DonorSee
{{Short description|Humanitarian crowdfunding platform}}
{{notability|corp|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox dot-com company
| name = Donorsee
| logo = DonorSee_Logo.png
| url = {{url|http://www.donorsee.com}}
| foundation = 2016
| location = Fairfax Station, Virginia, United States
| industry = Charity
| website_type = Crowdfunding
| language = English
| current_status = Active
}}
DonorSee is a humanitarian crowdfunding platform that is intended to allow donors to quickly and easily help people in the world's poorest countries. The platform lets donors see how their money makes an impact through raw video updates.{{cite web|url=https://donorsee.com/how|title=DonorSee: How We Work|website=DonorSee|access-date=23 July 2019|archive-date=24 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724000232/https://donorsee.com/how|url-status=live}} The company is based in Fairfax Station, Virginia.{{cite web|url=https://sccefile.scc.virginia.gov/Business/S607069|title=Business Entity Details|website=sccefile.scc.virginia.gov|access-date=2017-01-17|archive-date=2017-01-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118051504/https://sccefile.scc.virginia.gov/Business/S607069|url-status=live}}
History
The company was founded in March 2016 by Gret Glyer, in response to what he saw as poor management of aid money by large aid organisations.{{Cite news|url=https://technical.ly/dc/2017/01/27/donorsee-international-aid-startup/|title=How teaching math in Malawi inspired this local guy to start a crowdfunding company - Technical.ly DC|date=2017-01-27|work=Technical.ly DC|access-date=2017-07-20|language=en-US|archive-date=2017-02-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223095506/https://technical.ly/dc/2017/01/27/donorsee-international-aid-startup/|url-status=live}} Glyer raised $150,000 in seed funding to build the platform on web, iOS and Android and launched it on 26 September 2016.{{cite web|url=http://www.innertubeshow.com/episodes/137|title=137: How I Raised $150,000 to Build My Own App|website=The Inner Tube!|access-date=2017-01-17|archive-date=2017-01-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118050814/http://www.innertubeshow.com/episodes/137|url-status=live}} Two weeks after launch, Glyer appeared on the Tom Woods show to talk about DonorSee.{{cite web|url=http://tomwoods.com/ep-751-help-people-around-the-world-by-going-over-the-heads-of-governments-and-aid-groups/|title=Ep. 751 Help People Around the World by Going Over the Heads of Governments and Aid Groups - Tom Woods|website=tomwoods.com|date=4 October 2016 |access-date=2017-01-17|archive-date=2017-01-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118051104/http://tomwoods.com/ep-751-help-people-around-the-world-by-going-over-the-heads-of-governments-and-aid-groups/|url-status=live}} In October 2016, DonorSee was listed in USA Today as one of the best ways to give to those affected by Hurricane Matthew in Haiti.{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/10/13/how-you-can-help-haiti-after-hurricane-matthew/92014714/|title=How you can help Haiti after Hurricane Matthew|website=USA Today |access-date=2017-12-12|archive-date=2017-06-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170624000044/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/10/13/how-you-can-help-haiti-after-hurricane-matthew/92014714/|url-status=live}}
On January 26, 2017, the Peace Corps issued a ban preventing their volunteers from using DonorSee.{{cite web|url=http://tomwoods.com/ep-837-peace-corps-declares-war-on-philanthropy-app-built-by-my-guest/|title=Ep. 837 Peace Corps Declares War on Philanthropy App Built by My Guest - Tom Woods|website=tomwoods.com|date=31 January 2017 |access-date=2017-02-01|archive-date=2017-01-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131235625/http://tomwoods.com/ep-837-peace-corps-declares-war-on-philanthropy-app-built-by-my-guest/|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=https://technical.ly/dc/2017/02/06/donorsee-peace-corps-ban/|title=This crowdfunding platform for international aid is beefing with the Peace Corps - Technical.ly DC|date=2017-02-06|work=Technical.ly DC|access-date=2017-07-20|language=en-US|archive-date=2017-11-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107222756/https://technical.ly/dc/2017/02/06/donorsee-peace-corps-ban/|url-status=live}} Glyer subsequently initiated a Change.org petition asking that President Trump intervene and lift the ban.
On June 24, 2022, Glyer was found shot dead in his home. Police were investigating the shooting as a homicide.{{cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/32-year-old-ceo-of-online-giving-platform-found-shot-to-death-in-fairfax-home/ar-AAYPjv0|website=msn.com|publisher=WUSA-TV|access-date=26 June 2022|title=32-year-old CEO of online giving platform found shot to death in Fairfax home}}
Business model
DonorSee allows aid workers to build a donor base by posting a feed of projects specific to the country they are serving. During this process, members post a picture or video of the potential recipient and a story explaining how the money will be used, along with the amount of money needed.{{cite web|url=http://opportunitylives.com/donorsee-lets-givers-see-the-impact-of-their-gifts/|title=DonorSee Lets Givers See the Impact of Their Gifts - Opportunity Lives|website=opportunitylives.com|access-date=2017-01-17|archive-date=2017-01-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118050928/http://opportunitylives.com/donorsee-lets-givers-see-the-impact-of-their-gifts/|url-status=live}} They also have the option to say which country the project is in, and whether or not they want to raise money on a monthly basis. After posting, people can donate directly to projects using a debit or credit card, which is processed by Stripe. Stripe charges a fee averaging 2.9% per donation and DonorSee takes 0% on most projects.{{cite web |date= |title=About |url=https://www.donorsee.com/about |url-status=live |access-date=19 May 2022 |website=DonorSee.com |publisher=DonorSee |archive-date=6 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006021122/https://donorsee.com/about }} After the project is funded, aid workers are expected to post visual follow-up, which often includes the donor's name in the video.{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/meet-gret-glyer-learn-how-he-is-adding-transparency_us_585a077ee4b068764965b905|title=Meet Gret Glyer - Learn How He Is Adding Transparency To The Way We Give|first=Sam|last=Sawchuk|website=HuffPost |date=21 December 2016|access-date=19 July 2017|archive-date=20 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520154656/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/meet-gret-glyer-learn-how-he-is-adding-transparency_b_585a077ee4b068764965b905|url-status=live}}
While DonorSee is not a 501(c)(3) organization, certain projects are still 100% tax-deductible. Additionally, DonorSee has implemented an extensive vetting process, through which they claim to reject over 90% of submitted projects.{{cite web|url=https://donorsee.com/faqs|title=Frequently Asked Questions|access-date=23 July 2019|publisher=DonorSee|archive-date=23 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723235708/https://donorsee.com/faqs|url-status=live}}