Well of Change: Tapping into Canadians’ will to give

By Andy Levy-Ajzenkopf
August 16, 2010

Back in April, two young social entrepreneurs from Toronto, Christine Ho and Kevin Tsoi, launched a beta Internet site that is positioned to change the way Canadians volunteer for, and donate to, charities.

That website is called Well of Change. The concept is deceptively simple: connect people wanting to volunteer some of their talent, effort and skills with people who are looking to purchase said same for their own needs, all for the benefit of others. What’s the twist? Payment for products or services being offered by the former go to the provider’s designated charity instead of them.

Essentially, it’s a giant, online classifieds section with things for sale, but almost all proceeds go to worthy causes. (According to the organization, 91% of donations go directly to the chosen charity with a transaction fee of 9% deducted to help pay for the costs associated with running the website.)

Well of Change is also a nonprofit, with Ho and Tsoi its principal volunteers and co-founders. They hatched the idea in July 2009 in order to pursue their shared dream of “changing the perception of volunteerism and creating an innovative platform that would make giving back easier for everyone.”

The times they are a-changin’

Ho told CharityVillage® last week all about the concept of the site and how she and Tsoi feel it’s destined to change the landscape of giving in Canada. Think Craigslist, but set up exclusively for charitable purposes. You can literally purchase anything from positive behaviour therapies to manual transmission driving lessons (two services advertised on the site as of August 10, 2010).

“We believe we can increase individual contributions by making giving back easier,” Ho said. “Our platform enables individuals and businesses to donate any products and services to our online marketplace. The money raised from these sales will go to one’s favourite charity in three simple ways: a) Via a product — Donate new and gently used products such as a TV, furniture, DVDs, clothing, and other treasures; b) For a service — You can volunteer any type of amateur and professional service such as wedding photography, teaching Mandarin, guitar lessons, or anything you dream up; and finally c) The Buy — Purchases of these donated products or volunteered services help fund charities."

The Internet has opened up a world of possibilities for enterprising social changers and Ho and Tsoi discovered a way to exploit it for all the good it can give and switch up the paradigm of traditional volunteering.

"We realized that volunteers are often episodic and there is a demand for short-term assignments. There is a reluctance to commit to long-term volunteering opportunities, and it is so prevalent that it is moving from a trend to an established fact."

“We realized that volunteers are often episodic and there is a demand for short-term assignments. There is a reluctance to commit to long-term volunteering opportunities, and it is so prevalent that it is moving from a trend to an established fact,” Ho states. “We created Well of Change to address this problem. Individuals can customize their volunteering position, tailoring it to their skill set and schedule, and still allow them to support their favourite charity. We saw our site as an opportunity to make a positive impact on the nonprofit sector. To us, Well of Change is a chance to create widespread systematic change that will greatly benefit communities worldwide.”

Asked how many people currently use their site, Ho said more than 1,000 services currently being volunteered. She added that people can also post wanted ads if they don’t find the specific service they’re looking for.

85,000+ reasons to well up with hope

Ho and Tsoi are also aiming high with the site. They say they want to eventually work with the more than 80,000 Canadian charities out there. And without any set-up fee for their service, they just may get there.

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“Our fundraising program is really adaptable, so we want to grow all across Canada and the U.S. We create a new revenue stream for charities by setting up a self-serve storefront that allows their supporters to buy and sell products to fundraise,” Ho tells CharityVillage®. “And we enable businesses to give back to their [favourite] charity through the donation of products and services. For community organizations, we provide new ways to fundraise through our Skills and Product Drives.”

It’s no wonder the duo were both recognized as Top Social Entrepreneurs by the Young Social Entrepreneurs of Canada (YSEC).

The future is change

Of course, like all innovative ideas, services and products these days, Well of Change is ubiquitous in its online presence. With its profile on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN, Youtube and their own blog here, anyone wishing to make a difference with their hobby and some spare time can find a way to connect with thousands of others looking to do some good in our country. It’s still too early to tell what kind of impact this service model will have on the charitable sector in Canada – and the site is still being run through its beta testing phase - but it seems likely that a whole new generation of everyday donors will find the website an alluring gateway to volunteerism.

Below is a video further explaining Well of Change's services.

Andy Levy-Ajzenkopf is president of WordLaunch professional writing services in Toronto. He can be reached at andy@wordlaunch.com.

Next week: The trend toward giving pledges.

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