A Different Way To Give

June 17, 2016

Brothers Cameron and Michael Clark envision a future where it’s so easy to donate to charities that worthy charitable organizations can give up fundraising and focus on their work.

The brothers grew up in Beulah and watched their parents struggle to operate two clothing stores, the Village Shop for women and the Village Squire for men.

As adults, they decided to start their own business to help small-town businesses and charities.

Cameron Clark operates hometown giving.com from Beulah. It’s a website dedicated to connecting northern Michigan consumers with local businesses and nonprofits. Nonprofits can register for free on the site; businesses pay a small fee. Site visitors simply purchase gift certificates for people to either shop at one of the businesses listed or donate to a nonprofit.

“If it’s a $100 gift, they can decide to spend some of it on some of the businesses or they can chose to give all or some of that money at local charities,” Cameron said. “It narrows it down so they can’t spend it at Walmart.”

In the year the site’s been up, Cameron estimates the site has funneled as much as $30,000 to charities. The site also accepts direct donations to charities. Cameron estimates that three-fourths of what’s been raised was donated directly.

“I’ve learned that they do some awfully good work, but I’ve also learned that they spend an exorbitant amount of their time trying to raise funds just so that they can do the work that they’re designed to do,” he said. “Hometown Giving has helped them get away from that old model, but it’s going to take a while, because it’s got to catch on.”