Economics of Our Approach – Charity, Done Smartly
Giving through WideAwake.org makes sense for those who want their dollar to go as far as it can possibly stretch in affording the maximum benefit to those it was intended to support. WideAwake.org harness the free market, uses innovative processes and brings to bear a wealth of business know-how and corporate experience in running its operations in as efficient a way as possible, and we help our partners abroad to do the same. Our organization was built around and continues to operate with the conviction that the entrustment of the funds of others carries with it an enormous responsibility to do absolutely whatever it takes to put gifts of money, time and talent to the best use possible. The WideAwake.org management team and the rest of our volunteers take our commitment to enhancing the quality of the life for persons in need seriously, and we only work with organizations abroad who feel the same way and who unfailingly demonstrate accountability and expertise in carrying out their aid-related programs. With WideAwake.org, donors get charity done smartly, with real results.
WideAwake.org makes the most of donations, assisting those whom gifts are intended to assist in the greatest way possible, by focusing on the following core concepts:
Freedom in the Free Market. WideAwake.org employs free market principles to create a charitable project marketplace that empowers donors and leads to high-quality undertakings by our international partners. We allow only the best aid organizations to post projects on the WideAwake.org website, and work with them to craft viable, meaningful projects that truly do add value to the lives of those whom they are intended to aid. Competition for donor dollars leads to high-quality projects and serve as incentive for our partners abroad to carry out the project, once funded, quickly and with great care so they can show the results to our donors in hopes of receiving funding for other of their projects. Giving donors the power to choose what project gets funded leads to better work at a better price for donors.
WideAwake.org’s Every Penny Policy. Our Every Penny Policy ensures that literally every cent one donates ends up going toward the project for which it was given. Unlike most international aid organizations, we do not take a cut of donations to support our own operations. We keep our operating costs low with refined business practices and do not pay any salaries – all persons working for WideAwake.org do so on a 100% volunteer basis – and count on donations from our management team and a few others to meet our business costs. WideAwae.org does not work with any middlemen. Money goes to WideAwake.org and then directly to charity workers overseas, the folks getting their hands dirty doing the work that creates a better world for those in need.
Ultimate Accountability and Efficiency. Gifts given through WideAwake.org achieve maximum utility thanks to our robust accountability program and our commitment to seeking efficiencies in everything we and our international partners do. WideAwake.org was founded in large part as a response to disappointment with endless stories of fraud and waste the international charitable marketplace – we give potential corruption no room to breathe, and we maximize giving power through rooting out inefficiencies in our own practices and in those of aid workers abroad with whom we work. Our internal accountability systems, our outsider oversight policy and our culture of openness mean donors don’t have to worry for a second about misuse of funds. Our commitment to constantly search for better ways to do everything, from A to Z, ensures that every penny of every donation goes as far as it can in meeting its purpose.
