Duet

Why BGS is Excited

• Duet helps to create deeper proximity between donors and beneficiaries using storytelling and impact tracking.The rise of mutual aid during 2020 shows alternative models for community care like this one are effective and wanted. 
• Similar to the technology used for wedding and baby registries, the platform simplifies choice for donors through a unique giving model that enables beneficiaries to directly choose what they need.

The Opportunity

Humanitarian aid is broken but the limiting factor is not human kindness. Beneficiaries often receive items ill-fitted to their needs or do not receive the aid that is allocated for them at all. Local communities are overlooked as a part of the solution, producing a negative impact on the local economy as well as to inter-group relationships and attitudes.

The Concept

Duet provides donors with a way to participate in philanthropy, prioritizing beneficiaries’ dignity of choice while making the local economy both part of the solution and a beneficiary thereof. It engages a new generation of donors in reimagining philanthropy and humanitarian aid by creating a three-sided marketplace: the marketplace provides a transparent and personal giving experience for donors, dignity of choice for those in need, and accounts for the local economy as a key stakeholder in a hyper-localized solution.

Beneficiaries are identified through partner NGOs and nonprofits on the ground who know them and understand the community. Currently, Duet’s main operations are in Lesvos, Greece, where they work with resettled refugees to provide foundational tools to rebuild their lives. 

Beneficiaries visit Duet’s partner local stores and request items they need. Donors can read the beneficiaries’ stories and item requests, and select the exact items they wish to donate. They can also choose to write a short note to the beneficiary. Donor funds are transferred directly to the local shop, providing investments into the local economy. Once the beneficiary picks up their item(s), they provide a confirmation photo and thank you note for the donor.

Once they’ve made a purchase, donors can track their donation “on its way to impact.” And they can view their aggregate donation statistics over time, including total donation amount, the families they’ve donated to, and items they’ve donated. An effective way to attract and retain Millennial donors and volunteers is to attach symbols of prestige and public recognition to their contributions. For this reason, Duet donors receive badges marking donor achievement on their personalized impact page, which is sharable. 

By routing all donations through local businesses, beneficiaries can connect with locals and fast-track their integration into their new homes. On a macro-level, Duet addresses donation waste, unsolicited bilateral donations, and the environmental impact of shipping transnational donations. 

Duet’s monthly donor community, “The Neighborhood,” matches each monthly donation to one or more items, engendering a continued sense of direct and personalized impact. The remaining funds from each monthly gift are then used to crowdfund a higher-priced item, allowing the aggregate community donations to fund larger items each month. This allows smaller donors to have both direct impact as well as to be a part of a larger impact on a monthly basis. 

Duet is actively analyzing data on beneficiary item selection to quantify Duet’s impact and effectiveness. And they’re currently investigating ways to measure the full impact of the Dual impact model on local economies.