#ImStaying announces partnership

Jarette Petzer, founder of #ImStaying

The premise of the group is simple: be kind, be positive, no politics, no religion and no advertising.

A mere 30 days from launch, #ImStaying has grown into more than a social media page, it’s become a national movement of unity across South Africa.

#ImStaying was founded by Jarette Petzer of Cape Town, who says, "The group's initial sole purpose was to change the narrative in South Africa away from the constant doom and gloom and more towards gratitude, love, respect and understanding. It started firstly with me. I had to change my own mindset, change the way I thought, spoke and acted. I obviously had no clue this would happen, but it just goes to show that we the people of South Africa were desperate for change, and hopefully we are able to bring about that change together as a collective”.

Petzer further says, “This entire process was sparked by one simple thought and action. What followed next was as a result of a positive mindset and inspired action. If we are able to gather ‪600,000 people together in just over a month as a result of a single good deed, imagine what we can do for our country as the collective”.

Initiatives aimed at improving the economy

#ImStaying has now broadened its mandate as suggested by its members to implement a number of initiatives aimed at helping to stimulate the economy through SMME businesses and job creation in this sector.

In order to do this, the newly formed non-governmental organisation (NGO) has a three-prong approach: national events, crowdfunding, and merchandising.

All funds raised will be used to implement business initiatives in the micro and SMME space to open their doors, scale their business or create collaborative opportunities to work together. Naturally, a small percentage of funds raised will be used on operational costs.

“It was imperative that we partnered with a reputable company that is totally transparent and properly geared towards helping us achieve our objectives. Donations based crowdfunding platform BackaBuddy was the obvious choice for us, given their profile and the fact that I have personally worked with them before to help raise funds. Their level of care and professionalism has always stood out,” says Petzer.

BackaBuddy will hold funds for each of the initiatives, each of which will be visible for anyone to view via their portal or on the #ImStaying website.

As #ImStaying has become a collective movement of the people, any public funds collected will be put to poll on the #ImStaying Facebook Group page and members will be asked to vote via an online poll as to where the funds are allocated. This action in itself becomes the collective's decision and will certainly be a game-changer in the NGO space.

For more, go to www.imstaying.co.za