We caught up with Dr Alison Thompson, the founder and CEO of Third wave Volunteers, to discuss how digital or online giving has played a part in aiding the nonprofit with their fundraising and finances.
What’s your role, and how did you/the nonprofit get involved with digital or online giving? What’s been your experience to date?
I am the Founder and CEO of Third Wave Volunteers non-profit- We have had great success working with the Better Giving team for the past 3 years, especially with the Ukraine refugee crisis, which has helped us save thousands of lives.
We will continue to put our faith in this digital online giving platform because I love their personal touch in how they care about each non-profit and are always there to help us 24/7.
What is the main activity of Third Wave Volunteers?
Third Wave Volunteers are over 30,000 first responders working in natural and man-made disasters, running large refugee camps, field hospitals, and resilience hubs with long-term recovery in medical, solar, and water filtration.
How has the Better Giving experience been so far? Can you share a success story or a notable impact though the funds raised via Better Giving?
One of our success stories was when donations raised our non-profit a large amount of money to help get food, solar, clean water, and medicines to the frontline Ukraine villagers, who are being bombed daily by the Russians. This helped us save thousands of lives which would not be possible without this online Better Giving help.
How do you think Better Giving will be able to benefit your nonprofit in the future?
The non-profit model of always asking for money is not sustainable and takes up long hours of planning and fundraising. This Better Giving platform provides a space to meet more donors and get financial help much faster and larger than the traditional ways of giving.
Do you have any advice for others thinking of starting an online donation programme?
Over the past few years, the general donation and charity market has become over-saturated, and smaller non-profits are having difficulty raising money.
This online program works.
Just do it, and trust the process! We are happy we did.
Do you have any specific projects coming up? Or immediate plans for using the funding?
Third Wave Volunteers have raised the red flag on a large desert area in La Guajira in the North region of Colombia, where thousands of the local Wayuu tribes babies, and children are dying of malnutrition and lack of water.
This desert has dried up due to climate issues, and from an international coal mine that has redirected 18 of their rivers. TWV has surveyed the land and found water deep underground, and is starting to build water wells for 5 communities.
With this online financial help, we hope to expand this project to many more water wells in this region. You can see more about this program on the video below.
Thanks. That’s another project well worth donating to support.
Can you also share a fun fact or inspiring story from your work?
Third Wave Volunteers believe in cutting through red tape and bureaucracy to get help straight to the people. TWV’s are about “Love in Action” and our main mission is to show unconditional love to everyone- as one human race.
On the shores of Lesvos, Greece we would rescue 10,000s of refugees who were fleeing Syria from Isis. One man had his legs broken by boat smugglers and was thrown overboard and had washed up on the Greek shores with hypothermia- I began warming him up, trying to give mouth-to-mouth/CPR when he opened his eyes and laughed out loud. He asked (through a translator) if he had died and had arrived in heaven with the virgins!
That’s a great story! How do people find out more about what you do? Do you have any social media links?
We like Instagram and use that a lot along with our website Thirdwavevolunteers.com or our instagram is @Thirdwavevolunteers
AND, you can donate RIGHT NOW on our Better Giving donation page.
We REALLY appreciate your donation. It goes to great use.
Thanks Alison, we love the work you all do, 30,000 volunteers is quite a team! And we look forward to hearing more in the future.