As we begin accumulating more things, many people are turning their attention away from buying items for themselves and choosing instead to support a non-profit organization. It’s easy to see how forgoing a vacation and donating time and money to a non profit could be helpful, but what about all of the little decisions that we make every day?
That’s where Instead (typeset as “instead”) comes in. With a simple name like that, it should be clear that Instead does one thing well, and that’s allowing its users to give money to non-profit organizations instead of buying items for themselves. A noble cause, sure, but is the app actually usable?
Getting Started
Best opening screen.
Right away, Instead managed to capture my eye with its attention to detail and emphasis on making the experience as smooth as possible. It’s possible to create an account with Facebook for Instead, but you can also choose to use the app without an account of any kind.
Creating an account does have its benefits, like the ability to mark certain non-profits as Favorites, records that can be used for tax deductions (not that that’s why you’re donating, right?), and faster use.
Why would I want an acco- money off my taxes, you say? Go on.
Instead definitely made a good decision here, as some people don’t use Facebook, or would prefer to not have their Facebook account tied to an application that they aren’t 100 percent sure about. There are clear benefits to having an account, but by allowing users to donate without one they’re likely to gain a bit more money for the non-profits that they seek to help.
The Concept: Easy as 1–2–3
Instead is a simple, lightweight app. The basic premise works as follows: you’re looking at something, or thinking of looking at something, and you decide that you might be better off donating the money that you would spend on that item to a non-profit of your choice.
A-B-C, easy as 1-2-3…
The process here couldn’t be simpler. You choose what you’re giving up, with sample categories like Alcohol, Fast Food and Movies (with the option of choosing the Other category and describing what you’re giving up), enter how much money that would have cost you, and then choose a non-profit to give that money to.
Just like that you’ve done your part to help a non-profit that you find yourself aligned with and spent your hard-earned cash on something that will help others instead of providing some form of temporary satisfaction.
Should I Trust Instead?
Now, anyone worth their salt is going to question whether or not Instead is a legitimate middleman for these non-profits. The developers thought ahead with this, and there’s a section inside the application (under About) dedicated to just this question.
The way that Instead works is that they take the majority of your net donation (I’ll explain that in a second) and write a check to the non-profit that you choose. These checks are sent out on a no-later-than-quarterly basis, so the time between your donation and the non-profit receiving a check should be fairly low.
Including this directly within the application was a good idea.
Now, the net donation is what remains of your donation after credit card fees are handled. The example that Instead gives is for a $7.00 donation, which breaks down as follows:
$7.00-$0.35 (processing costs)= the net donation.
From there, 95% of your money goes to the non-profit and 5% goes to keeping Instead running. The creators outline the costs of Instead, which run from application hosting and server maintenance to accounting and tax filings.
Okay, but the Non-Profit I Want to Donate to Isn’t Listed
Well hang on little grasshopper. Instead is here to help you with that, too.
If, by chance, the non-profit that you would like to donate to isn’t listed in Instead’s (rather extensive) library of organizations, there’s an entire section of the application relegated towards adding whichever non-profit you’re able to find.
You mean you want to add to that huge list? Sure, I've got time.
You’ll need to know some information about the organization before you begin, including their legal name, address, and website URL. You’ll also give Instead your email address at the bottom of the form. The developers will work on getting the organization added to the database as soon as they can.
A Sample Process
Let’s say that I’m out and about with my fiancé. We have both discussed the fact that we really support a non-profit, like To Write Love on Her Arms, an organization dedicated to helping people get in touch with mental health professionals. As we’re walking we smell that delicious-even-though-it’ll-kill-you food court smell.
I'm, uh…not hungry. No, really, I swear.
Instead of eating (because who does that?) we decide to donate that money, giving $10.00 (this is a cheap food court) to TWLOHA. I launch Instead, enter the information, and get going.
Instead, while you’re donating, launches Safari to avoid Apple’s charges for in-app purchases. While this adds a bit of friction to the entire thing I understand where Instead is coming from, and proceed to donate.
At least Instead is nice enough to tell you why you need to be in Safari.
Now, from $10.00 TWLOHA will get $9.17 and Instead will get around 48 cents. Pleased with myself and my transaction, I put the phone away and go to receive my good karma.
Conclusion
Look, Instead will either be an application that you appreciate for its ease of use, excellent design, or purpose, or one that you will ignore because you have no interest in using an application to make micro donations (or, you have no interest in donating your money).
If you find yourself curious about donating to non-profits, Instead makes it easier than it’s ever been before. Since the app is free and only takes what’s necessary out of your donations, I’d say that it’s worth a download and something that could easily work its way into your everyday life.