Mobile application by young social workers eases the process of funding NGOs

The 24-year-old young social workers and chartered accountant Anubhav Bansal created the ‘Era Sustain’ app, which allowed users to view adverts on their phones and donate money to charitable groups.

“There is a lack of technology in the social sector. A few years back we couldn’t believe that we could earn through creating videos and today it is one of the most high-earning jobs. Similarly, Erasustain is a revolution in the socio-tech sector. If more socio-tech platforms are made available, it will be enough to make the NGOs more self-sustainable and independent,” Bansal said.

Bansal created Erasustain intending to establish a digital contribution platform. In this project, they work with non-profits to raise awareness of their cause and encourage volunteers to download and register on the app. The user must designate an NGO, and the nominated organization receives donations from the proceeds of the adverts shown in the alerts. At the moment, the application contributes Rs. 0.25 each time a user views an advertisement.

To promote societal development, Bansal ran his non-governmental organization (NGO) in 2019. However, he had trouble getting funding for the organization until he had an idea that allowed people to donate money to NGOs without having to pay anything at all out of their own pockets.

“Funding was the part which frustrated me during my social work. The idea behind this application was to create a platform which can facilitate people to be a part of the social cause without spending their own money or time. The users do not need to open the application on their mobile phone as the advertisement is displayed in the notification bar. If a social partner gets 1,000 committed users, they generate at least Rs. 15,000 recurring donation every month,” said Bansal.

After earning his chartered accounting degree in July 2023, Bansal began working at Erasustain the following day. In April of this year, the application design was formally released after receiving financing of Rs. 15 lakhs from the union government’s startup program, which was aided by the Jain International Trade Organization (JITO).

In addition to providing free collaboration with the application for non-profits, it is also providing a one-time donation of Rs. 50,000 to a select group of organizations to support their efforts in recruiting new volunteers. With the advent of social tech fundraising, the days of social organizations trying to raise money appear to be over.

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