MAKER

MAKERS are the people who are responsible for the execution of the project, the people who ‘get it done’ in the first place. Any legal or natural person that meets the criteria and is willing and able to follow the procedures can be a MAKER. The MAKER is responsible for the project, in terms of promotion as well as execution. The person who communicates on behalf of the MAKER is called a contact person. The legal entity that formally applies the project is called the applicant. Contact person, applicant and MAKER can be one and the same person, but they can also be different (legal) persons.

MOVER

MOVERS are the primary promotors of a project. MOVERS work together with the MAKERS to get their projects done. This is a very important role. A MOVER is highly effective if he or she is part of a group of people who are most likely to support your project online.

SHAKER

SHAKERS are the supporters of a project. Anyone who has a GET IT DONE project widget on his or her online social network profile is a SHAKER.

Donation

GET IT DONE can be used as a way to raise funds for your project. 100% of the donations actually go to the projects. Our organisation takes 0% out of project donations and charges no fees.

Do-nation

Projects often need stuff money can’t buy. Time and talent are resources that your project might need. If this is the case, make sure to clarify that in your application. The most current non-financial resource, however, is a person’s network. Networks are an immensely valuable resource. GET IT DONE allows your project to maximally profit from this.

Completeness

Applications need to provide enough information for us to select a project or not. Some questions are mandatory and some aren’t, but applications that only provide the bare minimum have a lower chance of being selected.

Non-ambiguity

The provided information must be easy to interpret. Project descriptions about ‘making the world a better place’ make no sense to us, however much we support that noble cause. Please specify.

Credibility

The application must come from a credible source, in a credible way. If our system shows an application has been started and submitted within five minutes, we won’t accept your application.

Relevance and usefulness of visuals

The provided visuals should be relevant to the project and of good quality, in order to post them online. Hazy and unclear pictures won’t do the trick.

Timely submittion

Applications for projects that started yesterday or will start tomorrow cannot be taken into account. If your project MUST start SOON, you’re advised to look for other sources of funding. It’s likely your project will take months to collect the necessary resources.

Age

We don’t do business with teenagers, children or infants. Sorry.

Identifiable

If the project is selected, identification documents are required to enable us to establish the formal identity of the contact person. A library card doesn’t help much. A birth certificate or passport does.

Proactive

GET IT DONE screams for action, also after a project has been submitted. The success of your project depends largely on your willingness and ability to make it happen by applying yourself and the people around you.

Accessible

If we can’t reach you, we can’t do anything for your project. Checking your mailbox once a month won’t fly.

Proximity

If you’re close to where the project takes place, you’ll be better able to monitor its progress and update on how it’s going.

Identity

If the project is selected, identification documents are required to enable us to establish the formal identity of the applicant. A registration document from the Chamber of Commerce does the trick.

Responsible

Who’s running the project? We need to be convinced that the applicant takes full responsibility for getting the project done as agreed. That’s why we formalise this responsibility with a legal contract.

Payable

If we can’t transfer money in a sound and safe way, we won’t. So a bank account in the applicant’s name is essential. No third party bank accounts are allowed, as we can’t check their reliability. We need a clear financial path.

Size

We post projects of small organisations. Because we like those. That’s why.

Scale

Who wants to wait years for a project to start or finish? We don’t, so projects have to be able to raise the requested budget within half a year. And once a project starts, it has to be finished within a year.

Basic human needs

Right, Basic needs, what are those? Well, we don’t consider a new Mercedes a basic need. Needs in terms of Health, Education, Employment, Human rights, Culture and Small business opportunities often do count as basic needs in our view. Here are some obvious no-no’s: No luxury goods, No private real estate, No roads to nowhere.

Necessity

Things like primary education are necessary in our view, but if a small community has enough schools, we don’t see the need to build another one. Also, it should be clear why a project needs to be posted on GET IT DONE, instead of getting funded by other sources.

Demand driven

We feel the donor-oriented model of development has failed. Local people are very well able to decide what is most needed locally. The local demand for a project should be made very clear.

Local support

If a project has no local support success is pretty unlikely. Will the community support the project? How? Why?

Sustainability

This is the “give a man a fish” stuff. We want projects to teach people how to fish, basically. Sustainability also has the ‘green’ connotation, in the sense that projects shouldn’t harm the environment, as fish don’t like to live in polluted water.

Legal

Oh yeah, we don’t like to be involved in illegal business. And if you’re planning to build something, you’d better have the proper licenses to do so.

Transparency

People who support a project must be able to see what’s going on. The extent to which you are open about a project’s progress, but also problems, breeds trust. This is of vital importance for your project to succeed.

