World We Imagine Part Three

 Day by Day

Our mission is to highlight local efforts to better the community and move towards those goals, one small step at a time.

Would you donate 49 cents a day to feed a starving child in Africa? 

Chances are, you would say yes. Researchers find that people are more likely to donate towards causes when the question is framed in a “pennies a day” format. Humans rely on a system called “mental accounting” to categorize the different transactions in their lives. This form of thinking has many effects including:

• People are more likely to spend money given to them if it is labeled as a “bonus” rather than a “rebate”

• People overspend when using credit cards because the money used does not have an instant effect

• People tend to gamble more after a win rather than a loss, even if the outcome will remain the same

In the “pennies a day” example, because the cost is marginal enough to be ignored, people don’t label it as an expense.

Day by Day takes this mindset and transforms it into the core of our organization. Traditional charities tend to be very financially inaccessible and socially disconnected from the people who donate to them. At our organization, we tackle both of these problems by focusing on local communities while providing reasonable methods of contributing to initiatives. 

Currently based in LA, Day by Day will first focus on issues that relate to LA residents. Some pressing problems that LA natives face today are the rise in homelessness, water conservation, and infrastructure designed around cars. Day by Day will ask for donations on a small, daily basis and donate earned money towards specific social efforts to combat these problems. Donors will be able to choose which social issue they would want to focus on, and Day by Day will direct their funds towards that issue. Furthermore, we will provide updates on these initiatives to our donors to provide transparency in how their money is spent.

Anima Mundi Development Partners should support Day by Day because we are seeking to revolutionize the world of philanthropy. By providing close connections between our donors and the issues that directly affect them, we allow for a greater incentive to donate money. Furthermore, this is aided through the framing of our donation process. Using the “pennies a day” strategy, our organization makes donations more accessible to the average person, because of the small amount. 

In a world where charity seems to become increasingly disconnected from those they are supposed to serve, Day by Day reverses that trend and brings people in the community together.