iguacu Makes Charitable Giving And Donating To Countries In Crisis Effortless

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Imagine, when you hear of great suffering in the world, that there is a trusted place you can go online to find genuinely effective charities on the ground. That place is iguacu (igwah-soo!). iguacu is a new kind of nonprofit, independent giving service that makes it effortless to give effectively where the need is great. iguacu covers the world’s severe humanitarian crises in places like Syria, South Sudan, Haiti, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Central African Republic and Myanmar. It’s tough identifying effective charities to donate to in these areas, and iguacu makes donating quick and effortless. Below is our interview with Katherine Davies, CEO & Founder of iguacu (igwah-soo!):

Q: What makes you unique?

A: We have developed a new model for cutting through the noise, and finding great charities to give to in an overseas crisis. If you went online after the Nepal earthquake, there were more than 300 charities seeking donations, many making similar claims. Where do you start? No-one has time to do the extensive research needed to answer the question, and we are filling that gap.

iguacu, uniquely, has built extensive networks of experts close to each region in crisis. We speak to those best placed to know and understand the local challenges, and who can identify the charities that are genuinely effective on the ground. We subject the charities to further tests of governance, funding needs, transparency and accountability. If they’re global, they must also have a restricted appeal to ensure that donors’ money goes right to the country in crisis, and not to their other operations.

Our platform puts the results of this intelligence directly into the public’s hands. People can go to our platform to understand and connect with the countries we cover, select the regions they want to help, donate, and stay current on the impact they’re making.

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Q: Tell us something about your history, how did you start?

A: iguacu was born out of a desire to close a big gap in charitable giving. Back in 2014, I was frustrated by the cacophony online when I tried to find some way to give effectively to the Syrian people. I knew there were millions of people like me around the world, that react the same way when we learn of great suffering. If there could be a trusted online platform that effectively served this compassionate response, think of the difference we could make!

After leading a global #Message4Peace campaign, including a 600-mile walk for peace in Syria, I was further inspired. Dr. Deborah DiStefano, now an iguacu board member, suggested the idea of collecting messages for peace along this journey. By the end of my trek through the U.K., France and Switzerland, I was able to deliver hundreds of messages from the public to Staffan De Mistura, the U.N. special envoy to Syria. The public cares deeply about the suffering of the Syrian people. People simply need the means, and in a way that works in their already busy lives mindful of their many other concerns and responsibilities.

But iguacu is not built on anecdotal evidence. Before we formally launched, we commissioned a comprehensive survey by DJS Research Ltd that validated strong demand for an online service that identifies effective charities in overseas crises, and simplifies international giving.

Q: What’s the vision that guides you?

A: One of the consequences of being confronted by large-scale suffering in real time, all the time, is that we can lose our sense of power as citizens of the world. But we can choose a different view—a solution-oriented lens, with technology empowering us to have a greater impact than we ever thought was possible.

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Q: What are your plans for the coming months?

A: We will continue to do the job that has earned us a trusted reputation as we serve our growing community of donors, delivering effortless effective overseas giving. In response to donor demand, we have rolled out monthly giving. Many time-poor monthly donors park their overseas giving with iguacu and choose “Area of Greatest Need” as their donation option. They don’t have time to choose between different crises, and welcome our monthly impact reports, annual Jan statement and the fact that we are a 501(c)(3).

Delighting our community so much that they willingly help spread the word will help us all, together, create a huge channel of effective support where the need is truly great.

iguacu helps us all to appreciate the joy of effective giving and reclaim our power as citizens of the human family.