MiniDonations is a 501(c)(3)-pending Social Benefit Organization (SBO), a program of the Austin Community Foundation, founded by Emiliano Lozano and Leo Ramirez, Jr., childhood friends who shared a vision of making philanthropy easy, affordable and accessible for everyone, regardless of age or budget.
Leo’s Story
My grandfather’s funeral in 2003 prompted serious soul searching about how I would spend the rest of my own life. Would my funeral be attended by CEOs, executives, directors and others I helped make wealthy, or would it be celebratory, touching and meaningful like his: filled with thousands whom I loved, touched and helped in some way?
I recall growing up poor, standing in line for cheese with my mom, and my father pawning his high school and college class rings for family Christmas gifts. Through it all, my siblings and I were given spare change to drop in donation baskets at church every week.
None of us felt that our measly change made a difference…and yet, our church thrived, and we knew intuitively that our contributions had something to do with that. In reality, the gifts from everyone in the church accumulated to create an enormous impact, which made us all feel like part of something special and bigger than ourselves. That good feeling kept my family giving through the years despite life’s financial roller-coasters.
Through MiniDonations, I wish to help everyone—young and old, poor and rich—not only see but experience the value and sheer effectiveness of collaborative giving, and supplant individuals as the most powerful, well-informed source of charitable funding.
Emiliano’s Story
I’ve worked as an engineer my whole adult life. I’ve embraced technology and helped further it along. I’ve helped design chips for Apple computers, the Playstation 3 and for use in the world’s fastest super computers. Throughout these projects, I’ve always felt like something was missing. A few years ago, I realized that my life desperately needed a connection to people and ways to help them.
I realized I was happiest when doing things like tutoring 5th graders in math and helping with science workshops in elementary schools. MiniDonations was born through my desire to help those that needed help in one of the best ways I knew how: through technology. Though I’ve never suffered like the people who ask for change on street corners and who inspired in me the idea for MiniDonations, I do know what it is like to grow up humble and not have as much as others. Fortunately, I had a loving family who instilled great values in me and never made me feel like I was at a loss for anything.
It is through this upbringing that MiniDonations thrives. For those that think that they may never get out of their current situation or make it ahead in the world, there is always hope. Hope that, together, we can do more than we can as individuals. No matter how small the effort of one person, when combined with others, we are more that the sum of our parts.
MiniDonations is the belief that we as a community can change things for the better. Through small acts of kindness we can reach thousands and even millions of people and know that our little change can change lives.
