Where the GivingFridays Journey Began
The Congregants
“Hairmann. Do something.”
Hairmann
“Do what?”
Their Reply
“Automate Friday donations.”
2020 · During COVID-19
When Circumstances Changed, The Desire to Give Remained.
Mosque attendance and familiar routines were disrupted. But the desire to keep giving remained.
The Need Was Simple
They wanted a way for their intention to keep going.
So We Started Looking for an Answer
The Search for an Answer
A Simple Request. A Difficult Answer.
Surely, there was already a way.
We approached banks and payment providers looking for an existing solution that could automate a person's intention to give every Friday.
The Answer We Kept Hearing
“What you want to do, Hairmann, doesn't exist.”
Something simple for the giver was not so simple to make possible.
So We Waited
We Thought It Would Be Temporary
So We Waited. But the Problem Didn't Go Away.
Weeks
Familiar routines remained disrupted.
Months
The restrictions continued.
Still
The need for a better way to give remained.
Another Existing Option
We continued looking for a solution that already existed.
An existing fundraising platform seemed like another possible way forward.
The Reply
“We cannot list your organisation because you are not a charity.”
2022 Research
400+
Organisations across Southeast Asia
Understanding Recurring Giving
We wanted to understand the problem beyond our own community.
We researched more than 400 organisations across Southeast Asia to understand how they approached recurring donations and the challenges they faced in sustaining consistent giving.
The Need Was Bigger Than We First Thought
The problem was not going away. And it was not ours alone.
It Was Time to Make a Decision
The Turning Point
So We Decided to Build It.
The solution we were looking for did not exist. So we decided to create it.
From Idea to Platform
It started by bringing the right people together.
Hairmann assembled a team of coders and advisors to turn the community's request into a practical solution.
As development progressed, he learned full-stack development to communicate more effectively with the technical team and accelerate the work. Combined with his leadership experience, that understanding helped shape what GivingFridays could become.
Why We Started
We didn't set out to build a fundraising platform. We set out to solve a problem our community asked us to solve.
One Community Request Became Something More
What began with “Automate Friday donations” was becoming GivingFridays.
One Platform · Two Sides of Giving
What GivingFridays Became
One Platform. Two Sides of Giving.
GivingFridays connects people who want to keep giving with the organisations they choose to support.
01
For Givers
Make an intention. Schedule it. Keep it going.
Turn the intention to give consistently into a giving schedule that can continue over time.
02
For Organisations
See what's planned. Plan with greater visibility.
See more of the support planned ahead, helping your organisation plan with greater confidence.
Connecting Both Sides
One person's intention to give consistently can become an organisation's visibility to plan ahead.
What Continues to Guide Us
Built Around Three Principles.
Three principles continue to shape how GivingFridays approaches giving, technology and trust.
Niyyah
Intention
Giving begins with an intention to do good. We help make it easier for that intention to continue.
Amanah
Trust
GivingFridays is designed around responsibility, transparency and a non-custodial approach. We manage the giving schedule while payment providers process transactions towards recipient organisations.
Continuity
Keep Good Going
A good intention can have greater impact when it continues over time.
A Community of Givers
From One Community to Many.
GivingFridays began with a request from one community. Today, our ambition is to help build a wider Community of Givers — people who make giving part of the rhythm of their lives.
What began in Singapore is now extending to communities in Malaysia and Indonesia.
The Idea That Still Matters Most
Technology can help schedule the giving. The intention still comes from people.
GivingFridays
Connecting Goodness Through Time.