Wroxham man’s online fundraising website now has more than 10,000 charities registered
Ronnie Zahdeh (centre left) who set up Total Giving in 2013 as an alternative to Just Giving where all the money pledged to charity goes to charity. Pictured from left Mark Gwilliam, Ronnie Zahdeh, Marcus Hall and Neil Beck, Picture: MARK BULLIMORE
An innovative online fundraising platform set up by a Wroxham man less than three years ago now has more than 10,000 charities signed up.
Ronnie Zahdeh who set up Total Giving in 2013 as an alternative to Just Giving where all the money pledged to charity goes to charity. Picture: MARK BULLIMORE
Ronnie Zahdeh set up Total Giving in December 2013 after reading about the closure of The Dove Trust, a Bawdeswell-based charity which was suspended by the Charity Commission amid concerns over its management and debt of £1.68m to hundreds of causes.
For many popular donation websites, temporarily holding donors' funds before releasing them to the cause is common practice, something Mr Zahdeh had concerns about.
He said: 'The only way to ensure that something like the Dove Trust doesn't happen again is to give the money directly to the charity and to take away this middle man risk in the centre of it.
'When making a donation on fundraising platforms in the UK, your money goes to the company operating the platform with the trust they will pass it on. They hold the money for an amount of time, take away their commission, and pass the rest of the charity.
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'Total Giving is the only system in the UK where the money goes directly to the cause - we do not hold it.'
Mr Zahdeh said Total Giving's policy is a significant benefit to charities.
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'For example, a charity raising money for an appeal such as an earthquake would benefit from it,' he said. 'The delay in them getting their money can mean the difference between life and death.
'We have also found that for smaller charities in particular, having access to the money quickly makes a huge difference.'
Thousands of causes, including First Aid Africa and Lillie Johnson Charitable Trust, have raised tens of thousands of pounds through the website, with more than 10,000 charities using it to fundraise, including the local Fairhaven Garden Trust.
To visit the website and for more information, visit http://www.totalgiving.co.uk/
• Do you have a Wroxham story? Email lauren.cope@archant.co.uk
