Tech for Good Research
Why direct giving?
ESTHER gets donations directly to people in crisis.
We connect people who want to help directly and anonymously with those in need.
We believe that every person should have the ability to share with those verified to be in need, and to be able to do that in a safe and trusted way.
There is a growing body of research globally proving that giving people money is the most efficient way to help them move out of poverty and into a life of independence.
Community collaboration and direct giving research
ESTHER works to provide people with financial help and our community partners provide soft services like counselling for mental health, parenting skills, budgeting, cooking skills and re-skilling or CV writing skills.
Direct giving along with community collaboration is a very effective combination, giving people a sense of stability, purpose, belonging and the chance to think about, plan for and work towards a better future.
At ESTHER we tackle poverty by doing both short term crisis funding and identifying those in long term systemic poverty through our network of national partners. But critically, every recipient of donations stays within a community, either a charity, or local drop-in community group.
We are conducting research alongside our partner charities and recipients
We have found a significant correlation between giving people financial support whilst staying in community AND the improvement of key poverty indicators. We are working to measure these poverty indicators such as food and fuel security, social inclusion, hope, plans for the future, childhood education and physical and mental health.
With our corporate research partners we are finding out more about this correlation between the power of Direct Giving combined with the conditions of staying within a community environment that helps with feelings of connection, a sense of belonging and the ability to foster new friendships and new skills.
Conditional donations - what are our recipients saying?
ESTHER is empowering people in systemic poverty with monthly donations from anonymous people in their own communities. So how does this make them feel?
We chat to our recipients on a monthly basis and ask them how it’s going. We’re able to collect data on key poverty markers and also soft feedback on how they are feeling.
People are feeling valued and invested in.
People receiving donations on a monthly basis feel ‘seen’ and championed by their own community. We’re seeing people move out of hopelessness and begin to have a different vision for their lives as they move up the basic needs pyramid.
“I can’t believe that this donation is coming from actual people in my community, that other people are sharing what they have with me. It makes me want to improve my life, I've cut back on smoking and am trying to exercise more.”
“I feel like real people are investing in me, and it makes me want to invest in myself.”
ESTHER card
People in need receive donations on an ESTHER card.
We switch off high risk purchases like gambling, alcohol and cash withdrawals.
The Impact
ESTHER are working to measure the impact of Direct Giving on key poverty indicators.
Food and Fuel Insecurity
Social
Inclusion
Hope and Plans for the Future
Childhood Education
Physical and Mental Health
Our Mission
Poverty Alleviation
We believe that emerging technology and collaborative ecosystems can significantly reduce poverty on a global scale.
Innovation
We believe in tech for good and it’s ability to bring people together and provide safe and trusted ways to empower the vulnerable.
Research
We are working with Corporate partners to fund further research into poverty alleviation, particularly with women and children which will significantly impact gender equality.