Romario Valentine (9), a pint-size planet warrior and artist from Umhlanga, Durban, has dedicated the last 4 years of his young life to protecting our planet.
Fully focused on his passions, namely bird and marine conservation, climate change, and deforestation, Romario has remarkably completed 180 beach clean-ups to date, planted over 455 trees across 22 continents, and last year he raised over R31 000 on BackaBuddy to support the Umgeni River Bird Park in lieu of birthday gifts.
A Rising star
Despite only being in grade 4, Romario has become a rising star in the conservation space.
He recently made history by becoming the youngest Ambassador for Ocean Sole, a Kenyan company that recycles flip flops that wash ashore by transforming them into vibrant colourful marine and wildlife sculptures with the help of local artists.
On the 17th of June 2021, He was selected by the UNCCD “United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification” to highlight climate change and land degradation to represent them at their Desertification and Drought Day.
He has also been featured by The United Nations, 50/50, Extreme E’s Virtual Series Launch, National Geographic Kids, Global Citizen, and appeared as one of 35 activists in “What a Wonderful World” a book by Leisa Stewart-Sharpe and Lydia Hill, to be released in the United Kingdom, August 2021.
Crowdfunding on BackaBuddy
Romario celebrated his 10th birthday on 26th July 2021, staying true to his selfless nature, he once again decided to forgo birthday gifts to instead raise R20 000 on Backabuddy, to support two charities close to his heart, Birds of Eden and Zeitz Foundation.
As Romario blew out the candles on his birthday cake this year, he only had one wish, which was “to restore habitats for biodiversity and to leave a legacy for other children and generations to come”
Since the launch of his crowdfunding campaign, Romario raised over R 24 000 exceeding his fundraising target, with contributions from 71 donors both locally and abroad.
Funds raised allowed him to sponsor 350 Acacia trees to be planted in the rainy season this October/November in the Segera, Kenya with Zeitz Foundation.
His trees included a variety of baobab, coral, blackbird berry, acacia, mango, mulberry, papaya, and pepper bark which were planted last week by women from the community.
The additional funds were donated to Birds of Eden, Plettenberg Bay in Western Cape to help with the completion of 30 × 30m aviary for abandoned African Grey parrots to have a safe home and live freely.
“Trees are life, they are important for our survival and help slow down global warming. When we take care of nature, we take care of ourselves. I am grateful for all the support from my parents and everyone around the world. I believe it is my mission to protect biodiversity. ” – Romario Valentine
“As parents, we are honoured to have a humble, visionary son. Romario has been passionate about the environment and wildlife for several years. We will continue to support him the best way we can on his journey. We believe he is a Champion of the Earth. We are grateful to everyone who has supported his campaigns and his environmental journey to date. – says, Romario’s mum, Delsha Moodley
South Africa’s leading crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy has supported more than 10 000+ individuals and charities in setting up fundraising campaigns for medical fees, tuition and various causes in South Africa. The platform has thus far risen over R250 Million.
300 000+ donors have supported over 30 000+ heroes like you through their medical treatment, education or have rewarded a gesture of kindness by paying it forward on BackaBuddy.
We thank our generous donors and hardworking campaign creators everyday for making the world a better place.
We are the shoulders on which heroes stand.
Here are a few inspiring stories of impact made possible through kind support.
Nkosikho’s good deed
When Monet van Deventer stopped at a petrol station in Cape Town and realised she had forgotten her bank card at home, good samaritan, Nkosikho Mbele, offered to fill her tank with R100 to ensure she got home safely.
To thank him for his kind deed, she set up a campaign with a fundraising target of R100 000 that soon gained support from over 2500 donors, raising over R500 000 in total.
Saving Aaron
Aaron Lipschitz(5) from Sea Point, Cape Town, is the first child in South Africa to be diagnosed with Interleukin-12 Receptor Defect, a rare genetic condition that affects the immune system.
With no cure for Aaron’s condition, the only way for him to overcome his recurrent infections, was to have a bone marrow transplant which was made possible in August 2018 with the support of generous donors.
To date, over R1.6 Million has been raised to support Aaron’s medical treatment on BackaBuddy.
Eco-warrior, Romario Valentine
Romario Valentine(11) is a young eco-warrior from Umhlanga, Durban, who has dedicated his last two birthdays to raise funds to support his favourite bird park, plant trees and build an aviary.
Focused on saving our environment, Romario’s efforts have garnered international attention, and he has been featured by 50/50, National Geographic Kids, Global Citizen and has even appeared on a panel with The United Nations!
When Naledi Thahanyanewas 4-years-old, she was in urgent need of surgery after it was discovered that she had a heart defeat.
Without the funds to cover Naledi’s medical needs, the children’s home in which she lives, reached out for support. With an outpouring of love and support, over R260 000 was raised to save her life.
In the wake of the Knysna Fires in June 2017, Former Miss South Africa, Demi Leigh Nel Peterslaunched a campaign on BackaBuddy to help rebuild her hometown after fires raged through the Garden Route.
