If you knew a UW student who had a simple need – say they were struggling to have enough healthy food to eat or needed to get their computer fixed – chances are you’d help them, right? But, it’s not always easy to know the real needs of our students or to provide support.
Enter a new app: Purposity! Its name comes from purpose + generosity, and it’s designed to connect the individual needs of our students with campus and community members, like you.
“We wanted to create a way for communities to connect and unite in a meaningful way,” stated Blake Canterbury, founder and CEO of Purposity. “Our belief is that if you knew your neighbor needed help, you’d help.”
Launching this month by the Basic Needs Team at the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA), the goal of the partnership with Purposity is to bridge the gap between interested donors and students in need. It’s not a substitute for university-sponsored financial aid and resources. UW–Madison continues to invest in expanding need-based financial aid and to help students connect with basic needs resources. Rather, Purposity is a way to harness Badgers’ desire to give back to their community and help others.
“We are excited that Purposity will provide an easy way for the UW-Madison community to support the specific needs of our students,” said Justin Mumford, Assistant Director for Student Engagement. “This will be a powerful tool to ensure all students on our campus have access to the resources they need to thrive during their time at UW-Madison.”
By downloading the app and following UW-Madison, you can see specific needs ranging from basic grocery items, health supplements, to a jacket for winter, along with the story of each student who is seeking support. Through the app, you can quickly decide which needs you are able to meet and within a few days, the requested item will be provided directly to the student in need. It takes one notification, under a minute, and a few clicks to make a difference for a UW-Madison student.
To join the movement in helping our UW-Madison student community, download the Purposity app from the App Store or Google Play, and be sure to follow the University of Wisconsin-Madison!
Reach out to our team with any questions or to help a student get connected, basic.needs@finaid.wisc.edu.