Whenever we meet up with an old friend, and reminisce on old times, one statement inevitably has to come up; “times have changed”, and how true this rings! The products our parents used to buy are no longer in the market, the children with whom we played in the mud are now responsible citizens, bearing the title of CEO, Mum, Dad, Hon, and the list goes on. Time too, has changed; we seem not to have any. Whereas we would meet with our friends on an almost daily basis, and our families every weekend, we now struggle with finding the time to maintain these physical meet-ups. Friends comment on each other’s’ statuses, families meet up when there is an occasion such as Christmas, and that is considered enough interaction…or as much as time can allow.

 Due to this lack of meetups, the Harambee culture has seen a gigantic modification. People collect funds for causes, without coming face to face. This has had the advantage of not locking out those restricted by physical boundaries. Unlike traditional Harambees in which all collections were done in the span of an hour or two, virtual Harambees give the contributor the luxury of donating at whatever time they require. This luxury comes at a cost to the treasurer, who is faced with the task of constantly updating the group, on how much has been contributed. 

Cases of squabbles have also arisen; depending on the trustworthiness of the accountant, sometimes submitted funds have been less than what was collected. Other instances have seen an innocent treasurer get falsely accused, simply because the group anticipated a bigger collection. 

Donors face the same dilemma, in terms of wondering whether the funds they donated will be used for the stipulated purpose, or misappropriated.  

In line with the changing face of fundraising, Paylend has carefully taken into consideration all the challenges that arise, and has created a system that ensures every person in the chain is catered to.

Paylend’s fundraising feature, Changisha, incorporates a system where any amount contributed is automatically updated, in a transparent manner for all to see. The treasurer also has the option of printing out these transactions. 

Paylend also offers the option of vouchers, where an organization can comfortably donate, knowing that what will be handed out will be vouchers locked to a specific cause, and not cash. 

Fundraising has never been more convenient, nor more transparent, thanks to Paylend. 

While technology changes how we do things every day, may our generosity as Africans never be altered.