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Benj and Jessica launched a nonprofit. Follow our journey as we built a 501(c)(3) and a web site, and now usher in an endless stream of worthy charity nominees and monthly grant winners!

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March 2021 winner Coastal Humane Society

Charitocracy OBX's 6th check to February winner Coastal Humane Society for $590

We have good news about March winner Coastal Humane Society, right after this quick update...

300 Donors for USA

Last month I talked about how we had crossed the 300 donor milestone in February, if looking at total donors across both Charitocracy USA and this new Charitocracy OBX. But in March, we crossed the 300 donor mark even just looking at Charitocracy USA alone. Well done, everyone, but especially to our recent OBX donors who have chosen to contribute to both the OBX and the national pots. I see you. Your generosity is much appreciated! And meanwhile for those keeping score at home, we have 82 OBX donors so far. Keep 'em coming!

March 2021 winner Coastal Humane Society

Yesterday we named Charitocracy OBX's 6th monthly winner! Congratulations to Coastal Humane Society, nominated by donor bjstager. They ensure all Outer Banks pets are healthy and that no owner is forced to give up a pet because of financial hardship. You can find their website here.

Now you have a few more days to sweeten the pot with a special one-time donation of any amount, which we'll add straight to the check we write to Coastal Humane Society. We've already received one extra large sweetener, thanks! Then take a moment to feel good about your part in our collective $590+ grant to help with their ongoing work!

Have a great April, stay safe, and be sure to log into Charitocracy OBX to update your votes or nominate a new cause!

300 Donors

300 Donors

We reached the 100 donor mark during our first month of operation back in September 2016. We reached the 200 donor mark one year later in September 2017. And that's where it stayed for 2018 and 2019, with our new donor attraction rate in rough equilibrium with our attrition rate.

Now, in early 2021, we have crossed the 300 donor mark. 🥳

Sea Change OBX, named the winner one year ago last week, ushered in a new era. An era of nominees encouraging their own networks of donors, members, and followers to join Charitocracy and vote. In fact, the past twelve months have been largely dominated by winners that won by introducing new donors to Charitocracy. And that goes for our most recent February 2021 USA winner, too!

Another driver of new donors has been this new OBX site! While most OBX donors were already USA donors, we've also attracted some newcomers to this regional spin-off. If you haven't already thrown a buck in the OBX pot, come join us in the voting here each month, too. Or you can redirect some/all of your current monthly USA donation over to OBX, no additional charge. Adjust your monthly donation here.

Statistical breakdown of 300+ donors

For those who are curious, here's the break-down as of today:

  • USA-only donors: 241
  • OBX-only donors: 19
  • Donors to both pots: 50
  • Total USA donors: 291
  • Total OBX donors: 69
  • Total donors: 310

Where we go from here: 400!

There's nothing stopping us from doing it again in the next 12 months! The #1 thing about Charitocracy that donors like most is how they can amplify their donations. Even at the $1 per month level, their donations when combined with everyone else's add up to over $500. And when nominating their favorite cause, or "cheerleading" for one particular nominee they feel strongly about, it becomes a real easy sell to attract friends and family.

You invite all your friends with easy to generate social media and/or email invitations. Your friends chip in as little as $12 for the year, and vote for your cause. Once there's a couple dozen of them, you're in a very strong position to have those donations amplified, easily by an order of magnitude. Never mind the next 11 months and beyond of voting in other great causes to win monthly grants!

Do I hear 500? Benj needs a haircut...

I've been saying for a while now that once we hit the 500 active donor mark, I'd be open to cutting my long hair. And perhaps even cutting my hair to a style selected by the most successful Charitocracy recruiter helping to hit the 500 mark!

We've been keeping track of referrals since the beginning, so if you don't see someone listed in your Giving Tree branches that you recruited, or you don't see your recruiter as the root of your tree, give me a yell and I'll patch it up so you get due credit.

But first, see you at 400! The sooner the better.

Nice try, but no. Benj's new hairstyle must involve *less* hair.

February 2021 winner Dare Education Foundation

Charitocracy OBX's 5th check to February winner Dare Education Foundation for $510

We have good news about February winner Dare Education Foundation, right after this quick update...

300

By the end of 2016 we had 200 donors on the USA site. That magic number saw us through 2017, 2018, and 2019. We'd attract new donors at a rate roughly the same as our attrition rate, plus or minus about 10%. Then came February 2020!

Stay tuned for a blog post dedicated to this milestone. But spoiler alert: thanks to a combination of aggressive (and successful) recruiting campaigns by several nominees over the past 12 months, primarily OBX-based ones, and then the rollout of our new OBX site, we've surpassed 300 donors! Next stop: 400?

February 2021 winner Dare Education Foundation

Yesterday we named Charitocracy OBX's 5th monthly winner! Congratulations to Dare Education Foundation, nominated by donor obxsunny. They inspire our community to join together in a shared belief that by supporting our schools we are DEFining our future. You can find their website here. And full disclosure: I joined their board of directors in November. I didn't want to influence the vote by saying as much when it was nominated, but clearly my influence wasn't necessary to get the OBX community to rally behind our teachers, students, and schools!

Now you have a few more days to sweeten the pot with a special one-time donation of any amount, which we'll add straight to the check we write to DEF. We've already received a generous Hamilton!

Check out this video highlighting many of the ways DEF has helped our community. Then take a moment to feel good about your part in our collective $510+ grant to help with their ongoing work! And welcome back to actual, IRL, physical school this week, Dare County Schools students! And stay strong, teachers!!

Have a great March, stay safe, and be sure to log into Charitocracy OBX to update your votes or nominate a new cause!