We know that it can be hard and sometimes even embarrassing when you need help with something like groceries, hygiene products, a winter jacket, a set of bedsheets or something else to help you live a safe and healthy life. Enter a new app: Purposity! Its name comes from purpose + generosity, and it’s designed to connect the individual needs of students, like you, with campus and community members that want to help!
“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.
If you have a need that, once fulfilled, could take some pressure off of you and help you be more successful, we encourage you to submit a request. Our online request form will ask you to share a bit about what you need, why you need it, and how it will help. The Basic Needs Team will then anonymously post your individual need on Purposity which is shared with our followers to encourage them to donate what you need. You are notified and receive the item shortly after your request is met.
“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 help ensure all students on our campus have access to the resources they need to thrive during their time at UW-Madison.”
You can also help your fellow students by downloading the Purposity mobile app and becoming one of the followers of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 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!
Other basic needs resources for students can be found on our website, https://financialaid.wisc.edu/success/basic-needs-resources/. Reach out to our team with any questions or to get connected, basic.needs@finaid.wisc.edu.