New app Tinbox enables corporate sponsores to give $1 to charity in 20 seconds
With the support of the San Francisco-based financial services company Charles Schwab, the mobile app Tinbox launched a free app this past week enabling a user to donate a $1 to a Bay Area charitable organization within 20 seconds.
Tinbox was developed as an alternative to simply liking or re-tweeting cause-related content, while it also enable brands to showcase their committments to non-profits and charities as well.
With corporate charitable gaining traction in our corporate culture today, Tinbox founders wanted to solve the issue of "clicktivism" (people clicking, sharing, liking cause-related content online) while allowing brands to increase their image in the area of philanthropy. The app enables non-profits, in this case those in the San Francisco bay area, to receive financial support in lieu of a like, Snapchat or tweet on a mobile phone. Brands, like Charles Schwab in this case pay to increase their image and users will see the brand’s image when they use the app to donate. The launch of the Tinbox app this past week in San Francisco is a big first step for the start-up company and brings philanthropic giving to a whole new level.
"We are very excited to bring together people, companies and charities in the Bay Area to make communities better, said Adrien Gulimineau, Tinbox co-founder and CEO. “Since its founding, Charles Schwab has shown that improving people’s lives and the communities they live in is at the heart of what they do. We’re proud to be teaming up with Charles Schwab to advance our shared commitment to making a positive difference to the Bay Area’s communities.”
Tinbox’s Bay Area debut with Charles Schwab, the San Francisco-headquartered financial services company, means that the company will sponsor $50,000 in $1 donations to advance a project by the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco. The project will fund a leadership program for San Francisco youth who have risen above challenging circumstances and are striving to become confident and inspiring leaders.
Tinbox was co-founded by Guliminaeu, 22, who drew his inspiration from the Ice Bucket Challenge, which went viral last year as people dared friends, family, colleagues and even rivals to either suffer an ice-cold dousing or give money for research into amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Scottish-born David Linderman, 21, is also a co-founder whose interest in philanthropy began several years ago during a charitable hike up Mount Everest. He found that by sharing his journey via social media, he instilled a great deal of awareness in his friends. They gained interest in the endeavor and soon inquired about ways they, too, could contribute. The one element was consistently missing: the option to financially support the cause, both easily and efficiently.
Similar to most apps, Tinbox is compatible with smart phones and simple to download. By simply clicking a button, users then allow that company’s dollar to come to life for a community cause.