Words: Beverley Houston
More than a thousand pairs of shoes, piles of clothing, 10 baby seats, a couch, a few sets of golf clubs, computers, laptops and a box of cellphones – these are just some of the goods collected through the uberforgood spring clean campaign that exploded on Twitter on the 08th of September.
Individuals and corporates were asked in the spirit of generosity to clean out their closets as part of the uberforgood campaign, which saw Uber driver partners collecting items, at no cost, from users across the country. Items were then dropped off at forgood depots in Joburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban and are currently being sorted and matched to Causes registered on the forgood platform.
“We have been overwhelmed by the generosity and support for the campaign. Our Joburg depot was literally filled floor to ceiling with goods,” CEO of forgood Andy Hadfield said. “Our online platform connects Causes to groups or individuals, we partnered with Uber to demonstrate just how easy doing good can be. The campaign, which was literally run at the click of a button, has already benefitted more than 50 Causes. Technology is opening so many doors for the social sector, we’re uber excited to play in this space.”
Uber users, new and old, were given a week to spring clean. On 8 September the uberforgood vehicle view became available on the Uber app and within seconds of the campaign launching the first vehicle was requested. Demand was through the roof for the remainder of the day, with some goods being collected the following day due to high demand.
“We really wanted to run a campaign to demonstrate just how easy it is for riders to contribute using our technology platform. When we heard about the forgood platform, we knew it would be the perfect company to partner with on a campaign of this kind. It is really exciting that through this campaign and the Uber technology we’ve managed to help South Africans donate items to over 50 Causes in need.” Alon LIts, RGM of Uber Sub-Saharan Africa said.
Uberforgood in numbers:
Participating regions: Joburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban
Number of clothing boxes collected: 50
Volume of Joburg donations: 175 cubic metres
Other cool donations: Bedding, printers, books, prams, cots and toys
Number of new social citizens reached through Twitter: 10-million impressions generated
Watch the Uberforgood video and get inspired http://bit.ly/1iy2Hqk
About forgood
Acting as a social marketplace, forgood is the common denominator that will link causes to individuals and vice versa and by so doing facilitate real value for everyone involved. Forgood aims to do good by tapping into a group of forward-thinking individuals and businesses who can use the online platform to help with volunteering, donations and community engagement projects. Essentially forgood connects the dots and makes finding ways to give back, quick, easy and fun. For more information visit www.forgood.co.za
About Uber
Uber is evolving the way the world moves, seamlessly connecting riders to drivers through smartphone technology. Uber’s mission is nothing less than a revolution in the way citizens of the world move, work and live. It aspires to transform the way people connect with their communities and to bring reliability, convenience and opportunity to transport systems. The Uber network is now available in 300 cities across 60 countries and 6 continents. To request a ride, users must download the free application for Android, iPhone, Blackberry 7, Windows Phone or register for Uber at www.uber.com/go. For questions visit www.uber.com/capetown | www.uber.com/johannesburg | www.uber.com/durban.
