Tag: donations

New app allows food aid donations to be tracked like online shopping

A pioneering app,Track Your Impact, has been launched by social enterprise E2G FOOD to transform donation transparency in humanitarian aid. The app allows donors to follow their contributions—high-protein FOOD bars—from production to disaster zones and into the hands of those in need, all in real-time.
Developed in partnership with global tech firm SASI, the platform offers a seamless three-step tracking system: recording production, monitoring transit, and confirming final delivery—all updated in real-time to donors. The partners simply scan QR codes to log E2G FOOD bars into the system.
This innovative track-and-trace functionality builds trust and confidence, setting a new standard in today’s donation landscape.
Pete Henderson, CEO of E2G FOOD and a former BBC cameraman who has witnessed famine and crises across 114 countries, said the app is about more than just delivering food.
“Our partnership with SASI and our tech advisor has brought transparency to the donation ecosystem. We’re enabling like minded people, from everyday consumers to global corporations, to be able to donate nutritious food for as little as £1.65—the cost of one FOOD bar and less than a cup of coffee— ensuring that every pound spent makes a tangible difference. Partnerships are the only way we will advance the sector and bring traceability to donations.”
The launch comes as global hunger reaches alarming levels, with 828 million people going to bed hungry each night, according to the UN. Since September 2024, E2G FOOD has delivered 30,000 FOOD bars to disaster-hit regions across the Middle East, Africa, and the US, leveraging technology to instil confidence in donors from individuals to corporate sponsors.
“SASI was created for organisations to manage data and communications in areas with low-tech infrastructure. We believe our technology provides donors and other stakeholders with valuable transparency to increase confidence, engagement, and support for humanitarian projects. As such, we were excited to work with E2G FOOD and kickstart this project by donating the configuration of their tracking platform for their donors to track their donations, from point of purchase to the end impact”. Commented Yumeho Sekiya, VP of International Affairs at SASI.
The app‘s wider functionalities include a live news feed, ability to share campaigns with loved ones, a dedicated donor profile showcasing total impact in FOOD bars, monetary donations alongside continual impact (monthly) and moments of impact (one-off donations). Partners receiving donations can also upload images of the FOOD being enjoyed in the community, which are automatically shared with donors.
Indika Maligaspe, Technology Advisor for E2G FOOD and developer of the consumer-facing Track Your Impact app commented: “We wanted to ensure that transparency was at the heart of the app with users able to see the progress of their donations in real-time. We are building a community of givers, our FOODIES, and hope to incentivise users to continue to engage and donate.”
Be part of the FOODIE movement creating a more nutritious and transparent world by downloading the free app, TrackYourImpact, and supporting FOOD relief programmes. It’s time to work together to leverage the power of technology and feed the world more nutritiously whilst tracking our impact, one FOOD bar at a time.

Revolut teams up with RTÉ’s Toy Show Appeal for the third year in a row

Revolut, the global financial app with more than 2.5 million customers in Ireland, has teamed up with RTÉ’s Toy Show Appeal for the third year to enable viewers to donate instantly from their Revolut app. Last year, through the goodwill of the people in Ireland, the appeal raised €4 million for The Community Foundation Ireland, helping children and family members across the island.

In 2022, The Late Late Toy Show was RTÉ’s most-watched TV programme, with 1.6 million viewers. It was viewed in 139 countries around the world – including  Bolivia, Jamaica, Qatar, and Ukraine.

The partnership with Revolut began in 2021 when the extraordinary generosity of people in Ireland rushing to support the appeal led to technical difficulties with the Revolut app. After fixing them, Revolut co-founder Vlad Yatsenko announced he had made a €100,000 personal donation to the appeal: and he pledged to personally match any further donations made over the weekend via the Revolut app – up to €1m. Led by appeals from stars including Olympic champion Kellie Harrington, the Irish public donated a further €750,000: Vlad then gave the full €1m, taking the overall total raised via Revolut to €3.3m.

However, Revolut successfully fortified its Donations system last year, and encouraged the people of Ireland to continue their generosity to support the incredible work by Community Foundation Ireland, helping children who need it.

On Friday 24th November 2023, The Late Late Toy Show is back. This year, as Revolut has teamed up with the appeal again to welcome proceeds through Donations in the Revolut app which will go live on the night.

Vlad Yatsenko, Revolut co-founder, said, “We’re deeply honoured to once again support Ireland’s single biggest fundraising event for children: RTÉ’s Toy Show Appeal. More than 2.5 million people in Ireland now have a Revolut account, so we’re delighted to enable customers to donate to the appeal instantly from their Revolut app.”

