Philanthropy should be something that comes into every gentleman’s life; whether you’re running a marathon or climbing a mountain, or whether you’re giving back to a charity in support of a friend or family member. However, how many times have you been sent an email or seen a Facebook update from someone begging you to support their 5th charity run of the year? To be completely honest, updates like this are often enough to make us never want to donate again. So how do we change this charity fatigue we’ve found ourselves in?
Enter father-and-son duo Philip and Billy Jenks. The pair decided that, in order to get their friends and family on board for their 500-mile bike ride in honour of The Urology Foundation, they needed to change something about the way we give back – and Pledgit was born.
Pledgit, whose tagline is ‘lead by example’, truly lives up to its name. The concept is long overdue and the idea behind it is very simple; it’s all about showing donors that they aren’t the only ones giving their money, that the fundraiser actually believes in the cause, too. So, for every donation made in the name of the charity for a certain event, the fundraisers match it. Of the cause, Billy says,
“Donors love it when they know the person asking them to give is also giving, and of course it means that the charity receives double.”
The brand new site may have only launched last week, but it already has 9 campaigns running across it – proving its attractiveness for generous philanthropists all around the world. Proving his status as a true gentleman, Nick Wheeler, the founder of Charles Tyrwhitt, has posted a £10,000 pledge for Into University, a charity which runs school support classes in underprivileged boroughs.
“With Pledgit, you match what others give. Whatever they give is doubled. It is a huge incentive for the donor to give and makes it so easy to double the amount you give to your chosen fantastic charity. It is win-win for all concerned.”
Don’t be put off in thinking that you’ll have to fork out £5 for every fundraising event that you want to take part in, as Pledgit isn’t just for those with a heavy wallet. You can control your pledge by setting a limit according to what you think you’ll be able to afford – it really is as simple as that.
The Jenks duo are paving the way for every charitable gentleman (and woman) out there. They are making a change in an increasingly repetitive and overworked market. A change that is long overdue and one that we know will make a difference.
For more information, visit Pledgit online here.
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