What’s new with Meduza’s crowdfunding?
You can now support Meduza through Benevity. Many corporations use the service, so if you work for a large organization outside Russia and want to help us, this guide is for you.
Wouldn’t it be easier to donate the usual way and keep my employer out of it?
That may well be easier (here’s our donation link, incidentally!). But first of all, donations through Benevity flow through its workplace-giving system rather than directly to Meduza. Depending on the payment method, this may keep Meduza from appearing directly in your banking records.
Second, if your company matches donations to this cause, donating through Benevity can increase the amount we receive. This is called donation matching: An employer supports employees’ initiatives and encourages them to donate. That matching contribution is triggered by an eligible employee donation.
Why would my employer do that?
There are several reasons.
- Many firms embrace the concept of corporate social responsibility, in which businesses can and should allocate funds to charity. Today, this has become an unwritten rule about how large companies should behave.
- In some countries, companies receive tax breaks for this kind of charitable giving.
- Supporting nonprofits gives businesses publicity. It can show what values matter to a company, attract customers, and improve its reputation as an employer.
- Corporate giving helps employees feel that their work matters and brings them together (think of it like team building).
Can you give an example?
Yes, of course!
In 2009, a group of Swedish designers decided to create new temporary shelters for refugees. The goal was to make them inexpensive, easy to transport, and easy to assemble. The designers, then just an informal group, approached IKEA for help. They needed both the corporation’s money and its expertise to turn the idea into reality. The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees joined the project. The nonprofit Better Shelter was registered later.
The shelters they developed first came into use in 2015. Since then, nearly 100,000 shelters have been delivered. They have housed refugees from Ukraine and people left homeless in the Gaza Strip, in Sudan, and after the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. The creators won design awards, and IKEA Foundation funding continues to support Better Shelter’s work (and receive media coverage for its involvement).
IKEA’s involvement went beyond funding: IKEA of Sweden developers also contributed support, advice, and testing to the shelter’s development.
Corporate giving can take different forms. For example, Slack employees can spend seven working days a year volunteering at any local organization. Every year, the European home improvement retail chain Bauhaus invites employees to spend a little over a week walking, running, and cycling. The company contributes one euro for every kilometer walked or run, or 50 cents for every kilometer cycled. Bauhaus donates the money raised this way to nonprofits in the countries where it operates.
What about matching employees’ donations? Which companies have those programs?
Many do. Benevity has nearly 1,000 enterprise clients, and employees at more than 900 of those clients can give through workplace programs. Clients include Visa, Starbucks, Cisco, and Microsoft. The platform doesn’t disclose the full list, but you can find an unofficial one at the link.
If you determine that your company doesn’t use Benevity or offer a comparable matching program, you can help change that. Please contact the person responsible for corporate giving at your organization. If no one has that role, please contact the HR director or the head of the company. We can help you word your request — just email support@meduza.io.
My company works with Benevity! Where do I click to support Meduza?
Here’s a quick guide.
- Log in to Benevity using your work account. Your company’s Benevity site will usually have a company-specific benevity.org address. For example, Apple employees can use this link — https://apple.benevity.org/user/login — and Google employees can use this one — https://google.benevity.org/user/login. If you’re unsure which link to use, contact the person responsible for corporate giving, the HR director, or the head of your department or company.
- Search for The Signals Network.
- On its page, click Donate now and enter the amount you’d like to donate.
- Check that the “Donate to” field below the donation amount says Medusa Project. Before you complete the donation, make sure Benevity shows an employer match rate or amount.
- Please make your donation, and thank you for your support!
If you have questions about using Benevity or donating to Meduza in general, or if you’d like to discuss any kind of collaboration with your company, feel free to email support@meduza.io.
Yours, Meduza