to a charity right away and it turned out to be a scam, and you want to give your money but not if it’s just going to be pocketed. So you have to do more research, find out what charities are helping that are reliable. And by this time, other things have come up, phones ring, homework is due, work shifts start, and life happens. You forget, and on top of that, you feel frustrated, impotent and useless to help people who are hurting.

Scenario 2:
Something really, truly terrible has happened. A tsunami. A pandemic. A fire in a nearby community. People are displaced, homes and lives are lost, and you see it on TV and look at your friends, everyone aghast. You want to DO SOMETHING, so you pull out your phone and open an app. Your feed is full of reliable and trustworthy charities working to alleviate the pain. You see that another friend has given to one. And another. You select one that makes you feel most hopeful, and you give a little of what you have to share. You put down your phone, go back to what you were doing, and feel empowered.

I know it sounds really strange to ask for money to build an app (although if you are into tech stuff it probably doesn’t sound that strange because you know how expensive it is). I know it sounds even more strange when that app is for charity- shouldn’t the money just go to charity instead? But we are asking you to use your money to show solidarity and support for an idea. We are asking you to think long term. Imagine how much more help could get to people if scenario 2 replaced scenario 1. We believe in this vision. Let your contribution serve as a tangible symbol of your belief in this vision as well.

And hey, if that one guy could raise $55,000 for potato salad, can’t we do just a little bit better than that in order to build a better world?

Together. Let’s do this.

Get on POINT and give here.