Today we’d like to introduce you to Shane O’Rourke. Them and their team share their story with us below:
How far can $5 go? While standing in line at a coffee shop, Shane O’Rourke realized that the $5 he was about to spend on a cup of fancy coffee cost the same as a pair of shoes he’d recently bought for a Haitian boy.
Haiti is one of the most impoverished areas in the whole world. The country has been destroyed multiple times by natural disasters. The average person only lives to be 51 years old and over half of the adults don’t know how to read. About 50% of Haitian children attend elementary school and 20% attend secondary school (i.e.; what we know in America as middle school or junior high). And the cycle of poverty and sickness and hopelessness goes on and on. This is happening all over the world, not just in Haiti.
“It’s a journey of learning about it, experiencing it and then realizing there’s something I can do about it,” Shane says.
Our $5 Story. While Shane was in Haiti volunteering, he met a boy who had been kicked out of school because he didn’t have a pair of shoes. He was not just losing out on an education, but also his food source and safety. He bought him a pair of shoes for $5 and the next day the boy was back in school, safe, and eating hot meals. The trajectory of that young boys life was forever changed.
After he got home to Minnesota, Shane was in line at a coffee shop, Shane O’Rourke realized that the $5 he was about to spend on cup was the same amount for the pair of shoes that changed the trajectory of that Haitian boy’s life. He felt determined to let people know how something small can make a huge impact for one person.
The desire to change one person’s life with $5 laid the groundwork for an idea to impact people around the world in sustainable and tangible ways. Lift Up, based in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, was founded in 2018. We partner with certify non-profits around the world with high impact, tangible and sustainable projects, then we fundraise on liftup.com.
Project funding is tracked live on our website, along with GPS coordinates and impact so every Lifter can see the impact they made. For example, if you chose to lift up a clean water project in Cambodia, you would see exactly how many dollars impact one person, as well as narrative about that project’s sustainability and tangibility.
Imagine what we can do together, as a community of Lifters. Clean water, kitchen equipment in schools, solar panels – things that tangibly impact people around the world. Things that change kids lives, change their families lives and their future family’s lives.
People are living in extreme need all over the world. We know the impact that just a dollar can make – so we give every single one away. Lift Up even covers the credit fees. When someone gives $5, their entire $5 goes to the project.
Lift Up operates financially lean by finding businesses and people with an aligned hearts to donate in- kind gifts or discounts like branding, marketing printing. But like any well-run non-profit, there are operating expenses. So, Lift Up created a fund called the CORE (covering operational recurring expenses) for corporate partners or private donors to support Lift Up’s overhead fees like covering the costs of transaction fees and materials for events.
In the past three years, Lift Up has raised $893,303 impacting 113,090 people in 18 countries! We have a team of 5 all-in lead volunteers that keep the vision accelerating forward, continue to certify and approve more projects, campaign for new and more Lifters, run the website and finances and grow our CORE. We also have about 20 passionate about the mission volunteers who help as needed to prepare for new initiatives or events.
With the support of Lifters, Lift Up has plans to continue expanding with corporate sponsorships, larger projects and a well-known brand.
“I’ve got everything I need and more. And there are kids right now that can’t get clean water. We have to do something.”
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We have been blown away by the number of companies and individuals who have supported the operational expenses of Lift Up, enabling a true 100% model.
However, we are growing so quickly that we are in need of support for paid staff. The amount of time required to continue to scale this impact is going to need to include staff expenses and we are actively looking for support to help us grow to the next level! We would like to hire 3 staff members to oversee Projects & Impact. Marketing & Communications, as well as Fundraising & Development.
Some of the past challenges we have overcome, include: multi-year growth and battles to acquire liftup.com, the federal trademark for Lift Up, and a perfect rating on the most significant charity rating company in the country, Charity Navigator.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I graduated from Bethel University in 2014. I spent 4 years as a Kids Pastor at River Valley Church in Shakopee.
I launched Lift Up in September of 2018.
I am currently a licensed independent insurance agent at the O’Rourke Agency, to continue to lead Lift Up without any pay from the organization.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Don’t lose heart, continue to stay true to your dream and mission. Keep investing in your own skills and always continue to grow your capacity to meet the demands of your dream. There will be days that it feels like it will never be a reality. Fight through those thoughts and keep going, especially when you have a mission focused dream. Many people will be impacted on the other side of your perseverance!
Contact Info:
- Email: shane@liftup.com
- Website: liftup.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liftup/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liftupcom
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVER9R5tGFJhZ4_qZTFLk-w
- Other: https://liftup.com/heavylifters/
Image Credits
Wil Galvez
