Innovation That Matters

Small debts among friends turned into charitable donations

Nonprofit & Social Cause

Repay for Good is an iPhone app that enables friends who owe each other small sums of money to pay off their debt through a charitable donation.

It only stands to reason that the easier it is to give to charity, the more donations will be made. We’ve already seen a few different efforts to elicit donations via rounded-up credit card purchases or even unused subway fares, but recently UNICEF Germany came up with another tactic: an iPhone app that enables friends who owe each other small sums of money to pay off their debt through a charitable donation instead. Developed by Plan.Net Group, UNICEF’s Repay for Good is an app for iPhone and iPad that aims to help those in need. Users begin by choosing a UNICEF project they’d like to help and then entering the amount they’re owed and by whom. An email or text message is then sent to that person with a gentle reminder about the debt; accompanying that note is a link enabling immediate payment via credit card or PayPal over a secure connection. With just a few clicks, the recipient can clear their debt while making a micro-donation to a worthy project. The video below explains the premise in more detail: Of course, Repay for Good may focus on UNICEF projects, but it’s a model that could be applied to virtually any charitable objective anywhere in the world. Social entrepreneurs: be inspired! Spotted by: Murtaza Patel

Website: www.unicef.de

Contact: www.unicef.de/ueber-uns/kontakt