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Meghan Murphy

HandUp Gift Cards - Give directly to a homeless neighbor on the street

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

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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.
Tyler Hayes
I like this a lot. I built a charity aggregator when I was younger for fun—I read a lot of research that said donating cash directly to people on the street, in crisis areas, or living poverty was not advised. There were many reasons for this. It was recommended you instead donate to an organization with strong oversight and a track record. I like that HandUp Gift Cards bridge that gap: HandUp makes sure the person gets assistance they need, the funds are spent wisely, and I can again feel like I'm helping.
Meghan Murphy
Maker
@thetylerhayes Thank you Tyler! If you still have any of that research it would be cool to read it. It's good to hear you feel that way - that was our goal. If you have other thoughts or feedback please don't hesitate to share it.
Tyler Hayes
@megmurph The majority of the best stuff came from http://www.givewell.org/
Meghan Murphy
Maker
@thetylerhayes thank you!
SyCo4Sports
@thetylerhayes I did a ton of research on the abuses of both ends of giving also. Non profits that do little to giving cash to people that don't use it well. I never give cash I will take someone to eat though. I was going to start something a lot like this to take charity back to the neighborhood, the people, but I have been learning to build it for 2 years now lol I'm a slow learner. Glad someone is trying
Wilton
It's great the givers get notified if the card was used. Fights that feeling of wondering if you're making any impact at all.
Meghan Murphy
Maker
@weenjeem thanks Wilton, we'll also send a notification if the recipient sets up a HandUp profile. That way you can continue to contribute and follow along with their progress.
jason
so proud to have been the first investor in HandUP.....
David McGraw
This is such a great addition. I've walked the tricky path of explaining HandUp to the homeless people I see. Having something like this would be far easier & manageable. Hope this works out well & you're able to expand your reach! Best of luck!
Meghan Murphy
Maker
@xmcgraw It's nice to hear this feedback specifically, thank you for your support David!
Fred Rivett
This is amazing. Literally just yesterday I was talking to @mikeaag about a very similar idea, so glad someone has started this! Makes total sense. Great work 😀
Meghan Murphy
Maker
@fredrivett Thank you Fred!
Jordan Nemrow
I can see where @r0bl0rd is coming from, as I have spent countless hours thinking about how to best fix this issue. I do however applaud @megmurph for this approach. It might not be the ultimate solution to the problem, but if you can at least help those in need in smaller ways, as we all work towards a larger solution, it helps us get there. Is the company itself a non-profit? Just curious, I wont judge. :)
Meghan Murphy
Maker
@nemrow absolutely - homelessness is a complicated issue. We don't claim to be the silver bullet solution as it takes a community working together to end homelessness, but we are one way to make an impact. We are a Public Benefit Corporation, which means for profit with a legal commitment to social impact. You can read a little more about why HandUp chose this model here: http://blog.handup.org/posts/for...
Sam Wu
Awesome partnership with google! You guys are kicking ass.
Meghan Murphy
Maker
@insamshead Thanks Sam :)
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