CityNeeds.info is an online platform that lists registered NGOs serving across 5 social welfare sectors in a city. It was launched on 27th February 2021 (World NGO Day). Since its inception, it has aided NGOs to get local donors and support by making it easy to get access to resources. The core philosophy of CityNeeds is based on ‘Charity begins at home’. It provides a link between local donors and NGOs.

How CityNeeds works

Step 1
NGOs register on the CityNeeds website, after providing the due details. Once certified and listed on the website, the NGOs can explain their cause. They can list the requirements and ask for aid. The aid can be in the form of monetary donations, or appeals for volunteers or food and clothing. CityNeeds also provides NGOs with reliable technical, marketing, and liaison support.

Step 2
Once a new cause is raised on the website, CityNeeds team does a thorough cross-verification of the information and the case. This includes collecting supporting documents to verify if the goal amount matches the need of the cause. When all the facts are verified, the cause is uploaded to the public.

Step 3
The links to the cause are shared across social networks with local donors and communities. This allows more and more people to know about the cause. By clicking this link, people will be able to see more information about the cause and the documents in its support. They can also see how much of the goal amount has been raised so far.
After reading about the cause, people can donate directly through the CityNeeds website. These donations can also be made anonymously. Local volunteers can also register themselves for causes such as blood donation camps, or food and clothing distribution drives.

Step 4
Once the funds have been raised, the contributions made to the website are transferred directly to the NGO’s bank account. The NGO puts in these funds for the cause and then shares a formal Utilization Report of the money raised. This provides a verified report of how the donated amount was used by the NGO. Thus, from start to end, CityNeeds works along with the partner NGOs to ensure the donation process is easy for both donors as well as NGOs. It ensures that all donations reach the beneficiaries in a timely manner.

Notable Achievements of CityNeeds

1. In Feb 2021, CityNeeds conducted the 1st-ever NGO Expo of Punjab, where 45+ NGOs and 10 Departments of District Administration of Ludhiana had participated.
2. In the fight against COVID, CityNeeds has organized 704 Vaccination Camps with its partner NGOs, and gained the appreciation of District Administration, Ludhiana.
3. CityNeeds organized 1st-Ever NGO Carnival in October 2021, where 25 NGOs in Ludhiana held an exhibition-cum-sale of products by underprivileged people
4. In just 10 months since its founding, CityNeeds executed 100+ crowdfunding campaigns with over 65% success rate
5. CityNeeds represented 15 NGO partners to bag a financial grant of 42 lacs under Punjab Nirman Program

Crowdfunding is when the public is asked to donate to a specific cause for charity. It is a method of collecting money towards a goal amount through mass appeals to the public. Crowdfunding for a cause lasts for a specific period of time. It can be a couple days or a few weeks.

How Does Crowdfunding Work?
For example, in situations like emergency medical expenses or higher education fees, the bills can be very high. In that case, the goal amount can be too high for one person to fulfill. But with crowdfunding, small amounts of money is collected from a large number of people. Every little contribution gets collected and added into a fund. This allows the goal amount to be raised collectively without a heavy financial burden on anyone.

Benefits of Online Crowdfunding
Today, crowdfunding is done with the help of online platforms. These are websites that share the information about the case and also provide an easy payment method for donating. CityNeeds.info is one such platform where you can find the causes which need urgent attention and donate to them.

Online Crowdfunding can have many advantages over the traditional forms of funding, like bank loans. Here are a few reasons why you should do crowdfunding for your cause:

To Arrange Emergency Funds
Often, crowdfunding cases are time-sensitive, meaning that the funds need to be raised in a short time. For example, an emergency medical operation, or arranging school fees. Finding a single big donor to the cause can take a long time. But crowdfunding helps you to reach out to a large number of people and arrange funds collectively on a short notice.

To Avoid Future Debt
An important benefit of crowdfunding is that unlike traditional funding methods like bank loans, there is no payback involved. The amount collected is directly contributed by a large number of people, and it is done with the mission to help others in need. Crowdfunding is a good option for those who are unable to repay huge medical debt or student loans in future.

To Reach More People
Usually in traditional funding methods, only close friends and family are aware of the need to donate. But in online crowdfunding, the reach is unlimited. Online crowdfunding platforms provide a link which can be easily shared across a large network of people. By using social media networks like Instagram and Twitter, this link can even reach a worldwide audience.

To Save Energy and Effort
In online crowdfunding, a specific website link is provided. This link contains all the facts of the case as well as the link to donate. Because all the information is directly available to anybody who opens the link, it saves the energy of explaining it repeatedly. It also allows people to spend more time focusing on the cause rather than coordinating with the donors.

To Protect Personal and Financial Details
Sometimes, people can hesitate to share their personal and financial details in public. Online crowdfunding platforms can provide a way to respect the privacy of people. The details of both the donors and the beneficiary can remain hidden and anonymous. This allows people to donate to a cause close to their heart without their identities being publicly shared.