PAYING IT FORWARD

Rohan McClosky is a founder of GoGenerosity, a service that helps people help businesses help the less fortunate.

The concept of “pay it forward” took off in the year 2000 with the release of Helen Hunt’s box-office smash romantic drama of the same name. The idea is that instead of returning a favour, you do something nice first: Ergo, paying it forward.

This is also the basic concept behind GoGenerosity. It allows people to “pay forward” a small amount on top of their bill. This then pays for the business to do good in its community. Everything from supplying meals right through to haircuts and charity donations. It’s an easy way for people to make a difference and support both their favourite businesses and those less fortunate than themselves.

During the Level 3 lockdown, Rohan’s restaurants were struggling and he saw that his community here in Tauranga was as well. He wanted to do something.

“I partnered with my customers to initiate a pay-itforward model, which meant that they simply made a donation and we guaranteed that we turned 100 percent of that donation into food from our local restaurants,” he explains. “Then we partnered with a charity who would come and collect the food and feed people in the community who were in need.”

His customers loved the idea and he saw there was an opportunity to expand from his own restaurants and into the wider business community.

“It was such a great way in terms of the consumer, having the transparency of where their money was going. It was a really big, important thing for us that the money was going into the business, and the business was then creating its product from that money. It wasn't being sent off somewhere where we didn't know what the outcome was.”

This is the biggest point of difference for GoGenerosity. Just this year they’ve already raised over $250,000 and positively impacted the lives of over 25,000 here in the Bay. And with over 65 businesses on board, everything from café s, restaurants to utilities and petrol stations, it’s easy to pay it forward whenever you see the little green GG sticker.

“Kiwis are a generous bunch of people and I think GoGenerosity has proven that's true,” he smiles. “People want to be involved, especially when they can see where their impacts are being had.”

GOGENEROSITY.COM