SHARE Charlotte

When Kelly Brooks and her family moved to Charlotte four years ago, they knew they had found a home and started reaching out to connect with their new community.  With the help of a philanthropic mentor, Kelly began looking for the right niche for her family, but found it difficult to navigate a non-profit landscape that often felt fragmented and confusing.  Out of this experience, the idea for SHARE Charlotte was born.

SHARE Charlotte will be a searchable database that makes it easier to find and volunteer with a non-profit.  Kelly sees it as a marketing tool for non-profits who don’t have the time, expertise or funding for a robust web presence, and a way to link volunteer talent with organizations in need.  Kelly uses two keywords to describe her vision- “local and consumer-based.”  She wants users to feel like they are part of a warm, welcoming community; a feeling that is not always possible with larger state and national databases.  She hopes that by providing easy access and information about non-profits and what they need, more people will be encouraged to find their passion and get involved.  The platform will have three functions: a comprehensive database of local non-profits, a volunteer match service and eventually a giving platform for donations.

Kelly also hopes to open up the conversation around non-profits and community needs.  “This process can help show overlaps and inefficiencies in the system right now, and until you can visualize it- see it- I don’t think it sinks in.”  By bringing non-profits together on a platform like this, she thinks new collaborations and partnerships will be possible.  SHARE Charlotte is scheduled to be up and running by the DNC.