My Big Idea: Make charity a thing of the past with EverGive

‍Hi Ismael! What's your elevator pitch? ‍

EverGive is harnessing the power of Bitcoin to turn donations from being a single event to being a financial engine that drives consistent and lasting change for society. We’re building the world’s first Bitcoin reserve for the charity sector; a financial foundation designed to make social good last forever and provide the charity sector with the financial stability to act with freedom and focus. Giving is broken - charities today live dependent on unreliable inflows that fluctuate with inflation, political climate and economic uncertainty. EverGive replaces fragility with resilience, providing an inflation-proof system powered by Bitcoin, designed to sustain impact for generations. Our mission is to deliver long-term funding, lasting impact, and financial freedom.  

Why does the market need it?

The charity sector is broken and it’s not because people don’t care. It is because charities are victims of a financial system which is not designed to provide long-term impact and survival. Inflation is eroding donation power meaning charities are trying to do more with less. The traditional donation model is reactive, often in response to crises, economic swings, and political cycles. The charity sector needs EverGive and an entire new model of giving. Large corporates have recognised Bitcoin as a long-term value play and there is no reason that charities should be left behind without access to the financial freedom provided by this technology. For businesses, that value is profit - but for charities, that value is a positive impact in the world.  

EverGive is about providing the stability to enable the sector to focus on what matters, creating lasting change in the world. EverGive holds donations in a long-term strategic Bitcoin reserve, allowing funds to grow in real value over time. Charities benefit from the reserve by realising a portion of Bitcoin’s growth each year or borrowing against the asset. Facing current economic instability, it is vital for humanity that long term financial resilience is at the heart of the charity sector’s financial future, reducing reliance on public and institutional funding. We are building the financial infrastructure for perpetual giving by leveraging humanitarian technology to address the most important issues facing humankind.  ‍

Where is the business today? 

EverGive is a concept the founding team and I have been developing for some time. The company was borne out of a search for something meaningful after building multiple ventures in the technology space and then focussing on building solutions for charities. After raising over £100 million for charitable causes globally, we weren’t seeing the positive impact in the real-world. We realised that we needed to address the systemic problems which restrict financial freedom and ossify structures of oppression.  

We officially launched the company earlier this year and have seen significant growth and engagement in just the first few months. We have a target of building the Bitcoin Reserve to $10 million by the end of the year and have been steadily acquiring additional BTC as we build the reserve. In October, we announced the acquisition of a further 0.91 BTC, totalling ~25.06 BTC. In total we hold $2.8m+ of bitcoin, which is a good start, but we are in this for the long haul - when we say forever, we mean it. The reserve’s initial growth has been driven by our donors who want to make their impact last forever. 

We’ve also been actively engaging with charities from around the world who all share a common struggle when it comes to funding. We will be bringing on more charities to join EverGive’s mission in the coming months which will help us to further our reach and impact. Watch this space!  ‍

What made you think there was money in this? 

EverGive’s mission looks beyond monetary value. I have spent a large portion of my career in the charity tech space and have raised over £100 million for charities worldwide, but the truth is that if the systemic financial shackles are not removed, then any impact we hope to have is diluted at best.  

Our approach at EverGive is ultimately solving a real-world problem facing the sector, always chasing donations and never feeling stable. We realised that charities didn’t need more fundraising tools, it needed a revolutionary financial backbone not eroded by inflation and independent of global markets. Bitcoin, with its scarcity and durability, offers exactly that. We are not competing with anyone except a broken system which we are determined to rebuild.  ‍

What's your biggest strength? 

Our biggest strength is the potential of Bitcoin as a freedom technology combined with our passion for making social good last forever. We are focussing on the infrastructure of financial freedom, with the Bitcoin reserve turning donations into a central asset which grows over time delivering a consistent funding source for charities. The power of the technology is matched by the conviction and belief of the EverGive team.  

We are a mission-driven company and everyone who works at EverGive believes in creating something bigger than themselves which will last forever. We embed our mission into every single decision we make from product development to who we decide to partner with. We’ve built a team of people who are laser focussed on the mission. Working together towards a collective and shared ambition is the only way we will realise the true potential of the technology.  

