HandUp Campaigns

HandUp Campaigns

Assemble your community to donate to those in need

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This is the 3rd launch from HandUp Campaigns. View more

HandUp Gift Cards

Give directly to a homeless neighbor on the street
HandUp Gift Cards was ranked #5 of the day for August 27th, 2015

HandUp lets you donate essentials like toiletries, clothes, and housing directly to homeless individuals in your neighborhood.

HandUp Gift Cards gallery image
HandUp Gift Cards gallery image
HandUp Gift Cards gallery image
Launch tags:
Web App•Charity & Giving•Tech
Launch Team

What do you think? …

Meghan Murphy
Maker
We are really excited to share this new product that bridges our online and offline giving. Two years ago HandUp launched as a way to donate to people in need through our site. What we heard from you, our donors, is that you also wanted a way to give directly on the street. When you give a neighbor in need a HandUp Gift Card, you’re giving something more valuable than cash. The recipient redeems the card with local nonprofit partner Project Homeless Connect for goods and services, where they can learn about other available resources like housing or healthcare. We're here to answer any questions you might have!
Frank Denbow
@megmurph This is awesome. Great work! Is there an opportunity to buy in bulk (more than 6)?
Meghan Murphy
Maker
@frankdenbow yes absolutely! We've already been working with some great local companies who are using these for employee engagement. Anyone can email me (murphy@handup.org) or info@handup.org.
Peter Watts
@megmurph Love this. I'm curious what % of cards are typically claimed? It would be nice if you got replacement cards if they were unclaimed, so you could give to someone else. This way, 100% of your donation goes to people you personally interacted with (which is the main appeal of HandUp vs other charities for me).
Anton Troynikov
This seems super paternalistic - why not give the homeless cash?
Meghan Murphy
Maker
@atroyn These Gift Cards are just one of many different ways you could give to a homeless neighbor. You could give cash, buy someone a coffee, share a meal, purchase a Street Sheet (newspaper), etc. For some, it's uncomfortable to give cash or they want to be sure they are helping in the right way. Gift Cards are something with tangible (and flexible) value that also helps recipients learn about other available services. We've seen really positive reception in the community since we started testing these cards about 6 months ago.
Jacob Hobbie
@atroyn Well, as a Kansan, people here do not like to give direct cash to peoples on the street because there's an unknown factor. We don't know whether the person will actually take the cash and spend it on groceries and food etc, or if they'll go buy alcohol. Plus there have been reports of people dressing up homeless and making a profit from people giving to them. So honestly, HandUp in places like here in Kansas would be a great way for people's kindness to be shown while making an impact in our homeless community.
David McGraw
@atroyn When you're away from bigger cities, which often require cash in several places, there is almost no reason to carry any. I'd be happy to run to an ATM or pick up some things for someone hanging around Target, but that's rarely an option. It would be a nice win if I could carry a couple of these cards in my wallet. Plus, as @megmurph points out, this is a great opportunity to lead folks toward other services that would help.
David McGraw
@linkchef hello there fellow Kansan!
Billy Chasen
@linkchef I always try to give food for this reason and usually ask them what they want and buy it. But, you can't stop someone from getting what they want. They'll just get a bit more creative and sell these cards for cash at less than face value.
Phillip Yang
I just saw your product featured on VentureBeat. Amazing stuff! Will you do a Product Hunt Live AMA? Would love to hear your back story.
Meghan Murphy
Maker
@geeky_yang Thanks Phillip! We'd love to do an AMA sometime - the founding story of HandUp with @Rosical and @ZacWitte is definitely interesting.
Phillip Yang
@megmurph awesome! please let me know when it happens, I will definitely join.