An Atlanta-based app is making it possible for neighbors to help neighbors while sheltering in place.
The nonprofit Purposity connects social needs identified by charities and school districts with those who can help. The free app has been public for 18 months, but throughout the COVID-19 crisis, has seen a flourish of activity.
Recent acts of generosity include a month’s supply of baby formula given to an out-of-work single mom with a newborn, non-perishables sent to a mom and daughter living in a car, and 100 smart tablets purchased for students.
Purposity “is a place where you can remain socially distant and do good from the safety of your couch,” said co-founder and CEO Blake Canterbury.
The name Purposity is a portmanteau of purpose and generosity. Canterbury believes people find meaning in life by being generous. The nonprofit brings the act of charity into the digital world, where you can do good simply by scrolling through a phone app and clicking.
Instead of dropping money into a bucket, with Purposity, you have the opportunity for one-to-one giving, so you’ll know exactly where your money is going, Canterbury said.
Here’s how it works. Purposity partners with charitable organizations and school districts and allows them to post needs on the app. Anyone can download the app, view the requests, right down to a specific ZIP code, and respond in real-time. Every penny given goes directly to meet that particular need, and, if it’s a purchase, all of that is handled by Purposity.
For example, if a student walks into the classroom with holes in his shoes, the school social worker can enter the need for a pair of shoes. Purposity will take the donation, purchase the shoes online, and ship them to the school or directly to the student in need.
“It’s our belief that you would buy that kid a pair of shoes if only you knew he needed it,” Canterbury said. “It’s something we hear over and over again, that people want to do good, they just don’t know where to start.”
The app is operating in 20 states now, and operations are ramping up to expand. Canterbury said there has been an influx of usage during the pandemic. Nonprofits are seeing greater needs, and people want to help.
Make-A-Wish Georgia, which fulfills wishes of critically ill children, has been a Purposity partner since October. The app has helped fill more than 200 wish needs to date, said corporate development manager Katie Shahzade.
Before Purposity, Make-A-Wish mainly sought donors through its database, corporate partners, and social media. “Now we’re able to reach a whole new audience,” Shahzade said.
“We love working with Purposity,” she said. “It’s reshaping how the community gets involved.”
Even during the shelter-in-place quarantine, which put 102 wishes on hold, Purposity app users pitched in to help Make-A-Wish kids.
Recently, app users purchased toys to fill a young boy’s request for a Safari playhouse, and donations for “hope kits” are coming in for children who must wait through the virus interruptions for their wishes to be granted. Shahzade said the kits contain a variety of care items so children will know they’re not forgotten.
Purposity users can follow their favorite charities or opt to see just what’s in their communities. They can set giving goals, read inspiring stories of needs, and the thank-yous posted afterward.
Some users are forming teams – in companies, among friends or other groups – to meet needs, or are asking friends to join in by tagging them on social media. Families also are using the app to teach their children generosity during this difficult time, Canterbury said.
“While we didn’t see this coming, we have a model that works during times of emergencies,” Canterbury said. “We just didn’t realize it would be proven as quickly as it has.”
HOW PURPOSITY CAME ABOUT
Co-founder and CEO Blake Canterbury: "Three years ago, I was working at a creative agency, working on everything from mobile apps to TV ads. A school district employee reached out to me in an email and explained a problem that they were having. Students were walking into classrooms with holes in their shoes, and they were going home hungry. She asked if there was a technology solution that could be put around that to help. I talked with some developers, and we started talking on nights and weekends about how we could solve this problem for them.
“We came up with a very basic technology solution. Three months later, she came back to us and said you’ve fundamentally solved the problem for us. Almost every school district and nonprofit in the country faces this same dilemma. At that moment, it felt like there was a huge opportunity to solve a problem. That program became the foundation of Purposity.”