What is the secret to making the business work? 

The challenge for EverGive is not about technology or product, it comes down to shifting mindsets. There remains confusion about Bitcoin and its potential as an enabler of financial freedom, there is a stigma around it with it being seen as a get rich quick scheme or something more sinister.  

We learned quickly that people will not adopt ideas they do not understand no matter how advanced the technology is. Clarity is key and speaking a language that charities understand while being fully open and transparent is vital to EverGive realising its potential. We are starting a movement, and we need to bring people on the journey so educating charities and the wider industry is what will propel us forward. Once people trust that the Bitcoin reserve will create lasting good, the rest follows.  

The charity world and the Bitcoin community might seem like an unlikely mix but there is a shared belief about a better and fairer society which works for all people. Bringing these worlds together is how we make EverGive’s mission a reality.  

How do you market the company? 

For EverGive, our story as a company and our mission are intertwined. So, when it comes to marketing the company, it is about educating people about the transformative impact of the underlying technology of the Bitcoin reserve. The EverGive message is one that people can relate to as ultimately, it is about humankind and tackling the problems in the world which impact us all. Once that connection is made, conversations become easy and belief in the mission grows. How you market your business becomes easy when you are solving a clear problem - you merely present the solution, and for us EverGive is the solution.  

It is then about getting people to believe in the mission. I personally speak to charity teams every single day to understand their concerns and explore the diverse ways in which EverGive can provide support. This has been crucial to the development of the company as we are built with charities best interest at heart. This allows us the be authentic in how we communicate across different channels, being transparent in how we are solving issues for donors and charities alike.  

What funding do you have?  

EverGive is completely bootstrapped and self-funded which is a deliberate choice. I wanted the freedom to build patiently and with integrity, not chase short-term growth in a bid to please others who are not thinking about the long-term mission. This method has taught me discipline and has made every pound matter and align with the mission we have. We are in a strong position financially, and independence has been our biggest advantage so far.  

Tell us about the business model

EverGive operates as a Bitcoin reserve fund. Donations enter the reserve either directly or through one of our charity partners. Instead of being spent immediately, donations are invested transparently in a fund that is designed to appreciate over time. The interest or appreciation then becomes a sustainable source of funding for our partner charities. This means that a single donation can generate ongoing impact for years. Charities can then tap into this growing pool of capital rather than constantly running fundraising drives. This creates a perpetual giving cycle where donations do not disappear after a campaign, but continue to generate value beyond the initial donation.   

What were you doing before? 

Ten years ago, fresh out of university, I co-founded my first business; a flat share management app that helped housemates organise chores and bills. We raised £150,000 but failed to secure a further £1.2 million for expansion. It was my first real lesson in failure: we built something clever, but not something people needed. My second venture: a hyper-localised Snapchat for university campuses. This failed too, but it taught me the same principle: innovation only matters if it solves a real problem. 

Then came success and from 2016 to 2021 I ran a successful e-commerce company. We brought in millions in revenue and had a successful exit but what was exciting at the start soon began to feel soulless. This is when I started to work on solutions in the charity tech space and what began as passion projects turned into charity tech solutions which generated over £100 million for good causes around the world. This might seem like a large amount of money and a huge success but what we found at the end of it was that no matter how much we raised, the system was broken which made it impossible to enact meaningful change. We then shifted our focus and sought to find a solution that would offer foundational relief to society and address the systemic root causes of poverty and repression. This is how EverGive was born.  

What is the future vision?

The ultimate vision is for the EverGive Bitcoin reserve to act as a sovereign wealth fund for humanity. This means a central source of funding for social good around the world. We want to make impact and social good last forever and remove the instability currently facing the charity sector. This is a big ambition but forever is a long time. Looking ahead to the coming months and years it is about improving understanding of the model among both charities and donors to ensure that the Bitcoin Reserve grows at the pace needed to realise its potential.  

We are actively working with charities and partners to grow the Bitcoin reserve and bring more organisations onto the platform. This will multiply EverGive’s impact exponentially in the short-term and set us up to deliver on our mission in the long-term.