Bridging Volunteers was founded on the idea that volunteerism can be further encouraged when the appropriate platform exists to bridge the gap between volunteers and available projects. Additionally, we believe that people would be more keen to donate to volunteering programs if they could see exactly where their money was going. From vetting every project request from our partners to sending resources instead of cash, transparency and accountability are core to our model. Establishing Trust and Transparency is one of our key principles.

95% of funding directly supports program costs.

On Bridging Volunteers, you are able to choose the project you want to support. Your donation enables us to purchase the requested resources and have them delivered to our partner organizations while strengthening the platform, making that support possible.

  • Program services: 95% The overwhelming majority of our expenses are purchases of resources relevant to the respective volunteering programs. All of the money raised from our donation campaigns makes up the entirety of this portion of the budget.
  • General and administrative: 1% We are committed to running a lean organization which is why we keep our other costs to a minimum. Money earmarked for this purpose primarily comes from special donations from our partners will be used to run Bridging Volunteers.

Behind the Project

When people give to a project, we do not set a minimum amount required to donate. We believe that every penny goes a long way to those who need it the most.

We accept donation payments mainly through Stripe and PayPal. These payment gateways may deduct a fee ranging from 2-4% from the total amount donated, depending on the method of payment used. We will then pass the net funds for the relevant causes.

Bridging Volunteers is a “for volunteers, by volunteers” organisation. We do not charge a certain percentage from the total sum donated. Our operations are supported by a network of volunteers from across the world, be it in expanding our outreach by partnering with more organisations, or simply maintaining our site to provide donors and potential volunteers a great experience.

See Where Every Dollar Goes

Every volunteering project listed on Bridging Volunteers will feature a breakdown on the use of money to acquire the relevant resources, the necessary processing costs, and other forms of expenses. This will be provided after the campaign has concluded and the net fund has been passed to the related project partner.

All projects are hand-screened before they appear on our site, and once projects are funded, we deliver resources, preferably not cash, directly to our partners.

Combating Voluntourism

We recognise the rising trend of volunteer tourism and the negative stigma associated around it. Bridging Volunteers seeks to provide a platform for volunteering projects that are meaningful and impactful, and not merely a show of goodwill. Our team consistently reviews our partners to ensure the legitimacy of the programs listed on our platform. We also aim to make sure that volunteers are well-briefed and prepared for the projects they are participating in.

Documents

Regulatory Filings

501(c)(3) DesignationDownload

Annual Reports

2019 Annual Report (to be published in early 2020)

Posted on by Christopher Edbert Thenadi.