Crowd-funding charity forms
100 People Who Care Inuvik aims to promote, fund charitable causes; goal is to be able to provide $10,000 per selected request
Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
Thursday, October 20, 2016
INUVIK
Are there 100 people in town who would put up $100 four times a year for local charitable organizations?
Matthew Dares, left, and Gene Jenks are part of a group who has started 100 People Who Care Inuvik. The organization aims to gather people to regularly donate $100 to worthy causes in town. - Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo
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That's what the organizers behind 100 People Who Care Inuvik are betting on.
The idea, which has taken various forms around North America, is to gather 100 or more people together to nominate charitable causes that would be worthy recipients of a donation.
The group will meet four times per year, and three charitable causes will be given an opportunity to present their case outlining why people should donate to them.
Members will then vote, and the winning charity will receive $100 cheques from every member in the room.
The goal with 100 people involved is to have the selected charity walk away with $10,000.
That totals a $400 per year commitment for members, split between four charities.
If a charity receives the donation, it cannot get another one for two years.
"This town's always been so self-sustaining," said Gene Jenks.
"It kind of has to be. We've always been quick to help our own. But with that comes the work of our community to support things like this."
He and Matthew Dares, though they did not want the emphasis to be put on themselves, see the quarterly meetings as low commitment and quite a joyful occasion when one charity walks away with a bundle of $100 cheques.
Even those charities that pitch but do not receive the money will raise their profiles among the members and make their needs known.
"This is one of those things that if you are a member of a group that needs assistance or you have kids that are members of a group that needs assistance, this is a great way for you to, without much effort on your behalf, make a contribution to your community," said Jenks.
Dares said the meetings will take only an hour each, and people aren't even required to attend them if they don't want to.
All that matters is members are willing to put up $100 for the charity that wins out.
"It does hopefully build a bit of a sense of community around the people getting together to do this," he said.
Similarly, the hope is this can ease some of the fundraising burden on charities, instead being required only to make a short, five-minute pitch to the group.
As of press time, the group had about 30 members and was aiming to have its first meeting in November.
Organizers wanted to get the ball rolling while the idea has momentum. Dares hopes to have at least 70 members for the first meeting.
There are no administration fees or overhead.
All the money will go to the charities.
For more information, search for 100 People Inuvik on Facebook or go to 100peopleinuvik.com.
