Donated site helps families keep their homes

There’s nothing like immediacy and a sense of personal connection to motivate people to help those in need, as charitable organizations like Family-to-Family, Rosa Loves and DonorsChoose.org are increasingly recognizing. Adding to that list, SmallCanBeBig.org is a new, donated venture that aims to make it easy for people to help local families on the verge of losing their homes. Launched last fall, SmallCanBeBig was formed on the premise that small donations can add up to a big difference for many families on the brink of disaster. The Massachusetts-based organization has partnered with a variety of longstanding charities in the state, and those groups recommend cases where a relatively modest one-time donation could save a family’s home—typically situations where a single, urgent payment for mortgage or utilities is needed. Visitors to the site can then browse the stories of the families in need and donate as little as USD 1 toward helping one of them through Google Checkout. The entire amount of any donation goes directly to helping the selected family, and once that family’s one-time need is met, its story is removed from the site. Donors, meanwhile, can track their donations online and check back on the status of the families they’ve helped. Much like Bushfire Housing—the donated effort we wrote about last month that aims to help the victims of Australia’s recent devastating fires—SmallCanBeBig was created an agency. Boston-area Boathouse Group launched the site as a volunteer effort to help those endangered by the current economic crisis. And indeed, given the prevalence of hard times these days, there’s no shortage of opportunities for companies to display the corporate generosity that’s now expected of them by Generation G. Check out our sister site’s briefing on the topic, and start giving back! (Related: Helping travellers help local organisations.) Spotted by: Alexandra Eurdolian