Who are we ?
BackaBuddy is Africa’s leading crowdfunding platform that empowers hundreds of thousands of people to donate to causes that matter most to them. Since 2015, we’ve helped over 90,000 individuals and organizations raise the critical funds they need.
We enable the power of human kindness. By uniting people through generosity, we showcase the incredible impact that happens when communities come together to make good things happen.
Our North-stars?
Impact. To make crowdfunding on BackaBuddy an option for anyone in Africa to raise the funds they need.
Trust. To give every donor clear evidence of what their donations achieved.
How we started
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| Pictured above: Patrick and Catherine attending the ‘Leadership for Systems Change: Delivering Social Impact at Scale’ course at Harvard University in 2019. |
In 2015, BackaBuddy was reborn when crowdfunding pioneer Patrick Schofield took the reins and invited Catherine Du Plooy to join him. Together & with a growing team, we’ve become Africa’s leading donations platform, raising over half a billion rand (USD$34m) for more than 90 000 causes and over 8,000 charities (including The Gift of the Givers, Kolisi Foundation, and Rainbows and Smiles) through 500,000 global donations.
When people come together, amazing things happen.
Our evidence-of-impact stories reach over 10 million people annually in the media and have been featured on every major news platform in South Africa, including IOL, Sunday Times, Cape Talk, Good Things Guy, Daily Maverick, Carte Blanche, SABC News, eNCA News, and News24.
The original idea and platform were the vision of the late Allan Beuthin, who founded BackaBuddy in 2008, driven by a deep passion for community empowerment. Allan passed away in 2015, and his widow, Sue, asked Patrick to take up the mantle. Allan’s vision for community-based philanthropic funding has since grown into a powerful force for good across the continent.
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| Pictured above: Allan Beuthin and his wife, Sue Peiser. |
“As a platform, BackaBuddy allows us to come together as communities to support people and causes we believe in, regardless of our differences. For every cause, accident, or catastrophe we face, we witness many who step up when asked by their peers. This is the immense power that crowdfunding facilitates, which goes far beyond just the funds raised,” says BackaBuddy CEO Patrick Schofield.
Our Vision and Mission
Vision:
To bring the best of humanity into the digital age by connecting people through shared experiences and funding, building a more equitable society.
Mission:
To address financial vulnerability by providing a global community funding platform that creates value between people and causes.
Meet The A-Team That Makes It Happen
Patrick
Gareth
Lisa
Catherine
Matt
Hayley
Nurjah
Mourine
Lakiwe
Sardiqah
Simbulele
Bernelie
Sanusha
Monique
Mirjana
Melvina
Jessica
Zay-yaan
Carly
Lucinda
Taswill
Noeline
Marc
Fhulu
Kevin
Husain
Nicole
Zane
Our Core Values
Accountability:
Accountability is the foundation of everything we do at BackaBuddy. We foster a culture of accountability within our team and the communities we serve. This commitment is reflected in every aspect of our platform—from transparent donations to the evidence-of-impact updates we work on with campaign creators to provide.It guides how we operate, informs our platform’s design, and shapes our engagement with donors, charities, campaign creators, and beneficiaries, building trust in all our relationships.
Service:
Service is at the heart of what defines us at BackaBuddy. We believe in being the shoulders on which people stand to take meaningful action. Through our platform, processes, guides, and support for campaign creators, we are here to serve and help realize the hopes and dreams of the people and organizations who use us. Our platform, team, and actions are dedicated to empowering others to create the change they wish to see in the world, demonstrating the incredible power of working together.
Growth:
Growth guides us toward what we aspire to become. For us, growth isn’t just about getting bigger—it’s about nurturing and building. It’s about seeing the tangible impact of our efforts in the world. Within our team and company, growth encompasses personal development, the evolution of projects, the healing of individuals, and a deeper understanding of ourselves. It means continuously improving our platform to better serve our community, unlocking the potential within our team, and expanding our impact both in South Africa and across Africa. Growth fosters kindness, compassion, understanding, and empathy among those who come together on BackaBuddy to create communities of change. Ultimately, it embodies the best of what it means to be human—in our platform, our people, and the communities we support.