Crowdfunding platform to fulfil needs

For the first time, Sri Lankans will have access to foreign funding through a secure, trusted and locally owned crowdfunding platform. This revolutionary website, aptly named Help.lk, is built from the ground up by Sri Lankans specially keeping in mind local needs.

Being a socially responsible organisation, Crowdfund Lanka Ltd (Reg No: PV 104875) which owns and operates help.lk will provide free use of their Crowdfunding platform for all verified charitable projects, and for a limited period charge only a nominal fee for all others.

Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project/campaign or venture by raising monetary contributions from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Help.lk supports several models of financing to suit consumer demand from straightforward donations, to more complex reward and equity based funding. 

At Help.lk users will be able to register their Crowdfunding campaign within minutes. Imagine being able to reach a large global audience for everything from raising money for a child in need of urgent medical care, to funding a new business venture, or even supporting a new tele-drama or movie. Once your campaign is approved, you’ll get a unique help.lk web address that you can broadcast using social media, email, networking, etc. and seek funds.

Crowdfunding is very popular and useful in Western countries but is still new to Sri Lanka. For example, today, if someone needed a million rupees for a surgery (roughly $ 7,600) they may set up a local bank account and ask family, friends and co-workers for help. Instead, with Help.lk you could quickly create a campaign and reach a much wider global audience. The webpage for your campaign and payments are all handled by Help.lk. The people you reach can contribute as much or as little as he or she wishes. In this case, just finding 760 people each willing to donate $ 10 could help you reach your target within a matter of days. All online payments are handled securely via PayPal, a world class secure payment gateway. Internet users across the globe can fund your campaign using their debit/credit cards or through their PayPal accounts. This is significantly cheaper than the money transfer fees currently charged by foreign banks to transfer funds to Sri Lanka.

In an interview the co-founder and CEO Kalpa Alawatta explained the business model. He indicated that users are given the opportunity to create campaigns for no cost but charged a nominal fee from the total funds collected to cover operational expenses. He was keen that Help.lk supported social initiatives in Sri Lanka and said that company fees will be waived for all verified charitable campaigns including health and educational campaigns.

He further explained that Help.lk is looking for partnerships with individuals, organisations, NGOs, Alumni/Old Boys/Girls associations, and media to help them reach a global audience for their fund raising campaigns. In addition, he also mentioned that the site offers a unique opportunity for companies to advertise their goods and services on Help.lk. 

The help.lk crowdfunding platform was launched on 6 May by a team of entrepreneurs, Kalpa Alawatta, Nalin Perera, Upesh de Silva and Wasana Alawatta with the objective of helping Lankans ‘Fulfill One Dream at a Time’ through access to global support and funding!

For more information contact them at [email protected], through their website http://www.help.lk, or contact their local office at 295/2 Stanley Thilakarathne Mw, Nugegoda.

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