Tallyfunder.com provides a new way to support Alaskan non-profit organizations. It is the first crowdfunding site from Alaska. Crowdfunding is very much what it sounds like, a crowd of different people coming together to fund something they care about. At Tallyfunder the crowd comes together to fund non-profit organizations.
The site is part crowdfunding, part social network. “Social networking and crowdfunding are maybe the two most powerful and positive forces on the internet,” says founder Ambler Stephenson. “Tallyfunder is a hybrid of both. We help people fund great causes. We also enable them to interact with organizations, learn about their work, and share their story. We call it social philanthropy, and making it social also makes it affordable. The more people get involved, the less any one person needs to give to make a difference. Our site is about many people giving $1. We are implementing an option to give more, but our purpose is to show that anyone with $1 to give can change the world. To this end we are building a network of caring, proactive individuals.”
Crowdfunding is a modern term, but the act itself is nothing new. One of the first American beneficiaries of crowdfunding was the Statue of Liberty. In 1884 the American Committee for the Statue of Liberty ran out of funds for the statue’s pedestal, so the New York World ran an ad asking for public support. Over 125,000 people responded and helped raise over $100,000. Many of these people donated $1 or less. Now let’s skip to the present, and fire up our computers. In 2012, crowdfunding websites raised over $2.5 billion for groups and individuals. It is a raging phenomenon that has saved lives, financed businesses, sent people to college, and on and on. Tallyfunder is channeling this energy to the non-profit world and making it social. Get connected to Alaskan people and Alaskan causes at Tallyfunder.com.
From Tallyfunder founder, Ambler Stephenson:
I believe philanthropy can be meaningful, valuable, and highly affordable too. Bearing witness to the positive impacts of social networking and crowdfunding, I have joined them together to make Tallyfunder an interactive, educational, and affordable way to help Alaska’s non-profit sector.
Born in Ester, I moved around a lot growing up. My mother always made sure we volunteered in our community in order to connect and belong. I modeled Tallyfunder around her philosophy: that getting involved is the best way to develop understanding and care. Every day I look forward helping Alaskan people connect with new Alaskan organizations.
www.tallyfunder.com
