Gypset Giving ~ Change Heroes

  

The founder, Taylor Conroy, has made a huge impact with his innovative fundraising techniques for charities. Ever the gypsetter, Taylor lives by the phrase “destroy normal.” In addition to founding Change Heros, Taylor has had some other unbelievable experiences like meditating with Zen monks in Japan and surfing the longest wave in the world.

 

Taylor sold his million dollar real estate business after a life-altering visit to the poverty-stricken areas of Kenya. There he witnessed the desperate conditions that families were living in and the challenged learning environment with which many of these Kenyan families struggle. The trip prompted him to find a way to give back.

Conroy wanted his friends and family to feel the pleasure he derived from giving back, but he soon realized the difficulties of getting people on board with his cause. He found the traditional model of fundraising where you “shove the cause down as many throats as possible, hoping they will cough up cash” to be exhausting and inefficient. He wanted people to give out of pleasure and joy, not out of guilt and duty.

After careful consideration and multiple charitable experiments, Taylor discovered the true motivation behind giving and incorporated it into his current and most successful cause yet- Change Heroes.

Change Heroes incorporates the five most important factors that, when combined correctly, can motivate anyone to give and to feel a sense of accomplishment and happiness after doing so. Those are: group mentality, tangible outcome, micro giving, recognition, and personal connection.

Change Heroes and Free The Children offer these things and more by their carefully constructed donation plans. Once a group of people are identified and begin their payment plan, they are constantly sent updates as the school is being built, so the donors can see the progress of the construction of their school. Once the construction is finished, Change Heroes promises a video of a school full of smiling students thanking you for your support.

The schoolhouses are built in partnership with the surrounding community, so only local materials are used and local workers are employed. The kids learn a prescribed curriculum taught by teachers who are trained according to the country’s teaching standards. The best part is that once the funds are raised, you and your friends will be invited to Kenya to help build the school or to visit it when its finished.