A new and effective way to raise funds for various reasons, has been introduced and proven to be effective. Crowd funding is an efficient way to raise funds without incurring any debt, as opposed to a loan. Many people (in particular black society) are still not in the loop of this new and effective, yet heavily criticised method of drawing cash. Lack of knowledge and exposure, causes many to lose out on such opportunities.

As much as it does not work for everyone, crowd funding has helped introduce new technologies, organisations have been saved in abundance, charities on the brink of ceasing become fully operational and has also helped save lives. It basically assists people in raising funds when other means are not available.

Various platforms have been implemented to help fund seekers come in contact with the right crowd to help source funds from. One of those platforms that is 100% black owned, called JustLaw Crowd Funding is founded by Lunga Siyo. It is an alternative that is specifically aimed at raising funds for legal expenses. Due to the fact that services of lawyers are costly, there is a huge gap where only those with money get access to proper representation and those without are left with more injustice as they can’t afford adequate representation.

While there’s a plethora of platforms that cater to certain causes; for instance a person who is in desperate need of medical surgery or an organisation that needs to sustain itself, JustLaw specifically offers legal services for those who cannot afford them.

Speaking to Thabo Titus, from JustLaw, on how is crowdfunding beneficial, he explains: “Crowd funding opens up access to funds where they normally wouldn’t be. It puts the power in the community to help affect change in causes larger than themselves – thereby building a better society.” 

It is important for people to get into crowd funding as it helps to build communities whose goals are accordant with each other’s. Unlike many platforms that are alleged to exclude certain races or classes, JustLaw caters for all races and cultures to help everyone with a fair chance to justice.

To get funding, Titus says that the first step is for the campaigner to understand why they are undertaking the crowd funding route. Campaigners also needs to know their target market, so their stories speak to people who are understanding and more knowledgeable about the matter at hand. This, to create a connection that is on a ‘human level’. Ways to access funds is in some ways conducted through social media, and as vast or powerful the reach social media has, there are opportunities where certain individuals can create false campaigns and exploit people of their money.

Thabo explains how they choose cases to work with and why? “We typically want cases that are going to serve the greater public and will have a social impact. People are more likely to get behind a cause that is going to change the status quo for the greater good, rather than supporting something that only caters to a single person’s agenda.”

The company has an additional service they offer to people – a podcast which was designed to educate the public about their rights. The founder, Lunga Siyo talks about topics relevant to South Africans, in order to help enlighten them about issues that affect us as a country on a daily basis.

We asked Titus what is their take on companies that have been alleged to cater for a certain demographic, and he clarified that they are open to everyone seeking justice.

“We can’t relate to this [issue] because our platform is open to all. But we do want to bridge the gap between those who have access to justice and those who don’t, and if a certain demographic needs our platform more than another, then those will be the majority of our clients,” he said. “We encourage people and communities that have causes with a positive social impact to speak to us and come on board.”

Visit their website on www.justlawcf.co.za or send an eMail to thabo.titus@justlawcf.co.za for more details.

~ jess@ngcoboempire.co.za