3 years ago, a night on which I had no plans turned into a night that would radically shift my personal and professional life. I was living in Downtown NYC, when a friend asked to come over to show me an idea and a website he mocked up, and wanted to know if I would help put it into production. I had nothing better going on, so I told him to come on by. We recruited one other friend, and stayed up until about 4am tidying the site content, and building out the basics that eventually turned into Good Street.
We put everything together, and immediately started messaging friends & family about the idea. I had no clue I would be signing myself up to vastly change my daily routine. That first night we got 12 people to sign up, and realized we needed to find a cause and two charities and type out an email for the next morning (the same routine that has happened every night since). The next morning came and we sent out our first daily email, highlighting relief for the Oklahoma community after a devastating tornado. As a community of 12 people we raised just $3.50, which was split between two charities.
Fast forward to today, and our impact has amounted to over $103,000 donated to different charities every day — all through individuals giving 25¢ a day! It’s an exciting milestone. One that every person in our community should feel energized for making happen. It’s a testament to the power of change we can create as a collective group dedicated to a common goal. But it’s only the beginning.
We put a sincere focus on providing value for our community members … and continuously work on empower ing them to create a kinder world.
At Good Street, we have an amazing group of team members & student volunteers who work tirelessly to research, vet, and create content for our daily emails. They do so with the understanding of how important their job is: to ensure that every individual quarter is going on to provide real & tangible impact towards making the world a better place. We also have team members who work to share stories about the change our community has enabled.
Our community is made up of individuals committed to doing one small act of giving back every day. And as the number of individuals multiplies, those small acts create real change in their lives and the lives of the charities they choose to support. Our donations have gone on to do such things as provide Action Kiva with enough money to give a group of mothers to tools to run their own businesses and earn enough to send their children to school. We provided Vitamin Angels with enough to give 170 malnourished children a year-long supply of vitamins vital to their health. And there’s a different story like this every single day…
For me personally, the emails set the tone for the rest of my day. They aren’t just a cute little email that’s in my inbox by 9am, but is something that carries me and helps me keep perspective. Through the emails, I am able to educate myself about the different causes & issues that we face as a human population. It’s a way for me to see how much of a difference I can make alongside a strong, united community. And it teaches me the value of making giving a daily habit and a solid routine in my life.
Good St. is not a typical charity that asks for money and then thanks you for supporting the mission. We put a sincere focus on providing value for our community members just as they provide value for the charities they support, and continuously work on empowering them to create a kinder world.
Again — this is only the start. The $100,000+ donated to date shows the impact we can make as a collective unit. But we look forward to the day where we are donating $100,000 on a daily basis. When we can walk down the street and see a Good St. hospital wing, a fully funded research project, or a school built in a developing country. It may seem like a big feat to get there, but every person who helps spread the word and joins us gets us so much closer.
We thank everyone who has allowed us to still be around today — our dedicated community members, staff, and the countless amount of organizations who continue to do important work to improve our world!
If you haven’t heard about us until now, I encourage you to check us out. If you have heard of us but haven’t joined, we’d love to have you! Every person & every quarter counts. As a wise woman once said “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” Together, let’s test that hypothesis and see how much of a true difference we can make. After all, Good St. isn’t just a platform for charity — it’s a movement for change.
— Jeff Dobrinsky
What do you think? Catch us on Twitter @ongoodst. Email me at jeff@goodst.org with your thoughts!
