Established 2008 Date founded 2008 | Website SmallCanBeBig.org Type of business Nonprofit organization | |
Headquarters Massachusetts, United States | ||
SmallCanBeBig.org, also referred to as Small Can Be Big and SmallCanBeBig, is a Massachusetts-based LLC whose principal goal is to connect donors directly with families on the verge of homelessness. SmallCanBeBig.org was founded in 2008 by Boathouse Group, a Boston-area advertising agency.
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Headquartered in Waltham, MA, SmallCanBeBig.org allows donors to choose a family on the brink of losing its home and provide or contribute to a one-time gift that allows the family to reestablish its self-sufficiency. Issues tackled range from funding security deposits and rent to covering medical expenses and utility bills. 100% of the donor’s grant directly funds the family’s explicitly stated need. Originally launched to support only families in Massachusetts, SmallCanBeBig.org is planning to expand their coverage to other states. As of February 2009, the site has received donations from individuals in 26 states.
History
Concerned with the escalating cost of living and decreasing amount of affordable housing throughout Massachusetts, the founders of SmallCanBeBig.org sought to enable person-to-person charitable giving that attempts not only to prevent homelessness, but to stabilize a family. Conceived in the fall of 2008 and launched on January 14, 2009, SmallCanBeBig.org was created by Boathouse Group, a Waltham, Massachusetts-based advertising agency. During a meeting with Judy Beckler, the executive director of St. Mary’s Women and Children's Center in Dorchester, Massachusetts, John Connors, CEO of Boathouse Group, learned about a rise in families facing homeless during the economic crisis of 2008. Inspired by the viral marketing successes of the 2008 Barack Obama Presidential Campaign, John and his team began researching ways they could combine social media and the Internet with microphilanthropy to help local families. With support from the City of Boston's Mayor Thomas Menino and a donation from the Paul and Phyllis Fireman Foundation, the Boathouse Group team began building the site in November 2008.
Method of operation
Operating under the assumption that by tapping into a broader base of smaller donations using the Internet the overall impact can be greatly increased, SmallCanBeBig.org essentially functions as a medium that connects those expressing a specific one-time need that puts them at risk of losing their homes with members of the community in a position to prevent this.
Currently in the process of applying for its 501(c)(3) status as an independent charity, SmallCanBeBig.org works with established local charities to select families from their existing cases and post both the family’s story and specific need on SmallCanBeBig.org. Potential donors are able to browse and select families according to their situations, which have included victims of domestic violence, medical emergencies, working poor and single parents. The tax-deductible donations are processed via Google Checkout which provides free credit card transactions to approved non-profits . Each donation goes directly from Google Checkout into the bank account of the charity that has posted the selected family; SmallCanBeBig.org does not process or transfer donations made through the website. Once a family’s need has been met, 100% of the contributions goes directly to the landlord, hospital or utility company awaiting payment, and a new family in need is then posted.
Partner charities
As of February 2008, SmallCanBeBig.org was partnered with these charities: