The digitization of all our lives has changed just about everything, the way we shop, the way we eat – okay not the way we eat but maybe how we get the food that we eat, and it is also changing charitable giving. Some years back, stores began to offer charitable giving at the checkout that could be done through credit or debit card transactions.
GoFundMe, Crowdrise and Kickstarter are just some of the now tech giants that offer charitable giving online, although sometimes that is a loose term on a site like Kickstarter. Now, another digital advance is taking place in charitable giving. Atlanta-based charity stream platform Softgiving is partnering with Method, a global esports organization and media company, on a one-year partnership focused on creating monthly streaming events for select non-profits organizations.
For those unfamiliar with esports, the UK-based Method is the home of seven teams consisting of more than 70 championship-level players but it is also the one of the largest live streaming groups in the world, mainly World of Warcraft. At any one time, there are likely several live streams going on with viewers watching a member of one of the teams play.
The partnership kicked off Wednesday with a Starcraft 2 tournament benefitting Rise Above the Disorder (RAD), a group that provides mental healthcare to youth around the world. Since 2017, RAD has provided mental health care for more than 35,000 people across 132 countries.
“It’s always amazing to create new partnerships with tremendous and influential colleagues in the esports industry,” said Softgiving CEO Matt Pfaltzgraf. “We are proud to be among those who are helping to bring innovative fundraising efforts into reality. Method is a pioneering organization with a breadth of content creation, so we are excited to bring this new partnership to life, and to collaborate on the development of win-win charity stream sponsorship opportunities for consumer brands.”
The two will also be looking for opportunities for brands to sponsor the charity streams. This year, Softgiving has already helped streaming events raise millions of dollars for beneficiaries likes the Best Friends Animal Society, Feeding America, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, CARE and more. As part of the campaign, Softgiving will also create pages where users can donate, track total raised and view recent and top donors.
“We are inspired and honored by the gaming and esports communities’ ability to rally around charitable causes industry-wide. Because of this, Method is committing $100,000 to charity over the next 12 months, and partnering with Softgiving to better integrate our charity efforts into our innovative live-streamed events and engaging influencers,” said Method Chief Revenue Officer Christian Bishop. “We are reaching out to business partners to also join us in raising money for worthy causes with Method’s dedicated community through content opportunities. Together, with Softgiving, we wish to make a strong impact on the worthy causes of today.”
