海角大神

In the summer of 2015, Greece teetered on the brink of collapse after a disastrous six-month showdown with its creditors. Thom Feeney, a young Briton who had never set聽foot in the country, decided to launch the Greek Crowdfund, an online fundraiser聽campaign to help Greeks in their hour of need. The campaign raised 290,000 euros ($345,000) in two weeks. When Mr. Feeney sought the best way to make use of the money, he聽was led to Desmos (Greek for 鈥渂ond鈥�) 鈥� an innovative nonprofit foundation that fills a聽charitable vacuum created by the Greek crisis.

The Desmos Foundation鈥檚 five female co-founders, all in their late 20s or early 30s at the聽time, were working to connect people with specific needs to people with specific goods聽to donate. They started discussing the idea at the peak of the Greek recession in 2011,聽when it was clear the crisis would have widespread social ramifications.聽

Founded in 2012, the nonprofit had a specific mission. 鈥淲e wanted to make the聽donation process easier, more efficient, and more impactful,鈥� says Ekavi Valleras, one of聽the co-founders. 鈥淲e wanted to help charities to better document their needs, and to聽help companies and private individuals in their quest to donate where it鈥檚 needed the聽most.鈥�

The Greek Crowdfund windfall became the seed for the foundation鈥檚 Desmos for Youth聽program. The idea was to develop a different kind of matchmaking, this time between聽nonprofits such as Desmos and potential new employees, whose wages would be paid聽for a year out of the campaign鈥檚 funds. 鈥淒esmos stood out as being led by a fantastic聽group of educated and experienced women that I could trust,鈥� Feeney says. 鈥淔rom our聽very first Skype call I knew I鈥檇 made the right decision. They鈥檙e my heroes!鈥�

鈥淭he nonprofits applied looking for a specific profile and provided a specific job聽description. They had to fill out a questionnaire, and then we interviewed the short-listed candidates,鈥� explains Irini Papagiannouli, in charge of communications at Desmos.聽The program created 15 jobs in its first year 鈥� the first of which was hers. In its second聽year, the program was funded, among others, by a聽 $50,000 grant from Visa and $100,000 from the Hellenic Initiative, a major Greek diaspora organization.

The foundation stores all the material donations received at its warehouse in Athens, at a 1,500 square-foot center where distribution is handled with the assistance of the聽Desmos van. The regular routes take place each Friday, but often extra runs are聽necessary. In Attiki alone (the region encompassing Athens), Desmos has helped about聽400 organizations 鈥� some with donations from the warehouse, others by connecting聽them with the right people. The foundation has received many significant donations,聽including about 100 computers from the European Central Bank, bed sheets from聽hotels, a fully equipped dentist鈥檚 office, and even a rototiller.

鈥淥ne time, we got a call聽from a refugee NGO that needed a springboard for its playground,鈥� Ms. Papagiannouli聽recalls. 鈥淭hat very same day, we got a call from someone who wanted to donate one!鈥�

A key component of their effort to make charitable giving more efficient is the Desmos聽Direct online platform. Nonprofits register their profile and their needs on the platform,聽and anyone interested in donating can look them up. Papagiannouli explains that, as聽part of a wider rebranding of the organization in the coming months, the platform will聽be upgraded 鈥渢o further streamline and simplify the matching process.鈥�

The Association for the Protection of Children and Individuals with Disabilities is one of聽Desmos鈥檚 beneficiaries in Athens. Yannis Petroheilos, who runs the state-funded聽nonprofit organization, recounts the liquidity constraints that come from being聽dependent on a state still trying to emerge from bankruptcy. He says the association,聽which has recently undergone hard times, jumped from caring for 40 to 160 individuals聽with special needs in the space of a year. Funds from the government 鈥� including staff聽salaries 鈥� are often six months late.聽

Desmos contacted him a few months ago, after receiving a large donation of office聽furniture from a shipping company. 鈥淭hey are the only organization that calls us to see聽what we need, instead of us appealing to them,鈥� says Mr. Petroheilos.

Yannis Papadatos, head of the intensive care unit at the Athens General Children鈥檚聽Hospital, is similarly grateful. 鈥淚鈥檝e dealt with about 200 nonprofits and philanthropic聽organizations,鈥� he says, 鈥淚鈥檝e seen many show-offs, self-promoters, and swindlers.聽Desmos is among the best we鈥檝e dealt with 鈥� so dignified and professional.鈥�

It hasn鈥檛 all been clear sailing. Some charities have been leery of accepting donations聽from big multinationals; some public sector entities have refused private philanthropy聽on principle. But through it all, Desmos has kept growing in reach and sophistication 鈥撀燼nd strengthening the bonds that keep the social fabric together.

This story was reported by聽Kathimerini,聽a news outlet in Athens. The Monitor is publishing it as part of Impact Journalism Day, an international effort by more than 50 news organizations worldwide to promote solutions journalism. To read other stories in this joint project organized by Paris-based , please click here.