Why was I Help Estonia created and who did it?

The idea has been circulating in the minds of different people for years. There are dozens and dozens of active non-profit organizations and foundations in Estonia that are very good at distributing funds and supporting those in need, but whose main focus is not and should not be finding money. Creating an internal fundraising system is difficult and costly. At the same time, donors find it difficult and cumbersome to support dozens of different associations. This is how the idea came to bring together those who need donations and donors through active sales. Southwestern Advantage students were ready to contribute. The idea was taken up by Andres Märtin and Janar Saviir, who are the founders of I Help Estonia.

How do we gather money?

We are a new kind of charity non-profit organization in Estonia!

Since many of our founders and donor collectors have gained experience and lessons in the United States, we decided to take their best ideas and make them Estonian!

We actively raise money. This means that instead of individual collection boxes and ads pasted on buses, we dare to talk directly to people!

Where will my money ACTUALLY go? 

Our promise is that in the long run, at least 80% of the donations received will go directly to the final beneficiaries!

We do not pay for the general operating or management costs of our target organizations – we donate money to them on a quarterly basis to implement specific projects. Of course, we also share with donors exactly where and how much their donations were spent (for this we have a quarterly newsletter that reaches all donors by e-mail). 

Why does I Help Estonia need funding?

We find that the world does not get better because of good intentions, but through good deeds. We do not have any paid employees and we are a non-profit organization. At the same time, we want to operate sustainably and be a reliable partner for both permanent donors and target organizations. This presumes that we can cover our operating costs without external assistance.

What are our costs?

1 – People who provide us with a fundraising service (mostly young students) by investing a lot of time and skills, are compensated for it – you need to earn a little to live.

2 – non-profit organization costs (administrative and accounting costs, media costs, etc.).

Who gains the most? 

We believe that for our partners, 80% support out of 100,000 euros raised, is more useful than 100% out of 10 euros! All the more so because before cooperating with us, they received 0 € donations.

We believe that working young people are satisfied if they can combine serving and bringing real change to the lives of those in need in Estonia.

We believe that Estonians are happy if constantly giving a small amount will help many.

If you want 100% of the money to reach organizations and you are ready to invest your time, contact us! We offer you the opportunity to collect donations and direct 100% of your donations to charity!

How often and on what conditions is money paid to the organizations? 

We pay out money to partner organizations on a quarterly basis (August 1/November 1/February 1/May 1). In the first year of operation, in the start-up phase (in 2020), we will distribute the money among all target organizations (who have concluded a cooperation agreement with us by the respective date). We can pay out the money as soon as we are on the EAMT’s list of companies with income tax benefits. Check out the list of target organizations here (aitaneestit.ee/en/our-partners). 

Can I donate from my company account? 

As getting on the list of companies with income tax benefits (https://www.emta.ee/et/ariklient/registreerimine-ettevotlus/tulumaksusatiivusega-uhingute-nimekirja-taotlus) requires at least 6 months of operation, in the start-up phase (in 2020) we will cannot offer income tax benefits to our donors and therefore it is not currently reasonable to donate from the company account (a special incentive tax is added to this). We plan on making it to the list of companies with income tax benefits by the beginning of 2021, and then both companies and individuals will have income tax benefits. You can read more about taxation here (https://heakodanik.ee/abiks-annetajale-maksustusest/)

Do I get an income tax benefit if I donate as a private individual?

As being on the list of companies with income tax benefits (https://www.emta.ee/et/ariklient/registreerimine-ettevotlus/tulumaksusatiivusega-uhingute-nimekirja-taotlus) requires at least 6 months of operation, we will unfortunately not be able to offer income tax benefits to our donors in the start-up phase (in 2020). We plan on making it to the list of companies with income tax benefits by the beginning of 2021, and then both companies and individuals will have income tax benefits. You can read more about taxation here (https://heakodanik.ee/abiks-annetajale-maksustamist/).

Are the activities of I Help Estonia transparent? 

Yes, we always publish information and annual reports on the website.

How did the caller get my number and is it legal?

Our callers use personal contacts and donor recommendations to collect donations. Aitan Eestit MTÜ does not manage callers’ database or any other personal data, except for a single system we have set up of non-personalized telephone numbers to be called to prevent people from making repeated calls in a short period of time. MTÜ Aitan Eestit monitors the personal data protection requirements set out in Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council. For more information on the collection and processing of personal data, please see our Privacy Policy.