STARKVILLE — The feel-good spirit sparked by philanthropy abates when benefactors realize how much of their donation doesn’t reach its intended destination. Hoping to give people more power and transparency in making donations, Jonathan Kuiper has developed ChangeMob, a fully-automated system to donate money to a needy cause.
ChangeMob debuted at Mississippi State University on Oct. 15 as part of a month-long fundraising drive for the MSU Student Relief Fund, which formed last year after fires at apartment complexes Campus Trails and Crossgates displaced students.
ChangeMob has partnered with Aramark, which runs MSU’s dining services, to provide coupons to Burger King, Mississippi Steak, Hathorn and Village Pizza in exchange for $1 donations.
Once the donation is received, benefactors have a coupon sent to their phone. Each donation can be tracked with ChangeMob apps for Android and iPhone operating systems and at thechangemob.com.
Kuiper calls it a “win-win” for vendors, the charity and those donating money.
“We drive users to the brand; the users give money to the cause,” Kuiper said. “And the reason we keep it low is we’d rather have 10 people giving a $1 instead of just one giving $10. We strive to have more exposure.”
More than 50 MSU student groups are competing to raise the most money toward the $10,000 goal. Changemob, a sponsor of Bulldog Bash, will announce the winner during the annual block party in the Cotton District on Nov. 11. Kuiper said the winning club will receive Xbox 360s, which are popular gaming devices.
“I think it’s great,” MSU Student Association President Rhett Hobart said. “Especially considering that it allows our students to be able to give back and directly benefit our student body. The model of what they’re doing is great. While you’re getting those rewards, we’re benefiting charity. We think we’re going to be able to do a lot of great things at MSU.”
Anyone can donate to ChangeMob fundraisers, though coupons will be to local stores and restaurants.
Kuiper said he was motivated to start Changemob by the outpour of philanthropy following the earthquakes in Haiti in 2010. But instead of seeking corporate donors for broader fundraisers, he wanted to engage local communities by linking with unique causes.
He started in September by partnering with a local hair stylist to do a free haircut for every dollar donated. In four days, ChangeMob had done 600 deals and raised awareness for “Restore Innocence,” which builds homes for women rescued from human trafficking.
MSU is ChangeMob’s first college project and first outside of Colorado. Kuiper said ChangeMob is growing despite a perceived disadvantage for vendors like Burger King, which is giving coupons for a free breakfast combo with the purchase on another.
“For MSU, Aramark liked it for the fact that we don’t touch any of the dollars a person would give,” said Kuiper. “And for us, we make our money from the vendors because our system basically allows us, a non-profit, to push a product.
“We get compared to daily deals on the Internet, and I can understand that,” Kuiper added. “But a lot of the brands we talk to are put off by those coupon type things. And when someone goes and uses our coupon, it’s one time. It’s an abuse-free coupon reward system. And it’s great to track data. ”
Kuiper, a Jackson native, moved to Colorado when he was 6 years old. He said a friend at Aramark helped guide ChangeMob to MSU.
“Half of my family is mad because half of them go to Ole Miss,” Kuiper joked. “But we’re excited to partner with MSU and the Student Relief Fund. We’ll crescendo leading up to Bulldog Bash.”
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.