What We Do

Token Ibis is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) with a mission to make social impact accessible to everyone. We run a pretty simple business model:

  1. Raise money from traditional fundraising sources like foundations and major donors.
  2. Get the community to decide where that money should go using our fancy web app.
  3. Send the money to local 501(c)(3) nonprofits.

We incorporated in April 5, 2019 and are proudly based on Albuquerque, New Mexico. Our team consists of volunteers with special skill sets as well as a core dedicated board of directors:

Want to get involved? Get in touch at info@tokenibis.org!

Who We Work With

If you work with a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that you would like to see on Token Ibis, please get in touch. At this early stage, our board is reviewing nonprofits on a case-by-case basis to gauge for mission alignment. We look for the following information, among others:

  1. Entirely headquartered in ABQ metropolitan area.
  2. Focus on progress through social unity and services rather than political advocacy or other contentious means as defined by the United Way’s Social Action Policy.
  3. Recently funded by one of the following trusted local grant-making institutions: the United Way of Central NM, the ABQ Community Foundation, UNM, the McCune Foundation, ABQ Involved, Sandia National Labs, or the city/county/state government.
  4. Have a clearly defined social mission that serves a wide, public population. We are not currently funding nonprofits that only serve other organizations, membership-based groups, churches, religious ministry, or charter schools.

We reserve the right to make exceptions and change these guidelines in the future.

Our Values

Principle I: Accessibility

Token Ibis is a social profit organization that exists to create public good. It is our responsibility to make our work transparent and accessible for others to build on.

We commit to offer all of our intellectual property for free. Our software is completely free and open-source. Similarly, we offer our research results, publications, and insights to anybody who wants them for no cost. We want to share our work, not keep it a secret.

We commit to publish all financial activity. Most of our funding goes directly to our partnering nonprofits and can be traced on the app. We also spend some money on operation and outreach, which we are always happy to share upon request.

Principle II: Equality

Like most of society, the institution of traditional philanthropy is not perfectly equal. However, on our platform, we choose equality.

We commit to equal benefits for all–regardless of wealth. This means no special recognition, no paid fundraising galas, and no special gifts for even the major donors who pay for Token Ibis’s work. The only benefits Token Ibis will ever provide are those that are free for all of our users. Token Ibis believes that everyone–even those who can’t afford to be traditional philanthropists–deserve equal gratitude for their participation.

We commit to equal treatment for all–regardless of background. We don’t differentiate on the basis of race, gender, religion, income, or any other demographic. The point of our work is not to facilitate wealth redistribution, reparations, or correct any social injustices. Instead, our approach is to empower all individuals and create a small corner of society where these injustices do not persist at all.

Principle III: Neutrality

Modern social issues are complicated, and people have diverse opinions about them. Token Ibis is not a person, so we don’t need to have opinions about anything. By staying neutral, we better amplify the voices of the actual humans who frequent our platform.

We commit to not take sides on any contentious social issue. Token Ibis does not stand for, stand against, or have opinions about anything of political importance. Our job is to build a platform to highlight the diverse values of our users and organizational partners.

We commit to not impose our views on anyone else. Even within our mission space, Token Ibis does not advocate for anybody else to share our values or way of doing things. We recognize that every person and organization in the social profit sector faces their own unique challenges. Our only focus is to build a system that works for us; anybody else who would like to use it is free to do so.

Principle IV: Positivity

We are less interested in how the world is wrong and more interested in how it can be better. Many systems in modern society highlight negative aspects of human nature. Ours has the rare ability to bring out the best in people, and we’re going to use it that way.

We commit to publish positive content. Whenever we do create or share content, it will generally be positive. Token Ibis is fortunate to not have to deal with the serious and somber topics that many of our partnering nonprofits work with. Our mission is to increase community involvement, and the best way to do that is with a positive attitude.

We commit to keep having fun. Whatever happens down the road, it will not change the fact that Token Ibis was once operated by a group of aggressively unqualified volunteers looking for a fun way to give back. Fun isn’t always the most powerful motivator, but it has allowed us to run this project the right way and for the right reasons. We promise to keep it that way.