BBB Wise Giving Alliance’s new donation platform, GiveSafely.io, uses blockchain technology to enable donors to secure their data, contribute to BBB Accredited Charities and receive rewards via charity experiences.

• 80.5% of BBB Accredited charities anticipate that their 2020 revenue will be lower than expected and are searching for new ways to engage Millennials and Generation Z donors 
• Only 19% of people highly trust charities according to a Donor Trust Report produced by BBB Wise Giving Alliance 
• GiveSafely.io lists only BBB Accredited Charities and ensures donor data is only passed on with their permission. Sharing this data is rewarded with TrustTokens
• All personal donor data is secured by the Ardor blockchain. Donations and donor data flow directly to the intended charities. GiveSafely.io has no access to donations, donor data and will receive no transaction fees.  
• GiveSafely.io’s rewards tie younger donors to charities’ missions in fun relatable ways as a first step of a deeper relationship 
• Initial participants on the GiveSafely.io launch are: Save the Children, Easterseals, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Population Media Center, RedRover, Wild Animal Sanctuary and World Emergency Relief. All of these are nationally-soliciting charities that meet the 20 BBB Standards for Charitable Accountability

Arlington, VA (July 4, 2020) - Donation platform GiveSafely.io has launched today with notable BBB Wise Giving Alliance’s (BBB WGA) accredited charities including: Save the Children, Easterseals, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Population Media Center, RedRover, Wild Animal Sanctuary and World Emergency Relief. The platform aims to provide a safe and transparent space connecting the donors with charities ensuring any personal information is secured by the Ardor blockchain. Donors who agree to share their information with charities, are rewarded with TrustTokens.

GiveSafely.io has been launched with the aim of reaching out to younger and more technologically proficient donors who are less likely to make donations compared to older or less technologically savvy ones. This is despite the fact that both Generation Z and Millennials indicated a higher willingness to be approached by charities to give (19% and 23%, respectively) compared to 11% for the general population. GiveSafely.io plans to engage these donors on terms more accustomed to them. The platform also aims to restore trust in the online donation model, address concerns people have about misuse of their personal data and potential hacks. All personal information is stored on the Ardor blockchain and is only accessible to charities with donor permission.

Art Taylor, President & CEO, BBB Wise Giving Alliance, notes “This platform will provide new forms of engagement with Millennials and Generation Z which we believe are critical audiences for the future growth of philanthropy. Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, charities were facing a wide variety of challenges in how their traditional fundraising model operated, we believe this new donation platform will help strengthen donor trust in charities while also providing a bridge to younger donors seeking new forms of engagement.”

“We are living through a period of unprecedented technological change and disruption,” states Ettore Rossetti, Senior Advisor, Digital, Marketing and Fundraising, Save the Children, “this is having far reaching impact on how traditional industries operate including nonprofit organizations. For charities to thrive in these increasingly uncertain times, they should look to embrace new technologies when trying to reach new, potential donors. Test, learn, innovate.”

In addition to strengthening trust in the online donation model, the TrustTokens people are rewarded with can be redeemed for gifts and online experiences that combine a human element with a connection to the charity’s mission. These 15-20 minute experiences include offers like healthy cooking tips and a discussion of what it’s like to work at the selected charity, and other conversations that connect them to the charity’s mission. GiveSafely.io also enables cryptocurrency users to make donations directly to charities, responding to a recent finding that 25% of wealthy Millennials hold or use digital currencies and 31% have expressed an interest in using it (Edelman Report, Millennials with Money).  

About GiveSafely.io: GiveSafely.io is a program of BBB Wise Giving Alliance (BBB WGA). It aims to protect donors’ personal data when interacting with accredited charities. As a platform GiveSafely.io seeks to enhance trust in the online donation model and ensure personal data is only passed on to charities with the donors’ consent. Data passed on is rewarded with TrustTokens. BBB WGA accredited charities involved with GiveSafely.io include:  Save the Children, Easterseals, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Population Media Center, RedRover, Wild Animal Sanctuary and World Emergency Relief.

About BBB WGA:  BBB Wise Giving Alliance (BBB WGA) is a standards-based charity evaluator that seeks to verify the trustworthiness of nationally-soliciting charities by completing rigorous evaluations based on 20 holistic standards that address charity governance, results reporting, finances, fundraising, appeal accuracy and other issues. National charity reports are produced by the BBB WGA and local charity reports are produced by local Better Business Bureaus – all reports are available at Give.org. GiveSafely.io is a program of BBB WGA.