2020, among other things, taught Italians to buy online. The data has often seen growth in web sales across a variety of industries. A necessity, both for consumers and sellers, linked to anti-contagion restrictions, which however has not disappeared together with the reopening of physical stores. It is an established habit as well more and more growing so and then, why not find a way to use it also to do good? This is the idea on which it is based TrustMeUp, initiative presented in Milan.
TrustMeUp, the new e-commerce platform that does good
Carlo Carmine, President of TrustMeUp, told how the project was born. In 2013, in Barcelona, he felt the need to be part of a community and so he chose to subscribe to the stadium. It was there that he discovered that the team is 100% owned by the fans. So he tried to bring that concept back to Italy, but it didn’t work: it wasn’t the right time.
Five years later, in 2018, on a return flight from the United States, from the union between the trust and blockchain skills of Angelo Bean, the foundations were laid for the ambitious project that is TrustMeUp. An idea complex, which immediately turned to the world of charity. A concept that aims high, up to double the number of donations around the world.
How can you to bring this vision to life? Well, precisely through the online purchase, which as we said at the beginning has continued to grow even in 2021. In fact, there is talk of a development of more than 20% compared to the previous year, only in the private sector. In the non-profit world, on the other hand, there is almost all a drop or stagnation in fundraising, with only 17% of organizations growing.
TrustMeUp therefore offers the possibility of combine these two trends in a virtuous way, using the possibilities offered by the first to bring the second back on the rise. So let’s see in detail what the proposal is.
How does TrustMeUp work?
There are two ways in which this platform aims to encourage donations, combining them with e-commerce. First of all through direct purchases. Thanks to the function of DonaComprandoby purchasing products from the company’s partners present in the shopping mall, a portion of the payment (on average 15%) can be allocated to one’s preferred non-profit organization.
Ma it does not end here. The functionality Donate-Receive-Buy offers rewards to anyone who makes a donation. The full amount paid to a specific organization or campaign will in fact be reimbursed through credits to be reused on TrustMeUp. A way therefore to offer a specific incentive to do charity and then realize the vision of the platform we talked about above.
So two simple ideas, but which combined together can lead to great results. Each of our purchases could contribute to doing good, in many different ways, giving support to small and large organizations that concretely engage in significant social battles every day. All with the support of technology blockchain, which makes the whole process safe and transparent.
In short, a win-win structure is created, indeed win-win-win. Non-profit organizations have the possibility of obtaining more and more funds, consumers can support the projects they support while making their purchases, obtaining a direct return as ‘tax cashback’ of about 5%, deducting the amount donated, and the sellers they are able to obtain greater visibility in a simple way. All of course with the awareness of doing good and improving the world in one’s own small way.
The voices of the parties involved
During the presentation several guests, linked to the project, took part. Mario Bagliani, Senior Partner NETCOMM, commented on the idea of TrustMeUp:
“The offer of online merchants has changed. There is no company, large or small, that has not understood that it has to change its model and during the pandemic this phenomenon has accelerated to involve even small shops that have realized that they can exploit online commerce at a affordable price. Today we are full of success stories, even among the small shops in Milan. This also applies to B2B, a market that is six times larger and has growth rates of up to + 200%. On the other hand, regular e-commerce consumers are attentive to sustainable issues, therefore an initiative like the one presented this morning, which also goes from a CSR perspective, can represent an excellent opportunity for merchants “.
He joined in Nicola Ciano, Fundraising Director per Emergency:
“Although media attention has waned, we continue to see a seamless scenario in Afghanistan. Our hospitals continue to work: a few days ago an attack brought 21 wounded to our center for war victims. Only thanks to donations can we offer free treatment. During the pandemic, trends changed. We have seen an acceleration in digital transactions. We are curious to discover new ways and platforms that can give more people the opportunity to donate. Another trend is represented by the phenomenon of disintermediation: citizens spontaneously start fundraising. I believe that NGOs must find a role in this context “.
The Telethon organization, very famous in the Non Profit world, also intervened through Pietro Cau, Responsabile Corporate Fundraising:
“The television format of the Telethon marathon, born in the USA and then exported to Italy, has allowed us to reach a wide audience, to obtain credibility and to finance projects on rare genetic diseases. We were therefore born on television, but today we are multichannel: the web is today one of the most important channels, where we are concentrating all our efforts. We want to study this world in order to offer innovative proposals, make ourselves known better and get in touch with different targets “.
Per Angelo Bean, CEO of TrustMeUp, it is important to highlight the possibilities offered by this project for the parties involved:
“The data shows that the world of e-commerce is in a phase of expansion, while the non-profit sector must find new operating models. We have built the first digital ecosystem capable of bringing these two worlds together in a winning way. Online stores will have the opportunity to acquire new social-conscious customers, increase sales and improve the Corporate Social Responsibility linked to their brand. On the other hand, Associations can increase fundraising thanks to new donors incentivized by the reward system. Thus was born the B2D model: Business to Donor “.
Finally, he concludes Carlo Carmine, President of TrustMeUp:
“The first incentive to donate with TrustMeUp is given by the possibility of being able to support multiple projects at no cost. However, we also want to stand out for the traceability and transparency that we are able to guarantee thanks to blockchain technology. When it comes to online donations, the user is often held back by fakes or scams: on our platform you can be sure that the sum reaches its destination “.
For more information, please visit the official website of TrustMeUp.