“When I contribute, it actually has a positive impact.” This is the sentiment behind the success of online crowdfunding platform Milaap, according to co-founder Anoj Viswanathan. In a tête-a-tête with MetroPlus during a recent trip to Chennai, Viswanathan explains how India is reaching out more readily, and why.
Viswanathan and his team believe that Indians in general are ready to donate their money for a cause. They have data from the past seven years to back this belief, as the cases, donation amounts and the sheer number of good Samaritans willing to help out through Milaap have grown by leaps and bounds since the platform was founded.
“Everything from shopping to transport is being digitised these days, except the inherent human trait of giving. People are still ready to give; we just need to make the process efficient and simple,” says the youngster, who was named among Forbes ’ ‘30 Under 30’ list of young achievers for this initiative in 2014.
All they need, he believes, is the assurance that their money is going to someone who really does need it. Hence, the focus of the platform has always been on transparency, something that has become much easier in the recent, more digitised years.
“When someone wants to start a campaign page on Milaap, two things need to be verified: the identity of that person, and how genuine their cause is,” says Viswanathan, adding, “With the advent of processes like UPI (Unified Payments Interface) and electronic Know Your Customer, the former at least has become much easier.”
Once the verification stage is done, what the person in need (or ‘organiser’) needs is a wide outreach. While a large part of the donations comes from people who have heard of the case personally, Viswanathan observes that nearly 40% of the contribution to any campaign comes from strangers: people who have no connection with the ‘organiser’, and who haven’t heard of the issue or the beneficiary before — which is where social media comes in.
Milaap’s Facebook posts alone reach over 15 million people a month. “In the last eight to 10 months, our activity on social media platforms has nearly tripled,” says Viswanathan, stressing that a large part of this comes from Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.
“At the end of the day, these campaigns are also human interest stories,” which always find traction on social media, he points out.
WhatsApp has become the biggest driver, in the past few months. Word is spread in the form of a summary of the situation, with related links which let the donor go from the app message directly to Paytm, bypassing the website altogether. “This is what we believe will keep increasing. So, for people who want to give immediately, you have to provide that option,” explains Viswanathan.
For those who don’t, however, Milaap also had to retain the option of diverting to the main website, where the donor can go through the organiser’s medical paperwork or other verification, and pay only after being assured that the cause is genuine.
“The motivation is impulsive, but when they actually make the contribution, they ensure that it is going to the right ‘need’, so to speak,” he explains. This ability to verify kills two birds with one stone. Firstly, it helps donors point out anomalies in details of cases for Milaap to re-verify. Secondly, it makes the donor feel more involved in the process, which Viswanathan considers critical, especially if the donor is to recommend Milaap to friends.
“They want to know whether the system actually works. So, until they get that engagement, they don’t make the effort to recommend it to their peers,” he says.
“Nearly 35% of the contributions come from repeat donors. Last year, that statistic was 25%. Repeat donors are increasing not only as a percentage, but also in terms of the amount they donate. That’s primarily because when you contribute, you start getting updates,” he says, adding that the bottom line is that people keep coming back when they see their money actually making a concrete difference.