“At Revolut, we have seen first-hand the power of digital donations as they have become an increasingly important tool for charities to raise funds and support their causes. As with all our charity appeals, we guarantee that every cent donated will go to the charity – with no fees or charges.”

Ready to donate? Here’s how:
 Make sure you’ve got the latest version of the app (Revolut 10)
 Search ‘Donations’
 Find the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal
 Choose how much you want to give and tap ‘Donate’
 Spread the word on social media for maximum impact!

Bitcoin Price: Everything You Should Know About Crypto Donation, and How Bitcoin Intends to Aid It

The donation of cryptocurrencies to charity is on the rise, and more people are choosing to donate without paying much attention to Bitcoin price or the price of other cryptocurrencies.

Crypto Giving Tuesday, a campaign created by The Giving Block, a crypto donation and fundraising platform for NGOs and individuals, had a 583 percent increase in digital asset donations in 2021 compared to 2020.

Cryptocurrency investments, such as Bitcoin, held for more than a year, may give a unique opportunity for philanthropic-minded individuals to use highly appreciated Bitcoin prices to achieve maximum effect with charitable giving.

Donating long-term held Bitcoin investments can help charities raise more money. First, you may be able to avoid paying capital gains tax if you sell at any Bitcoin price yourself and donate the earnings, potentially increasing the amount available for charity by up to 20%. Second, if you list deductions on your tax return rather than accepting the standard deduction, you may be able to claim a fair market value from your Bitcoin price charitable deduction for the tax year in which the donation is made, and you can choose to use the savings to give more.

Many prominent charities and foreign relief organizations, such as the American Red Cross and Save the Children, have established systems to accept cryptocurrencies donations or use platforms that allow them to turn them into cash quickly. Smaller organizations, which account for the vast majority of registered NGOs, are attempting to figure out how to accept cryptocurrencies donations and whether it makes sense to do so.

Donating with cryptocurrencies is appealing because it allows donors to avoid paying capital gains tax. If donors convert the virtual currency to cash before giving it away, they will be liable to the tax, which means less money will go to their chosen charity. This is widely regarded as an added benefit.

According to cryptocurrency owners who have donated parts of their assets to charity, tax savings was a primary motivation behind their crypto gifts. Many investors said they had trouble locating organizations that would accept the virtual currency, which could be risky for charities to hold.

 

What is the Best Way to Donate Cryptocurrency to a Charity?

Due to the difficulty of setting up a digital wallet, most charities cannot accept direct cryptocurrency donations.

If a donor creates a wallet for a charity but keeps the keys to the wallet, it may not be deemed a donation. Instead, a charity can accept Bitcoin donations through a third-party processor or a donor-advised fund.

For a nominal Bitcoin price charge, 1%, third-party processors like Crypto for Charity facilitate cryptocurrency payments to nonprofits. On behalf of the charity, the processor turns the donation into cash.

For example, the Center for Excellence in Education (CEE), a nonprofit organization that promotes scientific and math programs and competitions for high school students and instructors, has recently begun taking Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies through Crypto for Charity.

 

How Bitcoin Intends To Aid Cryptocurrency Donations

Bitcoin can be converted to cash and invested by a donor-advised fund that accepts Bitcoin donations, such as the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund. The donor can take a charitable tax deduction and then recommend a particular charity to whom their donation should be directed.

Bitcoin, like stocks and other assets, can be donated to charity. Although donating cryptocurrency can be a little difficult, Bitcoin aims to bridge the gap between charities and cryptocurrencies donations.

If taxpayers send Bitcoin directly to a charity, they can avoid paying capital gains taxes while claiming the full payment as a charitable deduction. The difference between the purchase Bitcoin price (the basis) and the selling price is capital gains.

If a taxpayer sells Bitcoin and contributes the after-tax proceeds to charity, the capital gains will be subject to either short-term or long-term capital gains taxes, depending on how long the taxpayer held the Bitcoin before selling it. Short-term capital gains are taxed as regular income at 10% to 37%. Long-term capital gains tax rates of 0%, 15%, or 20%, depending on the amount of taxable income, will apply if they kept the asset for at least a year.

If you list your deductions, you can claim a charitable deduction based on the amount of money you donated. Otherwise, the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020 limits them to a $300 (single) or $600 (married filing jointly) above-the-line charitable deduction.