This startup wants to take the guesswork out of charitable giving

Eric Smith is 23 and his business partner Caitlynn Houser is 25, and they both created a company using WordPress and Amazon wish lists.
Smith and Houser wanted to battle the negative notions about millennials’ lack of generosity by reinventing giving. While the Charity Company itself is not a nonprofit, it has partnered with big-name nonprofits in the state to facilitate the process of giving. The organization is moving towards becoming a B Corp in the near future.
“We have your typical startup story, we operate out of my parents’ living room,” Smith said. “We tried to make it simple and transparent.”
The company’s website clearly details where the donations are being spent and how.
So this is how it works: The Charity Company is basically a middle-man offering giving “products” you can contribute to online. Once you make your contribution, the organization distributes the goods to partner nonprofits such as Ministry of Caring, Friendship House of Wilmington and the Ronald McDonald House.
The team hopes to continue creating partnerships with more nonprofits to create an even bigger impact. According to Smith, there is also interest in rounding up investors.
“Our main focus is to bring hope love and happiness.” said Smith. “We want them to know what it’s like to stand together and make a difference, and make it easy for people to create that difference.”
The Charity Company has been around for less than a year and has already given away over 8,000 items.
The organization is currently in talks with LSTN about building a future charitable campaign.