It is said that we can’t really experience the true meaning of unconditional love until we reach parenthood. As a father to a young toddler I can’t help but agree with that statement. But, when watching her proudly show me her “new trick of the day”, I can’t but wonder how amazing will she remain? How will she be when she grows up and blossom?

JGooders.com is like a second child to me. I was here from the very beginning. I saw it launch and have watched it grow. But just like my own toddler, I often wonder how will it blossom when it matures?

“Blossom” is first and foremost seeing people visit the site and donate to projects, increasing the overall goodness in the Jewish world. During its infancy, we did our best to increase traffic and donors. We held campaigns, provided free training for organizations and created key tips for online fundraising (Sign up for our Nonprofit newsletter). Plus, we have personally encouraged everyone to use JGooders to support social causes.

Suddenly, as the spring flowers bloomed, so did JGooders. Our average donation in May was $126, while the 2008 global average dropped to only $71.Pretty impressive for a 6 months “old” website, in an industry in which sites usually struggle for two to three years before they stabilize.
With the end of the “Omer”, June arrived and our donations have exploded. We are now seeing projects receive very sizeable donations of $1,000, $2,000 and even $3,000. But JGooders is not just about the large donations (though they are very welcome). It’s also about the small ones that add up. We have successfully reinforced the long tail for the benefit of the Third Sector.

None of the donations our projects receive are accidental. They are a result of the intensive work that the staff of JGooders and our organizations have been actively doing to spread the word and build the faith in JGooders that is necessary to bring people to the site. We can clearly spot those organizations that have taken up the challenge, and have seen their donors return a few months later and give higher amounts than before. One example is Tebeka, whose projects empower the Ethiopian community in Israel, which just received a $1,000 donation from a returning donor who previously donated a much smaller amount.

“Omanoot“, bringing Israeli art to a global audience, is an example of an organization that has been actively approaching potential donors from day one. Within 3 months of joining JGooders, this project has become the most successful project on our site, raising thousands of dollars.
My toddler is out of her cradle. She is kicking and running and evolving fast each and every day. She returns love to those who love her back. JGooders has also emerged from infancy and is starting to fulfill its potential. Our NPO Center is about to launch, and we have some more great new features in the pipeline. It feels great. It simply feels great.

Eli Shua is Chief Operating Officer at JGooders.com

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