in nine months people donated more than 70 000 eur via great country

 

August 19, 2010 - In nine months people donated more than 70 000 EUR through the Great Country program and promised to donate another 8100 EUR. Thanks to the fundraised sum non-governmental organizations and civic associations can help turn Slovakia into an educated, green, cultural and active country encouraging solidarity.

Transparency and strong stories

“We were able to fundraise the full amount of finances necessary for the realisation of 4 projects. With another 16 projects we are launching their first activities, as the minimum necessary for the project to start off was collected thanks to the donors,“ says Monika Smolová, the project’s coordinator at the Pontis Foundation. 

Thanks to the donated money, our field workers from the organization Proti prúdu were able to save tens of homeless people from freezing or catching a cold by providing them with 809 pieces of clothing, 39 sleeping bags and blankets and by serving them tea and soup. They saved one person from a certain death from blood poisoning. Although the person lost his limbs, today he found joy in life and is learning to walk on a prosthetic limb and with a sober head. People from Proti prúdu helped another 30 homeless people by re-dressing and disinfecting their wounds. “Since the end of winter the number of wound treatments in the field increased greatly. In July we looked at 47 wounds, which is a record number for us,” says Peter Kadlečík, from the civic association Proti prúdu.

Twenty abused children and 10 mothers, who experienced abuse in their families could find again their self-esteem in the crises centre Maják nádeje and learn basic skills necessary for everyday life at meetings and creative workshops with their therapists.

At the League for human rights they will use this gift to educate their refugees. “The gift will support the integration of our clients, refugees, mainly to pay for their Slovak language courses, to support the studies of a young Iranian woman who is starting to study at a University in September. We want to use a smaller portion of the sum to pay for a summer camp for our youngest clients,” explains Katarína Fajnorová.

People pointed their fingers at the one, who deserves to be supported

The campaign “Point your finger at the one, who deserves to be supported” launched by the Pontis Foundation at the beginning of July 2010 was supposed to increase the number of donors at the Great Country portal. New donors to the Great Country program could divide among the projects of the program a sum of 10 000 EUR which was donated by companies. The campaign was supposed to run until September 15th. However, donors managed to divide the complete sum among the projects a month earlier.

“People took part in the campaign and in a short time divided the 10 000 EUR donated by our corporate partners among the Great Country projects. Thus we now have already 2 084 citizens of the Great Country, out of which at least 1 633 supported at least once one of the 54 projects of the program,” summarizes the successful outcome of the campaign Monika Smolová. Its aim was to gain new donors and show them that donating for a good cause is very easy at the Great Country portal.

The NHL hockey player Michal Handzuš learned this as well: “Great Country is an excellent project, where you can choose projects that you wish to support. At the same time you can see the results.” For more, click here >>.

A competition in having the most donors

Currently there is campaign for non-profit organizations running at the Great Country portal. It is focused on establishing a net of donors. Three organizations, which acquire the most donors for their projects in the time between March 18th and September 15th 2010 will be awarded a grant from the Pontis Foundation worth 2 000 €, 1 000 € and 500 €.

The best of the Great Country

  • The project which obtained the necessary sum the fastest:  Summer camps for children from flooded areas - Business Leaders Forum, Pontis Foundation - 24 457,65 € (also thanks to corporate donors and employees’ collections that took place on premises of the companies). We obtained further finances to realize the summer camps directly from companies outside of the Great country portal.

  • The project which obtained the necessary sum only from donations by individual donors the fastest: Aid for people in the flooded areas – Slovak Catholic Charity – 6 712,90 €

  • The biggest donation from an individual donor:

    ·       Accenture employees – 6 576,50 € (internal collection),

    ·       Slovak Telekom group employees – 4 547 € (internal collection),

    ·       IBM employees – 1354 € (internal collection),

    ·       Individual donor – an individual – 1 100 €, 865 € and 600 €

  • The project supported by the most donors:

    ·      375 donors supported the project: Let’s save the old Hornád – Friends of the Trstená nature

    ·      250 donors supported the project: Art by the hands of the deaf and blind – Maják  (Lighthouse) non-profit organisation  

    ·      226 donors supported the project: The walkway below Pajštún and its torso – Civic association Pajštún

  • The first project realized: Creative workshops Majáčik – Crises centre MAJÁK NÁDEJE (Lighthouse of hope)

  • The most visits to the Great Country portal:

    ·       64 089 visits (out of which 40 732 were unique visits)

    ·       November 2009 – 13 135 visits

    ·       July 2010 – 11 037 visits

About Great Country

The Pontis Foundation launched the program and portal Great Country on November 17th 2009 on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Velvet revolution. This is a unique tool of individual donorship that makes the process of donating easier and gives people the possibility to support the type of project, closest to them. A donor sees on his or her account at the Great Country portal exactly how his or her finances are being used. One can also direct comments or questions to the organization he donates money to. The donor can also see who apart from him supported the projects and with a simple email can recommend to friends a project seeking support.

Projects of the Great Country program are divided into five areas: green, educated, cultural, active and encouraging solidarity. Donors can contribute in various forms – via online payments, with a one shot or standing bank orders, via a donor’s text message, with a credit card or even cash. If a donor wishes, he or she can, but does not need to, give 5 % of the donation to the administration and up-keeping of the program.