Article published on stuff.co.nz

Charity is a part of our identity as New Zealanders. Supporting causes we care about not only benefits the recipients, it's rewarding for the donor and aids the wellbeing of society.

However, it can be difficult to know which charity to support or how to engage with them. The #ThumbsUp platform has now been launched with this in mind. Restricted to registered charities and schools, this unique platform is designed to make causes relevant and visible to generations that have grown up using social media, and show them how to become supporters in more ways than just donating.

Founder of #ThumbsUp, Anne Murrow, says, "Support can take many forms including donating, but what's unique about #ThumbsUp is that it can also be used to volunteer, provide goods and services, petition, complete surveys and promote messages for change."

"What's more, #ThumbsUp does not take a percentage of any donations. One hundred percent of donations go to the cause, apart from a small bank transaction fee, which we can't get away from. #ThumbsUp works on a simple subscription model, with no hidden charges. No other donation platform does this", says Murrow.

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With ThumbsUp, doing good things is now just a click away.

Users can join and create teams and build communities with a shared goal to back a charity, or charities, which have special significance to them as a group.

"Sharing causes within your online communities can impact change", says Murrow. "Teams also allow you to meet a whole new group of people who share your passion and support your causes."

#ThumbsUp would love to hear from charities and schools which would like assistance. There are also opportunities for businesses to get involved by setting up enterprise teams or sponsoring a charity.

#ThumbsUp has a free app in development and this will be available for download from March.

"Although fundraising is always going to be important for the survival of any charity", says Murrow, "users will often have a variety of ways they can help. Let's give the user the power to effect change how, when and with whom they want. It's as simple as checking out the #ThumbsUp website and becoming a user - and share, share, share."