JustGiving’s crowdfunding service Yimby has now raised over £1m for local projects, less than a year after it was launched.
Yimby, which helps individual and groups to fund community initiatives without having to be a registered charity, has also seen two of its projects apply to become charities after raising money through the site.
Since its launch in November last year, Yimby - which stands for ‘yes in my back yard’ and is intended to represent the opposite of nimbyism - has seen over 1,500 projects created on the platform and over £1.3m pledged for local projects all around the country. Almost 70 per cent of Yimby projects are successful in hitting or exceeding their funding targets.
The average amount raised through Yimby is £1,991, but the largest amount so far is £34,000.
Jack Sheldon, Yimby team lead, said: “Yimby is transforming the way people make an impact in their local community. Since launch, we’ve seen over 1,500 projects created on the platform and over £1.3 million pledged for local projects all around the country.”
Users of Yimby have 30 days to promote their campaign through social media and other networks. If a project doesn’t hit its target within this time and cannot be fully funded, payments will not be taken and donors will not be charged.
Following the death of teenager Kyrece Francis, a group of Marlowe residents raised over £12,000, beating its target of £2,000, to provide safety equipment along the River Thames including life jackets, buoys and signs of awareness. They are now looking to become a charity in order to buy more equipment and run water safety educational classes for children.
A second project, Week on the Street, raised £1,825 to support young children with autism through the sponsorship of a father whose son has autism to sleep rough for a week. The organisers are now working with a solicitor to draw up an application to become a charity.
Zarine Kharas, co-founder of online giving platform JustGiving, said: “We're the world's fastest growing social platform for giving and, with Yimby, we're giving people a completely new way to make a difference to their local area. I’m delighted with the take up of Yimby so far, but this is just the beginning. Together, we can make a huge difference to communities everywhere.”
