PREMIUM has always been engaged in charity projects and together with betterplace, presents a charity platform that connects them all. More information and an overview of the projects currently supported by PREMIUM can be found at: http://premium.betterplace.org
Interview with TILL BEHNKE
CEO & Founding Benefactor of the betterplace Foundation | Co-founder of betterplace .org
What is betterplace.org?
We are an internet platform that brings together thousands of social and environmental projects
from all over the world with donors who support concrete needs with money, time and in kind
donations. Through us, anyone can find precisely the project he considers worthwhile and experience
how even a small contribution can lead to great change. By building a well in Kenya as much as by
renovating a youth center in front of your own home.
How do you finance yourselves?
We forward 100% of the donations to the chosen project or receiving organization. Each donor
can voluntarily also choose to make a small contribution to us. We use these contributions for
our business operations and the expansion of the platform. In addition, we enable businesses to
implement fund-raising campaigns or permanent programs that actively engage their clients or
employees. The businesses pay fees for this service. As a third canal, we have a group of community
members and several institutions that support us monthly. This is how we are financing ourselves
for the middle term. The expansion of betterplace is currently made possible by large donations from
private sponsors.
How can one make the world a better place with betterplace?
We are interested in proving that many small deeds can change the world. It doesn’t matter if you
support a project on our platform with 5 Euros or a couple of hours of time, or if your business
mobilizes all of its clients and employees for a project, right through to the media, which provides
publicity for our projects. Anyone can make a contribution and every small deed counts.
Keyword transparency – how do you guarantee that the money gets to where it should?
Besides the classic top-down quality mechanisms such as non-profit status, ratings and evaluations,
TÜV (German Association for Technical Inspection) certification or a donor seal, the online
community can evaluate each project publicly and compare notes directly with project managers or
other sponsors. For me, what counts more is the personal trust between people and a project than
any seal of approval.
What are your plans for the future?
In the meantime, we are growing faster and faster. Approximately 3,000 projects from all over
the world have already been supported by almost 80,000 people. Since January, we have procured
over one million Euros for projects both domestic and abroad. Because we forward 100% of the
donations, we depend upon cooperations with businesses and the media. These integrate clients
and staff with socially responsible projects and share in the costs of operations and expansion of our
platform. We are always looking for dedicated and involved businesses as partners.
