Here at Giva we search for organizations, large and small, that are doing a great job of changing the world around them for the better; and we are pleased to salute them here.
SponsorChange.org
Difficult challenges have arisen in the world of education. From wearing how much debt they are in on their graduation caps to living out of their cars to escape debt, students are becoming increasingly worried on how to lower their debt. One of new ways to lower the debt accrued while in school is as simple as making a change in your community, and it is made possible by SponsorChange.org.
SponsorChange.org is an organization that recruits college graduates to do volunteer work and service projects. These graduates are then rewarded with loan payments, and non-profits gain greater potential by having a stronger workforce of skilled laborers. The motivation behind SponsorChange.org is a noble one. On their website, the organization explains why they decided to create this platform. Student debt has increased and students struggle to pay back their loans and their other bills due to underemployment. They also noticed that once students graduate, the amount of time that they spend volunteering dramatically decreases which leads to non-profits trying to do more work with less funding and fewer people and communities suffering because of this. You can watch an animation of the SponsorChange.org mission under the "How it Works" link.
The criteria for becoming a "Sponsor Agent" is clear cut and open. The agents must be graduates who have proof of student loan debt, the graduate has to have a desire to serve in the community which means volunteer experience is a must, they must have leadership skills, and they will be required to write service blogs and upload photos. The graduates will then be matched with a sponsor and paid for every hour that they volunteer with their non-profit.
At the moment, SponsorChange.org is not a national organization, but they are trying to expand. Non-profits that are not based in the Pittsburgh, Chicago or Washington D.C. area (which is where SponsorChange.org is currently located) can still join and sign up with the SponsorChange.org movement. Or, if you are someone who does not have student loan debt but you would like to donate money to help graduates pay off their student loans and give back to the community, the website also allows for people to become sponsors!
SponsorChange.org gives you the opportunity to look into giving back to the community with an organization that is truly focused on helping everyone get an education and helping communities and nonprofits to thrive with a stronger work force of leaders.