Locals living abroad prepared to give to country

The portal is powered by GreaterGood South Africa, a registered non profit and public benefit organisation with significant experience of working with givers and causes.

"We recognise that one doesn't necessarily need to live in South Africa in order to contribute towards the future success of the country. We often get feedback from South Africans, both locally and abroad who want to make a difference but don't know where to start. This platform provides an easy, secure and meaningful way to give back," says Brigitte Lightfoot, managing executive of The Homecoming Revolution.

The portal enables givers to:

• Connect with and give to registered causes all year round, securely.
• Post stories about giving and volunteer experiences.
• Sign-up to volunteer during national campaigns like Do It Day and Mandela Day.
• Post offers and fundraise for the causes they are passionate about.
• Buy alternative gifts which really make a difference
• Invite friends to support good causes

Research backs up willingness

A recent study conducted by Catherine Pendock, a MBA student at the Gordon Institute of Business Science, examined the effect of migration and emotions on knowledge transfer, with the intention of identifying the emotions influencing the willingness of South African emigrants to transfer knowledge to South Africans living in South Africa.

The sense is that emigrants who are prepared to share their knowledge do so because it makes them feel good about themselves and it adds value to their lives. Thus the evidence suggests that the South African emigrant most likely to share knowledge is a highly educated person who loves sharing knowledge generally, who left South Africa to reconnect with loved ones and who is happy to be living abroad even though he or she still experiences some feelings of nostalgia and guilt.

Taking these findings into consideration, The Homecoming Revolution believes there is a substantial market of South Africans abroad who are willing to share their skills, knowledge, money and time to benefit their home country.

For more information go to www.itfeelsgoodtodogood.co.za.