Hoping you’re all enjoying spring and staying healthy. We’re coming to you with updates and a new project (please read to the end for our big reveal!).
As many of you know, at the pandemic's peak, Steve and I founded The One By One Project to fill a very specific need- small, urgent gaps in funds for people in our community. We all know those emergencies that can quickly take a family off-track: the $600 utility shut-off notice, the $500 end-of-month grocery bill, the broken-down car.
We aim to shake up the traditional funding model. Local non-profits already have
deep roots in the communities they serve, so we know they are the experts. They see first-hand needs outside of their scope of services and don't always have funds to help (called “off-mission needs"). We trust our partners to vet their off-mission needs, tell us why the need is dire, and how funds could help. The One By One Project takes it from there. Within 24 hours, we pay the bill for the person or family in need.
It's pretty simple. It's been VERY effective.
In the past 16 months, we have filled over 250 requests for funds in our own Greater Boston community. Some recent examples of funds The One by One Project provided:
A mortgage payment to avoid foreclosure for a single mom and her children
Utility bills paid to avoid shutoffs and keep the heat and lights on for so many families
Grocery gift cards for families and first-generation college students facing food insecurity
A hotel bill for a dad and his toddler who were facing homelessness while awaiting a shelter bed
Appliances and furniture for families moving out of a shelter and into their own apartments
Gift cards for transportation to work, school, and critical medical appointments
We see first-hand that the demand for funds remains relentless.
We need your help.
Monday we will announce our first-ever Summer Fundraiser Challenge!
We’ll launch our challenge with our "Community Stories Series" a collection of short videos that highlight our local non-profit partners and their stories. You’ll hear first-hand from our local partners including Horizons For Homeless Children, Enroot, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern MA, and Youth Connect, a program of The Boys and Girls Club of Boston as they share their thoughts about the impact of The One By One Project's trust-based giving.
By telling their stories, we hope to earn your support.
ONE donor,
ONE family in need,
ONE story at a time. . . One By One.
We are here to help.
Stay tuned for an email MONDAY MORNING with all the details.