Urging South Africans to support her cause for the Sedgefield Lions Club, over R820 000 was raised, exceeding the initial target of R500 000 to provide supplies for the families that lost their homes and livelihoods in the blaze.
Need inspiration?
Read more of our impact stories by clicking below.
BackaBuddy is a community funding platform with global reach and an Africa focus.
We support over 800 people every month in raising funds to support people and causes.
If you need funding, we are here to help you.
“It is truly an honour to work with such an incredible organization and team that are always kind, super efficient and truly make the journey easy and perfect.” – Jo-Ann Joffe
We’ve been trusted by over 300 000+ donors to support 30 000+ causes, for individuals in need, and for some of the biggest charities in Africa.
Thank you for all your service, guidance and backing. BackaBuddy is a wonderful initiative and such a positive way to support those who ask for a little help. – Adene Heinz-Krüger
+30% of donors on BackaBuddy are outside of Africa
Our platform accepts donations globally through credit & debit cards, EFT’s and Africa-local payment partners
“BackaBuddy has been a great help, especially in us accepting International Payments.” – Tim Human (Gary Kirsten Foundation)
Kindness and compassion is a currency worth sharing and we shoutout about it.
Our impact stories reach over 1 Billion* people a year in the media, and appear regularly in every major news platform in South Africa and around the world.
“As a platform, BackaBuddy allows us to come together as communities to support people and causes that we believe in, regardless of our differences. For every cause, accident or catastrophe that we face, we bear witness to the many who step up when asked to by their peers. This is the immense power that crowdfunding facilitates and which goes far beyond just the funds that are raised” says BackaBuddy, CEO, Patrick Schofield
Learn how to run a successful crowdfunding campaign by visiting our resource centre.
If you missed our introduction to crowdfunding and still need to create a campaign, please click through to this guide.
In this article, we will discuss the first steps in your crowdfunding campaign after you have signed-up. We will guide you through receiving your first donations, how to find your network and touch on the power of social media in fundraising online.
Getting started – Your First donation
Just like no one likes to be the first person on the dance floor, the members of the public typically support causes once they have a few initial donations from the beneficiaries family and friends .
We have also found through data research that campaigns with initial support from family and friends also tend to raise 220% more funds than those who don’t.
This is because your first donors, in a way, vet your campaign. They let others know that you are a trusted person, and that your campaign is for a reasonable request because they know you or have interacted with you at some point in your life.
How to communicate with close family and friends:
Accompany your BackaBuddy crowdfunding campaign link with a short personalized message to introduce your fundraiser. We recommend sending a Whatsapp, Facebook message, email or SMS to close family and friends, extended family, neighbours, co-workers, social groups or sportsclub to get started.
See this example of a message you could send:
“Hi Monique, I hope you are well!
I have created a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy to feed 100 families in Pietermaritzburg who are unable to provide for their families during the lockdown.
We have so far raised R 15 000 towards our fundraising target! Funds raisedwill be used to purchase digital food vouchers for those in need.
Please support us by making a small donation on BackaBuddy.
If you’re unable to contribute, please be so kind as to share our campaign with your friends and loved ones.
Did you know? 98% of WhatsApp messages are both opened and read within the first 3 seconds. – Hoodsuite .
Now that you have shared your campaign with those closest to you, such as your friends and family and hopefully, if you were able to, donated to your own campaign, it’s time to reach out to your wider network.
Finding your network
You will find in your crowdfunding journey, that most of your donors will be people you know. This is because your friends and family know you well, they know your character, your lifestyle and they have a personal connection with you in some way.
This is not to say that the public can’t be generous in their support of worthy causes.
Who makes up your network?
Close family and friends.
Extended family, neighbours, co-workers, social groups, sportsclub
Social media followers and friends (Facebook/Whatsapp/Twitter/Instagram/YouTube/Pinterest/LinkedIn/Snapchat).
School/University friends
Your local community, church and the wider public.
Local Media (Local paper, radio stations, pubic forums)
Sharing your crowdfunding campaign on Social Media
Crowdfunding campaigns are 5 times more likely to succeed if shared on social media. Take a look at our social media guides to reach your wider network:
Every week the BackaBuddy team showcases a few campaigns to share on social media. When posting about your campaign, please mention us:
@BackaBuddy on Twitter and Instagram
@BackaBuddySA on Facebook
Snapscan
Lastly, ask your campaign manager to create a Snapscan code for your campaign for an additional donation option.
BackaBuddy has partnered with Snapscan to generate unique snapscan QR codes for each crowdfunding campaign on the platform. Once scanned, donors will be able to donate to your campaign easily via the unique code. These are also great to add to your campaign, print on posters or share on social media.
Create a crowdfunding campaign
South Africa’s leading crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy has supported more than 10 000+ individuals and charities in setting up fundraising campaigns for medical fees, tuition and various causes in South Africa. The platform has thus far risen over R390 Million.
Raise funds for an individual or cause.
Register your non-profit organisation.
Create a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for a non-profit organisation.
