Inspiration Case 24: Activities Donation System

INSPIRATION CASE 24: ACTIVITIES DONATION SYSTEM

Š Clear Village 2011

General Information A donation campaign is one of the most common methods of helping other people or showing support for example for environmental organisations that are actively engaged in reducing our CO2 footprint.

Some campaigns, however, differ from the many others, such as our inspiration example DoNation. This organisation motivates people to take an active role in reducing their own CO2 and by this encourage other people, that would usually be asked to donate for a good cause, to do it as well.

Inspiration & Parametres for change a) re-thinking donations A traditional donation may take various forms including cash, services, new or used goods whereas money donations might be the most common form of support. However, activities that actively save CO2 - and do nothing else - can they be called donations? b) motivating people to actively save CO2 A lot of campaigns that aim to save the planet or make a change in general focus on people’s awareness and hope they change intrinsically by being aware.

Donating own activities and a different approach to daily practice is more than wearing green T-shirts or hug trees. It is the initialisation of change to reduce CO2 and makes change actually happen on a small but hopefully lasting level, for example by donors deciding to cycle tow work.

Information and pictures sourced from http://www.thedonation.org.uk | www.londonmet.ac.uk | http://www.flickr.com/photos/59859387@N05 | All rights reserved.

INSPIRATION CASE 24: ACTIVITIES DONATION SYSTEM Our inspiring example: DoNation, U.K., 2009/2010

© Clear Village 2011

The DoNation is a social enterprise founded in 2010 with the mission to inspire wide scale, positive and sustainable action by enabling people to donate by doing.

The organisation wants to achieve this by motivating people to do inspiring challenges and help them raise sponsorship without emptying their friend’s wallets; and secondly by encouraging everyone in the UK to do simple, meaningful things in their day-to-day lives to help protect the planet.

DoNation’s challenge is to grow and develop without having to continually beg for financial donations while holding firmly to their environmental and social aims. The enterprise reinvests 50% of all profits back to the company.

How does DoNation work in detail?

The DoNation works very much like other online sponsorship tools, but with one major difference: no money is involved. People donate by doing.

But how does it work? A person wanting to do something for charity chooses a challenge - whether to climb a mountain, embark on a 24 knit-athon, or cycle to Morocco. This person should want to use it to make a good and direct impact.

The ‘challenger’ then creates a DoNation page where the challenge is explained and all friends and family are invited to donate trough saving - but most importantly not money but CO2!

Your friends sponsor you by choosing a DoAction that suits them. DoActions range from cycling to work via washing clothes at 30°C to installing solar panels on their roofs. All donors have 2 months of time to fulfill their DoActions to practically donate to the challenge.

What does this mean for local communities?

DoNation gives to the people the power to make small but active changes. With traditional donation schemes the first and final phase in the process of change for the donators is the actual donation. After that, they don’t have any control over the money or how it is being spend.

DoNation is beneficial for three groups of people: Firstly the donors who become leaders and decision makers because they choose how to make a change themselves. Secondly, it provides an opportunity for those people who can’t afford to donate financially, but want to make a change. And lastly, DoNation makes an impact for those people who are already making a change trough actions as they now can raise awareness in easier and more powerful way.

Information and pictures sourced from http://www.thedonation.org.uk | www.londonmet.ac.uk | http://www.flickr.com/photos/59859387@N05 | All rights reserved.