ENTREPRENEURS

AYOBANTU — MAKING DONATING EASIER THAN EVER

You can now easily donate your cryptocurrencies for a worthy cause.

13.01.2022
BY JEMMA UTOMO
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Indonesia has once again been verified as the most charitable country in the world. The Charities Aid Foundation's World Giving Index study places Indonesia on top with 69 percent score, up from 59 percent in the previous report.


The World Giving Index is an annual report issued by the Charities Aid Foundation that ranks more than 140 nations throughout the world based on how generous they are in donating, using data collected by Gallup. According to the WGI 2021 report, Indonesia came out on top in two of the three categories: amount of money donated to people and total time volunteered.

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Agnes Yuliavitriani (@agnesyv)


According to the study, more than eight out of ten Indonesians donated money this year, and the number of volunteers in Indonesia is three times greater than the global average. Indonesia has managed to preserve its first place amid the pandemic, as opposed to other nations whose positions have slipped in the WGI due to the implementation of lockdown measures and regional restrictions. 


Most Western countries that regularly rank in the WGI Top 10 have dropped, probably due to the pandemic. For example, the U.S. has fallen to 19th after previously ranking in the Top 5, while Ireland and England have fallen from fifth and sixth to 26th and 22nd respectively.


The rise might be explained by the fact that charitable activities in Indonesia have begun to shift from traditional to digital platforms. One of these platforms is Ayobantu, part of the startup company Ayo Bantu Peduli Indonesia, founded in early 2020 by Agnes Yuliavitriani in Semarang, Central Java.


"As social beings, we must help and care for one another, especially those who have been affected by natural calamities. When disaster comes, we must all come together to help one another. Our objective is to develop an Indonesian society based on love and unity," Agnes, the CEO of Ayobantu.com, said.


Ayobantu's primary goal is to get the general public, businesses, organizations, or anyone else to help raise money for people who need it so that they can get the help they need. 


"We also educate Indonesians about environmental issues. Ayobantu was formed to serve as a conduit for social fundraising for community and corporate projects," she said.


It begins by helping the sports community


Ayobantu was established just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit Indonesia, Agnes revealed. The idea was born when a group of sports fans who wished to donate struggled to find an organization that reports transparently enough.

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Christin Wijaya (@xtinmilan)

"From there, the idea arose to establish a contribution platform that makes it easy and practical to gather donations while being transparent enough for donors to understand for themselves where the collected monies are moving," Agnes explained.


Agnes claims that the procedure of establishing this donation platform is relatively quick. It's because many people want to help those in need without being limited by where they live. 


"We didn't need to conduct an extensive study. Indeed, we understand the studies on donations over time," Agnes said, adding that the pandemic has turned out good for them. "This situation has made more and more people realize how important it is to help others and spread kindness to the people in your neighborhood," she said.


The Ayobantu team began with three members and grew to include 11 individuals. Ayobantu would distribute relief to natural catastrophe victims. They work together to support victims of disasters in Indonesia, such as the West Sulawesi earthquake, floods in South Kalimantan, the Mount Semeru disaster, and those affected by COVID-19.


The program then evolved into a range of activities. They started with sharing food, caring for children, social services, and assisting COVID-19 funeral officials, and then they progressed to larger social issues, such as a program to honor World Cancer Day. They are also active in helping those with mental health issues and those with impairments.


The actions that are taken also range slightly. For example, when Ayobantu and Hayvee worked together, three bikers went to Gunung Luhur, Lebak Regency, Banten. It took three bikers three days to ride 300 kilometers at the height of 5,750 meters while collecting money for the long-term survival of communities that deal with mental health issues.


"Of course, being in charge of Ayobantu has its ups and downs. When problems with technology arose in the early days of our platform's launch, however, this has been a great lesson and experience for us to learn from so that we can improve our service in the future," Agnes said.


Ayobantu already has authorization from the Ministry of Social Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia to collect money and goods. Ayobantu has so far embraced 8,955 kind friends or donors on the site, raising Rp1.8 billion in contributions.


Agnes believes that in her field of "business", competitiveness is a good thing. The more platforms there are, the more people will help and be kind to people in other communities, she said.


Donating cryptocurrency


Ayobantu accepts various payment methods, including bank transfers, virtual accounts, digital wallets, and cryptocurrencies. The option to donate in cryptocurrency distinguishes this crowdfunding platform from others.

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Ayo Bantu Peduli Indonesia (@ayobantuindonesia)


"We aim to make it simple and safe to donate, as well as knit millions of hands to spread kindness. Because of the vast number of crypto asset communities in Indonesia, crypto assets are presently the star. Aside from investment, crypto assets can also be used for charitable purposes," she elaborated.


Aside from the factor above, there are also other factors that set Ayobantu apart from other crowdfunding platforms. "We meticulously develop campaigns and distribute funds, and we request various validation files from fundraisers or foundations. We are also willing to collaborate in organizing events involving foundations and communities in order to reach the donation goals and objectives of fundraisers," she continued.


The Ayobantu team will ensure that the campaign proceeds according to existing norms and regulations. Then there's campaign optimization, which entails publishing on multiple communication platforms. Furthermore, Agnes said through various campaigns ranging from event activation to social media activation, key opinion leader (KOL) and community participation, reports on receipts and distribution of funds in real-time can be seen directly on the official website.


"As newcomers, we appreciate the importance of demonstrating our competitive advantage. One of them is displayed in the diversity of campaigns that we offer. We inspire communities and organizations to donate to knit millions of hands through campaign activation, KOL engagement, and charity auctions. A unique tool that can help fundraisers get the most out of our platform," she added.


Agnes and her team actively communicate with TemanPeduli, MitraPeduli, and BrandPeduli to introduce Ayobantu to the general population, particularly millennials. They also ran a campaign that was unique and different. 


"Let us keep exploring new ways to inspire others to do good. We are the first and only platform that accepts donations in cryptocurrencies. We will keep researching and developing innovative techniques to stimulate the public's interest and encourage donations so we can help more individuals," she concluded.

 

 

 

 

 

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