As part of National Volunteer Month, Benefacting is hosting a contest for college students to compete against their peers by performing the most community service hours.
The Benefacting Volunteer Challenge runs for the entire month of April, and helps students turn their volunteer time into charitable donations.
Benefacting is a nonprofit organization that launched in early 2012 for the Triangle area. Its mission is “to help those in need by empowering people to support charities through simple transactions and unselfish acts,” according to its website, www.benefacting.org.
”With Benefacting , you can volunteer any services… from tutoring, to walking a dog to painting a room. You volunteer doing what you want to do and do it whenever works best for your schedule. You can also sell a good, such as furniture or electronics, just like you would on Craigslist, but with proceeds supporting the charity of your choice,” Trevor Little, co-founder of Benefacting , said.
Little and co-founder Brad Lindsay created Benefacting from being inspired by their faith to give back and also to encourage others to do the same.
Students can participate in groups or as individuals in the challenge. The person or group with the most service hours by April 30 will win tickets to a Durham Bulls baseball game. Second place winners will get tickets to an improv show at ComedyWorx , and the individual who raises the most will receive a $50 restaurant gift card.
Benefacting has created an online tool for volunteers to give back in innovative ways. Volunteer hours and donated goods are transformed into dollars for other local charities. Participants can give back by volunteering however they choose to.
“I would definitely participate in Benefacting . It’s a good way to reach out in the community, while organizations receive what they really need,” Sarah Nilson , sophomore in sociology, said.
Benefacting works through transactions called ‘benefactions’ that involve two people and a charity. The first person, known as the “actor,” posts details on the Benefacting website of a service or good he or she is willing to perform or give in exchange for a donation to their desired charity.
“It’s great that you can pick the charity you want to receive the donations. Many people have particular areas they are the most interested in, like education, so being able to have a say in where support goes is awesome,” Michelle Brown, sophomore in chemistry, said.
The second person contacts the actor to express his or her interest in the good or service. The two people set up the specific details and the recipient of the good or service becomes the “sponsor” and makes a donation through PayPal directly to the charity of the actor’s choice.
“It’s a really cool concept… knowing your skills or special interests can really help an organization,” Nilson said.
North Carolina ranks 44th in its amount of volunteer work, but Benefacting is hoping to improve that rank through this new take on volunteering and donating to charities. The Benefacting Volunteer Challenge will contribute to that improvement by motivating students to get involved and compete for a change.
Students who are interested in participating in the challenge can sign up at http://www.benefacting.org/teams/new. There is no deadline to register, but all Benefactions or community hours must be completed before April 30 to be considered in the contest.
”Most people forget that we can use whatever abilities and resources we have to positively affect the lives of those in need. Even our hobbies can be put to good use. Our hope is that the contest will inspire students to not only make a difference now, but continue a lifetime of giving back,” Little said.
Anyone who’s interested in participating in Benefacting is encouraged to visit its website to learn more about the organization. All community members can post their own Benefactions to support charities they are passionate about.