#ImStaying becomes an NGO funded by its members

#ImStaying, a Facebook group which seeks to “unite all South Africans”, has announced that it has evolved into an NGO, raising funds to accomplish its mission.

In a statement on Monday, the organisation said the move was suggested by its members “to implement a number of initiatives aimed at helping to stimulate the economy through SMME (Small Medium Micro Enterprise) businesses and job creation in this sector”.

The NGO will look at national events, crowdfunding and merchandising.

Funds raised would also go towards business initiatives “in the micro and SMME space to open their doors, scale their business or create collaborative opportunities to work together,” the organisation said.

They added that a small amount of the money would be used on operational costs.

“As #ImStaying has become a collective movement of the people, any public funds collected will be put to poll on the #ImStaying Facebook Group page and members will be asked to vote via an online poll as to where the funds are allocated.

“This action in itself becomes the collective’s decision and will certainly be a game-changer in the NGO space,” the organisation said.

To accomplish this, the organisation said it would use BackaBuddy, a crowding funding platform, to raise funds.

The group’s founder, Jarette Petzer, said he had previously worked with the company, who, he added, were “totally transparent and properly geared towards helping us achieve our objectives”.

“BackaBuddy will hold funds for each of the initiatives, each of which will be visible for anyone to view via their portal or on the #ImStaying website ,” the organisation said.

Petzer said the new approach had the potential to benefit the country.

“This entire process was sparked by one simple thought and action. What followed next was as a result of a positive mindset and inspired action.

“If we are able to gather 600,000 people together in just over a month as a result of a single good deed, imagine what we can do for our country as the collective,” Petzer said.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.