The Dollar Effect: A simple way to tackle nonprofit problems

Nonprofits don't exist to make money, but they need it as much as any business does to work on their purpose. Some of us at Symph are nonprofit founders and volunteers, and together we worked on something that meets every nonprofit's needs, however small the organization, and helps over the long term.

We built The Dollar Effect to make donating easy, and it also helps with three problems every nonprofit faces.

Engaging donors

By engagement we mean more than likes and shares.

It helps to understand why donors give. With the internet it is easy to show donors why they matter and how they can make a difference, and a bit of creativity in your messages can earn the trust (and hearts) of people around the world.

But how far does that go? To the donation page, hopefully.

So we built something to make sure those campaigns don't go to waste.

We also started The Dollar Effect to answer a question that often gets overlooked: Why should I trust you(r online form)?

Donors should understand the basics of how an online donation system works, but they rarely ask, and it is easy to see why they might have doubts about the forms.

A good way to handle that is to let them try it themselves without risking much. The Dollar Effect lets donors give a small amount, a dollar, and see how the system works and where their dollar goes.

It is an easy first step that gets donors involved, because they can act right away.

We built The Dollar Effect web app knowing that people want to give in the moment, so we give them the tool to do it immediately.

Sustainability

Every organization has overhead, nonprofits included.

One of the main reasons The Dollar Effect exists is that a nonprofit should not have to spend a huge part of its effort fundraising to survive. Its job is to focus on its mission.

Every nonprofit has to stay afloat, which means keeping the lights on, keeping qualified and motivated staff, and buying the equipment that helps it reach its goal.

The last thing an organization wants is to give up part of its mission to cover overhead, or the other way round. The cause needs both.

The Dollar Effect helps here because even a dollar per month adds up to enough to keep the organization's operations running.

Retaining Donors

It sounds counterintuitive, but giving donors flexibility can help you keep them. Donors, and potential donors, should always be able to pause, cancel, or give more or less.

With The Dollar Effect the amount is so light on the pocket that most people won't bother cancelling.

The Dollar Effect automatically donates $1 from you to the organization you choose every month, because supporting a cause close to your heart should be a no-brainer.

Donations through The Dollar Effect also let organizations send email newsletters that keep donors up to date on what their money has supported, so they can see what every dollar did.