February 15, 2021

Charity begins at easyequities.co.za

EasyEquities investors (aka EasyVestors) are a charitable bunch. In 2020 the platform added an option called “Donate for Good” where EasyVestors are able to make a small or large contribution to a charity chosen by the EasyEquities team. A different charity is selected every few weeks.

“We have found our community of EasyVestors to be very generous when it comes to charitable giving,” says EasyEquities chief marketing officer, Carel Nolte. “The fact that you can donate as little as R5 is very appealing to many of our cost-conscious investors, who have shown that you don’t have to have a lot of money to have a good heart.”

In the past three months, Donate for Good has raised around R90 000, which was distributed between South Coast Hospice, Operation Hunger and Nature’s Valley Trust.

One of the previous charities on the Donate for Good platform is Ubuntu Pathways, a non-profit the provides an integrated system of health, education and social support in the townships of Port Elizabeth. The organisation’s United States director, Travis Randall, recently wrote to Carel:

“I wanted to reach out to thank you again for partnering with Ubuntu on your Donate for Good program. We just received the funds and we’re so grateful to you and your team.

“I’m sure you know, but our community in Port Elizabeth has been hit especially hard, with a really tragic death toll. With that being the case we know the safest place for our children is at our campus and we have welcomed back our students and are forging ahead to give our community somewhere to turn.”

The photo at the top of this blog shows one of the socially-distanced classrooms at the Ubuntu school campus.

What makes us want to give?

We asked Google why people make donations to charity, either in terms of time, money or resources. Here is a conglomeration of the main results:

  • Sense of morality – For many people, “giving back” is part of a sense of duty to help uplift society and tackle inequality. It’s about using our own good fortune to help others.
  • Tax benefits – Some are motivated by the tax advantages that come with giving to charity.
  • Belief in a cause – People’s passions, e.g. education, healthcare and the arts, are often reflected in the charities or communities they choose to support.
  • Egoism – There are those who give because they want to be seen to be doing good, or they believe they will boost their social standing by giving more than their peers.
  • Faith/religion – A lot of faith-based practices have selfless giving as one of their tenets. Members of these groups are driven by their belief systems to do good for others.
  • Personal experience – Many people have faced hardships themselves and are motivated to give back in support of the communities that supported them when they needed it most.

Whatever the reason, humans are hard-wired to share with those who are less fortunate than we are. Read more about The science behind why people give money to charity (from The Guardian).

Now that you know you’re powerless to resist, be sure to satisfy your need to give the next time you transact on the EasyEquities platform. The current beneficiary is the Bokamoso Trust, an organisation that is well known throughout the CN&CO network. Every R5 or R50 helps.