March 16th, 2010 by Wouldn’t it be great if everyone in the world did one little thing that, overall, would make a huge difference to humanity? Sounds so simple doesn’t it? Unfortunately, most of the time, the stress of everyday life doesn’t give us the chance to turn this idea into a reality.
However, it has already been proven many times that the web can gather enough people to make things happen at a very large scale and, if the cause is worthy enough there are no boundaries to what can be achieved. Even changing the world is possible.
Dan Jacobs founded and launched Everywun.com in August 2008 with the belief that “each of us has the opportunity to, together, change the world”. By earning credits on the site, Everywun gives all their users the chance to help “regardless of how much time or money” they have, by supporting great causes.
Read on below for an interview with Dan, founder, CEO and dog lover at Everywun.com.
Mindbubble – “What led you to build an online charity website – as opposed to an “offline” charity? Do you think the web has more impact?”
Dan – “The web is an amazing tool – it enables someone in San Francisco to reach and impact someone in Zimbabwe at a cost of zero. We wanted to make it fun, easy, and cost-free to support causes that people care about. We wanted to enable people to do that on their own time, in their own way, and regardless of their situations or circumstances. Given those desires… the only way to do it is online.”
MB – “Who is behind Everywun.com?”
Dan - “We have an amazing team [see picture!]. Our CTO & Formal Technology Advisor are two of the most well known tech geeks around. They built the Fast Company site, the Sony Artist sites, the Grammy sites, and they have been leaders in the open source technology movement. Our advisors include the former President of Morgan Stanley, the EVP of ABC, and a number of other top industry executives. Our development and operations teams are some of the most inspired, expert, and wonderful people around. Oh, and then there’s me. I hope I’m a pretty interesting guy too!”
MB – “What is your biggest success/cause so far?”
Dan - “We can’t yet talk about any of our biggest successes… yet. Except to say that we are currently working with some major brands and nonprofit organizations, and we’ll be supporting major initiatives for some wonderful causes over the next year and two years!”
MB – “How can people help? Can someone suggest a cause?”
Dan – “Supporting causes that you care about on Everywun.com is easy. People can take any of about 12 actions on Everywun.com, earn credits for each of the actions that they take, and redeem those credits to support specific outcomes such as planting trees or feeding animals. The easiest way to help is simply by taking actions on Everywun.com on your own time and in your own way.”
MB – “How does it work: Who actually funds the donations?”
Dan – “All actions are sponsored by businesses that want to show their customers and community that they care. They fund the donations.”
MB – “In this context of repetitive natural disasters, according to you, what is the biggest challenge for Charities in 2010 and onwards?”
Dan – “By far the biggest challenge for charities will be to grow in a changing technology landscape that is changing the way people engage and interaction with the causes that they care about – both on the donations and volunteering side. The organizations that are able to adapt to this new landscape will be better off than ever. Those that fail to recognize the changes will struggle.”
Get involved now and make the world a better place by registering on www.everywun.com
Thanks again Dan for your time and Megan for your kind help. Mindbubble loves Everywun!