Time line

Who wants to wait years for a project to start or finish? We don’t, so projects have to be able to raise the requested budget within half a year after being placed on the platform. And once a project starts, it has to be finished within a year.

Starting date

The project has to have a flexible starting date. The project can only start when the required funds are 100% raised. This can take op to 6 months. If the starting date is fixed on a earlier date this is likely to cause a problem.

Phases

Every project has to be divided in phases. Two phases for a small project (up to 5000 Euros) and three for a larger project (up to 10.000 Euros). Plan each phase as if it were a small project in itself, with its own budget, duration and activities. Because the funds will be transferred per phase, make sure that every phase can be independently executed. If the phases overlap, it will be difficult to finish one phase and deliver proof of progress before you receive the funds to start the next phase.

Realism

Be realistic about planning your project and it's phases. Describe and plan only what you know is feasible. Remember you have to deliver proof of progress each phase for you to receive the funds for the next phase.

Be Specific

Specify your costs. The more specific your budget is, the more likely it will be approved. Also it will greatly enhance the quality of your project description online and its ability to raise funds.

Request at least 50% of total budget

GET IT DONE wants to get things done, and not only partly done. We want to avoid that the platform will be used to finance only minor parts of big projects.

Be realistic

Remember that you’re applying for the use of facilities to raise money online. You're not applying for funds directly. Your success at fundraising for your project will be determined by your effort at promoting it, the quality of your project and its budget. A smaller budget is easier to raise within 6 months than a large budget. If you fail to raise the requested funds on time you will not receive any donations.

Between 500 and 10.000 Euros

Not too big, not too small. Projects with budgets less than 500 Euros are too costly for us to facilitate. Projects with budgets over 10.000 Euros are not considered to be small-scale, because 10.000 Euros is a whole lot of money.

Be consistent

Make sure that the costs specified in your budget match the description of your project as a whole. Your project goals and targets need to be quantified in your budget.

Cost-efficiency

We want to be sure projects don’t waste money. If you build a wall, budget as much material as you need, not more. And at a good price too.

Buy local

We want projects to be done by and for local people. So don’t ship everything from some remote location if you don’t need to.

Low overhead

GET IT DONE is not a way to pay for an organisation’s running costs, people’s salary, rent, or electricity bills. A project has a beginning and an end and running costs keep on running. This is why we put a ‘cap’ (maximum of 25%) for running costs on project budgets.

Applying your project is an online matter. The online form asks all about your project. It makes you think about the what, why and how of your project, but also about yourself and the formal applicant. Filling out the form takes some time, and you’re allowed to invite others to co-edit the document with you. Once you’ve provided enough information you can submit the form.

Submitted projects go through a couple of checks before being selected or not. A quick check clarifies whether we indeed have enough info to work with. Then we forward the application to another applicant and a partner, for them to appraise. Partly based on this pre-selection we get to make the final decision: to post or not to post, that’s the question. It’s possible that we ask for additional information before a final decision is made. Before posting the project the formal applicant and GET ITDONE sign a formal agreement.

Transforming the selected application into a webpage, profile page and widget is a technical bit of work. When everything is in order, the project is posted online.

Go Go Go! This is an important moment in a project’s lifespan on the platform: fire starting the project. Makers and Movers mobilise their online networks to join them in making the project happen. The widget is the main means of promoting your project, as it enables you to personally invite friends and family to get it done. If your friends in turn shake up their own networks, things can go very quickly.

All requested resources have to come in before a project can start, so the projectnetwork will have to support the project in terms of time, talent and money for it to work. Online donations can be done on the website, and via the widget. Do-nations (giving time and/or talent) can be arranged in direct contact between the do-nor and the Maker.

Once all requested resources are collected, the project can start. GET IT DONE doesn’t pay out the full project budget at once, but follows the phases Makers described in their application. Once phase 1 is done, the budget for phase 2 is transferred, etcetera, until the project is done.

Based on the updates, proofs, and reports that were delivered, each project is evaluated in terms of project goals. Did the project go well; did it provide basic needs to people in an efficient way? Were the resources well spent? This evaluation determines to what extent the Maker can apply more projects or not.

Each phase ends by delivering timely proof of progress of that phase. Proofs are delivered by the Maker and can be supplemented by (expert or visitor) reports. GET IT DONE ultimately decides whether sufficient proof has been provided for the next phase to start. A short final report always accompanies the last phase. All proofs are published through the website and widget, for all to see. If proof is untimely or insufficient, the project is put ‘on hold’ until proof is in order. If this takes too long or can’t be provided, we might decide to cancel the project altogether. In that case, funds are allocated to other projects. Don’t let this happen!