Making a Big Impact With Just A Dollar Per Month | People

Each month, Dollar Per Month selects three charities for you to vote on. Dollar Per Month posts information about the charities to help you evaluate each and make your decision. I talked with one of its founders Jason Clerget who told me what the charity is trying to accomplish.

Why did you decide to start DPM?

The story of how www.DollarPerMonth.org (DPM) was created is a long one. The short version is that Doug and I wanted to create a fun community based platform that removed all the barriers to being philanthropic. There are several factors that stand in the way of the average person giving back. With 1.4 million charities when someone wants to donate who should they donate to? Will the money they donate go to the actual cause or towards unnecessary overhead? Will the amount that they have to give really make a difference? Doug and I had faced these issues in our own lives and felt there was a way to make things more efficient and fun. Once we had a system in place we felt that others would benefit from our research and the tools we used.

What is your day job?

I own a Social Media consulting service with my partner Eric Klamper. Propaganda Creative which handles Social Media Marketing for 15+ clients locally in Spokane. Doug is a Vice President at Kidder Mathews, a commercial real estate firm in Seattle Wa.

Who is involved in making DPM come to life?

Doug Clerget, my cousin,and I run the site and sit on the board. Doug originally came to me with a idea about making donating to charity easier. Doug handles the majority of the “back of the house” business processes that are necessary to keep Dollar Per Month running smoothly. I handle all of the creative, marketing, social media, including anything else that falls into the quasi business world. Engine Interactive, a web design firm located in Seattle took our vision and web template and brought the site to life. My Grandfather Doug Clerget senior, who just passed away,was the real inspiration for the site, he taught us to give back and to make a difference in peoples lives everywhere that we went.

Tell us how DPM works?

Dollar Per Month is a community based charity. Members can donate any sum of money starting as low as $1 a month. Each month, DPM selects three charities for members to vote on. DPM posts information about the charities to help you evaluate and make your decision on which charity to vote for. DPM has already carefully investigated and evaluated all three charities to ensure the charities are reputable, legitimate, making a positive impact on the world and that the vast majority of donations will go directly to the cause. After reviewing the charities, members vote for their favorite charity. The winning charity receives 50% of the community donations, the 2nd charity receives 30%, and the 3rd place charity receives 20% Every month the process is repeated with three new charities.

Why the Donor Leader Board?

The donor leader board is a fun way to showcase and reward our members that go above and beyond to grow and improve the Dollar Per Month community. It is important to note that the donor leader board is not based on just dollars donated. The leader board is based on DPM’s Social Impact Score. The Social Impact Score is a quantitative measure of members impact on the world through their charitable actions and donations. A member that donates a large amount of money a month is not necessarily at the top of the leader board. Several other factors effect members score such as referrals, 2nd degree referrals (your referrals referrals), sharing on social media sites, remembering to vote etc. The goal is to continue to grow the DPM community and to make the site fun and rewarding.

Why is DPM different from other charities?

There are several differences between DPM and other charities. First of all our focus is on good causes versus one specific cause. DPM finds charities that are run efficiently and are experts in their individual field. Our members can donate and be assured that there is not any personal agenda behind the selection, we are just showcasing organizations that have a track record of results. A second benefit of this system is that DPM exposes and educates members about 36 different amazing charities a year. This gives our members a portfolio of charities to donate to but also makes them aware of different causes they may not have even known exist. DPM also helps to reduce overhead of existing charities. Charities raise money through fund raisers and marketing efforts, this is costly. DPM exposes its members to these charities and donates to them with no cost to the actual charity. Charities do not spend one dollar to receive funds that will go directly to their cause.

How can people get involved other than donating money?

As the organization grows DPM will need volunteers to help with events, and to spread the word about the organization. The success of Dollar Per Month is predicated on a vast network of individuals donating a little every month, so the more people that are talking about DPM the better.

Tell us about the charity event on January 20th

Every month DPM throws a launch party in a different location. This is a place for current members to come together as a community, and a place to introduce potential members to Dollar Per Month. This month we will be celebrating the launch of the site and raising money and awareness for the three featured DPM charities. The Marquee in Spokane Washington has donated their venue, a potion of sales and cover charge to Dollar Per Month to help with our cause. The party will be hosted by DJ Pearce from Las Vegas has also donated his time to for music and entertainment. The event starts at 7:00 pm and will run till 11:00pm on Friday January 20th.

These Q&As are a frequent feature by Mike Gonzalez, KXLY4 Evening Anchor, with members of the Inland Northwest community. Reach him with any questions you have about these interviews by emailing mikeg@kxly.com.