the Power to Change VS the Will to Change

I think ultimately we all want the same thing: less government oversight, less regulations and more equitable distribution of opportunity. However, some feel that downward distribution picks the pockets of makers and doles it out to layabout takers, some feel that blame for perpetuating poverty and dependency actually lies on the welfare state and some feel that the welfare state is necessary because without oversight, the private sector can’t be trusted or able to fulfill the government subsidies.

Instead of seeing the welfare state as a problem, I see it as a result of a faulty system. If we want to get rid of the need for government assistance, we first need to work on a way to guide the voluntary nonprofit sector toward matching or improving on the government's record. We’re stuck in a government controlled loop, but what if we didn’t need the government’s help? What’s the current alternative? Even if the private sector can step up to the plate and take over the government’s share in our current system, its still not the general public, but those with money, power and influence - only this time with no oversight or control. Is that who we want to determine the priorities of our communities?

That’s where Gets2Give.com comes into play. Gets2Give.com is a nonprofit that allows the local community to not only supplement the gap between government assistance and social need, but in the long-term, it will allow the general population (of all classes) to efficiently replace that government assistance through a power of the people platform. Not only does the Gets2Give.com platform supply the general population a way to finance social needs without government assistance or taxation, but it also places a much higher focus on local businesses and shopping small.

Small businesses tend to get the brunt of the blow when it comes to government regulations because they aren’t privy to the breaks and loopholes that larger corporations are. But how does that make sense? Small businesses are the lifeblood of the American economy. They create two out of every three new jobs in America, with more than 50 percent of all Americans under their employment. So why aren’t they a priority for the federal government? Because the federal government doesn’t focus on local.

They don’t localize the needs of individual areas, they focus on things at a federal level, and there lies many of the issues that we face today. Social needs are a local problem, economic growth is a local issue and both should be handled locally by the people whom it affects.

If we are really serious about reducing demand for the welfare state, we need to go beyond politics and create new non-state institutions and organizations that provide a viable alternative. Over fifty years ago, Richard Cornuelle issued a challenge to small-government supporters in his book Reclaiming the American Dream: roll back the welfare state, not by complaining about it, but by out-competing it. Cornuelle urged us to turn our energies to what he called the “independent sector,” building new institutions and organizations in civil society to meet the public needs currently addressed by government.

“The independent sector will grow strong again when its leaders realize that its unique indispensable natural role in America is to compete with government,” he argued. “It must be as eager as government to take on new public problems.”

A half-century after Cornuelle wrote those words, the gap between public needs and the capacity of civil society has only grown. Gets2Give.com offers that viable alternative where everyone can get involved with the local social infrastructure and has the potential to out-compete the federal government and meet the needs that the government currently addresses, but in a much more efficient manner - saving local citizens millions in the process.

Lets look at some stats showing how much our local economy is missing out on by not using Gets2Give.com (from a purely competition standpoint) not even taking into consideration how much will potentially be saved from dismantling the necessity for government assistance:

• For 2016, GoFundMe had an operating profit margin of more than 20% and revenue over $100 million. Instead of using GoFundMe, and putting your money in their pockets, Gets2Give.com offers a free crowdfunding platform for local nonprofits. That’s a lot of money and profit that we can keep in our local community just by using a different website.
• Groupon, which acquired LivingSocial in 2016, downsized and laid off over 50% of staff to outsourcing and expects their gross profit to be in the range of $1.3 billion and $1.35 billion. Gets2Give.com, being a nonprofit doesn’t take high percentages like these deal sites. The money stays with the local business who hires local staff (not outsourced). - again, just by using a different website.

Both of those switches are quick and simple for all involved, businesses, organizations and consumers. The effort is minimal, but the rewards are extreme. It’s simply a matter of the will of the people. Are you willing to change a few minor actions to make a massive difference? Or are you comfortable with the state of the system as it is now?

Not only that, but since Gets2Give.com has combined the two functions into one easy to use platform, we can efficiently cross-promote and use the resources of both sections to benefit the other. Nonprofits bring traffic from the crowdfunding campaigns which we transfer to the small businesses. Small businesses bring sales. Every time an offer is purchased, the customer selects a nonprofit at check-out to receive 10% of the order as a donation. This allows everyone (regardless of income or financial situations) to choose and decide what causes are funded without placing a burden on their own pockets; it allows businesses to receive increased brand awareness and marketing through traffic sent by local nonprofits; it allows local businesses to get increased goodwill by allowing their customers an opportunity to support causes they care about just by being their customer; and it allows small nonprofits to raise residual funds and keep all the funds raised through crowdfunding.

 If we can get enough people, businesses and nonprofits to utilize www.Gets2Give.com, we can make a huge impact on the local needs in our community, we can prioritize small businesses over big corporations and we can lessen our need of government intervention.

While we’re sitting here deciding if this is something we want to participate in, mega-mergers are happening. The FTC approved Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods and Google and Walmart announced their own partnership marrying the world's largest retailer and search engine. Within a few decades tech giants will control every sector of the American economy. Where will this concentration of economic power lead? Probably not to a more prosperous small business and local economy.

We’re accepting the challenge Cornuelle issued and creating a new system, Gets2Give.com, that works for the local community, not Corporate America, not political agendas, not those that are already making their way to the top – or currently reside there – but the power of the people and their immediate social needs.

As a local system, we have the power to change the system, but do we have the will?