I conceptualized “Gifts That Give,” a platform designed to reduce wasteful gifts by replacing them with contributions to charities. Users can set up a “gift registry” for special occasions such as birthdays by choosing a charitable cause of personal significance and inviting donations to that charity instead of receiving physical gifts. I built the website in April 2020, and after several rounds of testing and improvements, it went live in May 2020. The first users joined in May of the same year, and the initial campaigns raised approximately INR 100,000 (USD 1,200).Gifts That Give was featured by my school in a video interview broadcast to the faculty and student body in the run-up to Christmas, encouraging a more sustainable approach to gift-giving during the holidays.To improve the business, I completed an online course in Social Entrepreneurship from Columbia University, which helped refine my approach and expand the platform. My certificate from the course can be found online.I maintained the project for two and a half years, building relationships with various charitable organizations such as the Thane SPCA, which became a partner charity on the Gifts That Give platform. I made several visits to the Thane SPCA to see how the donated funds were being utilized, further strengthening the connection between the platform and the charity. More details about my visits can be found online.
