How One Simple Question Inspired a Billion Dollar Generosity Movement

My inspiration to start Givelify sprang from one simple question: How do I give more?

Like you, it’s a question I’ve never stopped asking, and I believe it’s been the key to us becoming the highest-rated and fastest-growing technology for advancing generosity in the world. It also drove the new look of our giving platform.

Good Lives In All of Us

Givelify was born from the belief that good lives in all of us. At the heart of our true nature, we all want to practice kindness and give generously. While our intentions are intrinsically good, sometimes obstacles get in the way. Obstacles like not carrying cash, leaving your checkbook at home, or remembering text-to-give codes.

I saw firsthand how an inspired moment of generosity can easily slip away without the right tools. It happened to me countless times. I spent too many Sundays avoiding eye contact with my pastor simply because I forgot to stop at an ATM! Every time the offering plate came around and I was caught with only a few dollars in my wallet, I asked “how do I give more?”

How Did We Get Here?

So that’s how Givelify started. With the goal to create an easy, convenient, and secure on-the-go solution for people like me. People who want to support a cause the instant they feel an inspired urge to give — no matter how much cash they have on hand at the moment.

It feels good to reach this milestone moment. But I’m even more grateful to the more than 55,000 charitable organizations that placed their trust in our scrappy little startup. It’s an honor of a lifetime to partner with them to put so much good into the world —  good they advanced thanks to the inspired donations they were able to collect.

Every time I think of the million+ donors who have joyfully given nearly $3 billion to the organizations and causes that matter to them, I’m in awe of our community’s generosity.

Over the past seven years, we’ve gotten to know both our donors and our giving partners. As we worked on the best technology to support them in the basic hurdles they encountered, we got a deeper look at other obstacles they faced. Again, we found ourselves asking, “How do we give more?”

What Are We Doing Now?

Our answer was to innovate new features and provide more tools to foster connection and generosity along the way. We keep making our technology better, stronger, and smarter so we can do more good together. ​​This is what drove us to engineer the all-new Analytics Studio and arm you with the knowledge to expand your donor base and supercharge generosity.

And to keep your current and future givers engaged with your mission, we’ve upgraded the app with giving reminders and a recurring giving option. That way, your members stay on track and don’t skip a beat with their generosity. Our team is also working hard to bring a donation goal-setting option in Q4 to empower givers to be the good they see in the world.

Along with these practical tools, we’ve beautified our site with a fresh new look that captures the essence of our mission. We’ve put a heart right at the center of our logo. The heart drives good in this world. The hearts of both our dedicated giving partners and our generous givers are what drive every action at Givelify.

Now, you’ll see that heart front and center every time you log on to our platform.

We know people want to be more generous. That’s the power of Givelify. It’s a power bigger than us. Because generous people will always do as much as they can. And no matter how much good we do, there’s always more we could do. So we’ll never stop asking “How do we give more? How do we help others give more?”

Rooted In Humility

Our roots are humble. When I had the idea for Givelify, I thought if nothing else I can help my church. I can create a tool that will help me be more consistent in my giving. Then we realized there were lots of people like me. One pastor told another pastor who told another. Now we’ve grown into the top-rated giving platform in the world.

Every culture can relate to that human impulse to do good. That instinct to help — that kindness and generosity — is something people all over the globe share. When I first imagined Givelify, I called up my old college roommate. Hari is Hindu, so he couldn’t relate to me sitting in church. But he immediately understood the desire to give and to help.

We’ve always been fortunate to attract people of diverse backgrounds. Our team, and our giving communities, are made up of a mix of people and cultures from all over the world — from our home base in Indiana to as far away as Ghana and Russia.

We believe embracing our individual perspectives and differences is a strength. We’ve been able to successfully build out products for diverse communities because we understand them. We have experience helping turn good intentions into good deeds all over the world.

Open Your Heart

How we turned this small tech start-up into a billion-dollar platform bridge of more good is simple. We identify a need, continually strive to create the best solution, lead with heart, and always ask how to give more. If we could just put Givelify in everybody’s hands, we could make real progress on the journey of generosity.

So that’s my ask for you today. Please help us put Givelify into more people’s hands. Download our app, or bookmark our site. Tell a friend, a neighbor, or a co-worker.

Together, our generosity can truly change the world.

Wale Mafolasire
CEO and Founder of Givelify

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