GivEngine: Sharing Made Easy

How many times have you posted on Facebook asking all your friends to borrow something? Getting ready to move to New York I used Facebook to sell/give away a lot of my belongings to my friends. We live in a time where our friends, family and even ourselves are experiencing economic difficulties and sometimes borrowing is all we can afford.

There is a new app that executes this concept perfectly. Givengine streamlines the process of generosity.  Their tagline ‘Smart. Simple. Sharing.’ is the embodiment of that. Upon downloading the app I found it to be just that. You can use Facebook to sign up and from there it’s painless to load your pictures, decide between ‘give’ or ‘share’, and assign the other settings. You don’t have to post just objects either, services are allowed also. You can offer things like dog-walking or a ride to and from the airport. There is also the idea that local community groups or organizations can use the app to update their followers with their current needs. For example,  followers of a local dog shelter can be alerted whenever it requires more food or bedding.

I love the idea behind its creation and I believe that founder Chad Perry has good intentions, but it hinges on whether or not your friends also download and use it. While you can create a network with others outside your immediate area it seems like it would be easier to borrow or give with those in your neighborhood. Their website actually recommends building your own groups just for this reason.  The majority of the current users are San Francisco-based as is Perry, but branching out is starting to happen.

I would actually like to give this a try and embody the ‘pay-it-forward’ spirit too. I ask all of you to download the app, try it with your friends and maybe add some new ones. The platform is currently only compatible with the iPhone but they are developing an Android version.

Visit Givengine’s website HERE, go to iTunes and download the app. Connect with your friends, start the sharing, do a favor for someone and enjoy.

Photo Credit: givengine.org

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