Over 38 million Americans are currently living below the poverty line. They’re struggling to pay for rent, food, and especially essential household needs. (Census 2021)

It’s a systemic crisis, impacting health and mental well-being of millions, creating social isolation, widening educational gaps. For decades help has remained highly categorical, with focus on silo solutions, versus approaching it from a beneficiary centric broad spectrum perspective.

Despite donation and technology advancements, existing solutions haven’t been able to thoroughly address the complexity of structural and social inequality.

There are still no personalized, beneficiary centric donation solutions at scale.

Sustainable long-term improvement can only be achieved, when the needs and circumstances of each beneficiary are understood - help guiding the right support for people in need at the right time - fast, easy and secure.

In particular Hygiene poverty - which is defined as the inability to afford everyday products such as shampoo, toilet paper, toothbrushes, baby supplies, and basic dish soap - is rampant, severely affecting the health and mental well-being of millions. (The Century Foundation, 2021: America’s unspoken Hygiene Crisis)

In general, basic household item expenses might not add up to much in aggregate, but for people lacking resources these simple conveniences are simply out of reach, e.g. two in five women in this country are struggling to purchase something as simple and necessary as period products. (The Century Foundation, 2021: America’s unspoken Hygiene Crisis)

While there are many public programs - albeit underfunded ones - to help families obtain health care, food, and housing - there are none to help with household items, such as hygiene products, and services. To add insult to injury, rather than being subsidized, these essential items are often taxed, when food, medicine, and other widely recognized necessities are not. On the Non-profit side, many organizations doing incredible work to help counter this hardship, e.g the National Diaper Bank Network with focus to helping with diapers and other material basic necessities. However the support needed remains extensive and is close to insurmountable. (The Century Foundation, 2021: America’s unspoken Hygiene Crisis)

Without proper hygiene, adults struggle to find employment because they can’t put their best foot forward during job interviews and children struggle to succeed in school. For both adults and children, there is a loss of a sense of hope about their future. Physical and mental health issues can eventually result. Even when individuals turn to community organizations providing low-income assistance, there is a lack of these basic hygiene and personal care products. (ThePovertyImpactNetwork)

Despite the momentum in responding to the present crises, including the Biden/Harris ‘Build back Better Plan’, the effects of COVID-19 are likely to be felt for years to come. And while economic inequalities are not new in the U.S., the events of 2020 have brought them to the fore of national consciousness. (The Pacific Community Ventures; October 2020: U.S. Impact Investing Policy, Inequality, and COVID-19 Recovery)

Post pandemic, low-earning families are expected to make the slowest recovery, despite extensive government and non-profit support. While the growing inflation will only further exacerbate the reality of unmet basic needs. (McKinsey, 2021: Achieving an inclusive U.S. recovery)

Since some government programs ceased in May 2021, nearly eight million Americans have dropped below the poverty line, causing the largest single-year increase in poverty in six decades. Forward-looking employment scenarios also indicate this group to be among the slowest to recover, in part because these groups are more heavily represented in the sectors and occupations most impacted by the pandemic. To ensure an equitable recovery, these disproportionate effects must inform our collective response. (McKinsey, 2021: Achieving an inclusive U.S. recovery)

On the charity and donor side, which are a critical pillar to counter these challenges, everyday donations in the US have been declining for the first time in two decades since 2018 (GoodScout Study 2019) and a national survey by the Independent Sector Org in July 2021 confirms this has been further exacerbated by the pandemic.

However, research also shows that 95% of everyday donors would give more to charities under the right circumstances, but concerns about the impact of their giving stand in the way. (Overcoming barriers to giving, Fidelity Charitable report 2017-2019)

When asked what could change that:

• 81% would donate if they had MORE TRANSPARENCY of their giving
• 65% would give more if they knew the REAL IMPACT of their donations
• 65% would give more if they could organize and track their charitable giving
• 35% are looking for new and different ways to engage with philanthropy

In 2019, Engage for Good identified in their America’s Checkout Charity Champions Whitepaper that the following best practices have the most impact on consumer checkout charity engagement:

• Consumers love to give locally
• Retailer / Brands need to visibly demonstrate social impact
• Retailer / Brands need to evolve to changing consumer and market needs
• The power of giving and allowing saying “Thank you” (Engage for Good 2019 -America’s Checkout Charity Champions Whitepaper)

As shown in the 2021 "Why America Gives Report", donors have a high intent to give across all generations, showcasing new ways for nonprofit to make giving easy, flexible, and avoid poor experiences that cause a donor to abandon their benevolent action. Donors want 'giving experiences' that reflect the accelerated rates of digital transformation, while feeling a personal connection to the organization they donate to at every step. (Why America Gives report by Classy 2021 - The lasting impact of a pandemic on donor experience )

Encouraged by these insights and opportunity to support, we have been able to identify an instant donation solution at scale. Getting the right items to people in need at the right time - fast and safe. Advancing the existing Checkout Charity process by adding unprecedented levels of transparency and accessibility, while harnessing the the importance of connection and community in the person to person giving process.