PAYBACK and betterplace.org revolutionize the art of donating

Munich, Berlin – Thanks to the newly created PAYBACK donations initiative, millions of PAYBACK members now have the opportunity to donate the value of all of their points to aid projects <link www.payback.de/spendenwelt>www.payback.de/spendenwelt</link>. They can now choose the projects themselves and track their progress online. Regardless of whether the project is based in the local area, elsewhere in Germany or in one of the world’s trouble hotspots, the people making the donation can see for themselves how their points are converted directly into aid – without all the red tape and deductions. Unlike anonymous donation accounts, the value of donated points does not flow into large pots that are then used to feed higher-level, often abstract aid projects with soaring administrative costs. Instead, every PAYBACK customer has an overview of his or her projects – with people who initiate the projects, assume responsibility for their organisation and are available to answer questions. There is a face behind every project, whether it involves funding new beds for a Children’s Hospice in Leipzig, providing warm meals for children throughout Germany or sponsoring the project "Schoolbooks for children in the world’s biggest slum in Nairobi". Anyone looking to make a donation can go online to find out how much money or how many points are still needed for a project, send questions to the people in charge, upload their photo as project sponsor and evaluate the projects. They can even set up their own projects. The interactive PAYBACK donations project enables its users to make a difference and act on their own initiative. To start up an aid project themselves, users must provide evidence that it is a charitable project. PAYBACK has been cooperating with aid organisations since the bonus programme was started ten years ago. The company has always been concerned not only to make a financial contribution itself, but also to give its members the opportunity to donate the points they collect to good causes. The PAYBACK donations initiative has been designed and put in place over the last few months in cooperation with experts at betterplace.org. "We were impressed by the revolutionary donation philosophy of betterplace.org", says PAYBACK CEO Burkhard Grassmann.   "We want to up our support for PAYBACK users looking to increase their involvement in charitable causes and make the most of their willingness to grasp the initiative themselves. The aim is to use this platform to increase donations to more than EUR 2 million within the next two years", says Grassmann. "With this concept, PAYBACK is taking on a leading role in the area of donations. The platform meets the requirements of people looking to make donations – they want to provide aid in a way that is personal, direct and transparent. This initiative ensures that people who need help meet people who want to help, thus creating an extensive donation community", says Till Behnke, donation expert and Managing Director of betterplace.org. He co-founded the extremely successful, charitable online platform betterplace.org in 2007. The company is based in Berlin.