Announcing Airbnb.org: A new nonprofit inspired by our host community

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone,

Today we are very excited to announce the launch of Airbnb.org, an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit. This organization was inspired by the generosity of hosts in Airbnb’s Open Homes and Frontline stays programs. Through Airbnb.org, hosts can offer people a place to stay in emergencies, from natural disasters to COVID-19. 

Since 2012, the Airbnb community has hosted over 75,000 people in 104 countries.  Moving forward, Airbnb is committing to funding the operating costs of Airbnb.org, so contributions to Airbnb.org can make an even bigger impact for nonprofit partners and people in times of crisis.

To celebrate our community, we’ve launched the Airbnb.org supporter badge. You can find more about eligibility and see our FAQs in the Resource Center.

Thank you for being a part of this journey! We’ve seen the huge impact this community can make, and we’re looking forward to an exciting future. We’d love to hear your feedback and ideas in the comments!

Learn more about Airbnb.org and how you can get involved here.

Joe Gebbia

Co-Founder, Airbnb

Chairman, Airbnb.org

[Cathie19]

Thanks @Anonymous for this news update. 

It’s late here in Oz, so I’m off to sleep now; but will check it out more, tomorrow!
This reply should shift your post along up to recent threads....... 🙂

FYI: Whilst having a quick look at your profile pic, I think your eyes look like they need a little rest from the screen monitors. Look after them! 👀💐😁😁😁 🥺🧐💻

[Lizzie]

Aww such a sweet reply @Cathie19. Nighty night - sleep well and I hope it's not too warm out. 🙂

[Ute42]

.

There already is a nonprofit organisation, that's the existing airbnb company as it is right now. Airbnb has never made a profit in any of the 12 fiscal years of their existence.

I do support the idea though to make a donation. While some people are under a terrible hardship due to natural disasters or COVID, others aren't. I am one of them, mainly because I have built up a considerable rainy day fund over the past couple of excellent years in hosting. Why spend all the money when things are going very well?

The by Joe suggested way to donate money is, to allocate a certain percentage from future host payouts to charity. Unfortenately right now I don't have open reservations and it doesn't look like I'd be getting some in the near future.

Therefore my question is: Can I make a direct cash donation and how would that work?

[Lizzie]

Hey @Ute42,

I hope your Monday has gone well. 🙂 

Thank you for you kind offer to make a donation, I think I can help you with this. 

If you go to the Airbnb.org website page, you can click on the 'Donate' button to make a one-off donation. Currently Airbnb does not yet support donations directly from all locations, which includes Germany, however in the meantime through the 'Donate' button on Airbnb.org you can donate via Paypal. No fees are charged by Airbnb.org or Airbnb via this method, but note Paypal may charge an additional processing fee. You should see all the T&Cs there if you would like to know more about this.

The team are working on increasing the amount of countries they support donations from.

I hope this helps and thanks again. Enjoy your evening and speak soon.

Lizzie

[Sharon1014]

Just do the homework first  @Ute42   Much of this money goes nowhere at all, just sits bone idle in the DAF or Foundation account.  Tax shelter.  It's all about "corporate virtue signaling".  Looks like something real but is actually meaningless.

Google’s Larry Page gave $400 million in Christmas donations. Not a penny went straight to charity. ...

[Lizzie]

Hello @Sharon1014,

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner, I wanted to provide you with a detailed answer which I hope will help to provide more clarity specifically for Airbnb.org. 🙂

Depending on the type of donation (one-time or recurring), donations currently go to Airbnb.org, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, or to the Open Homes Fund located at the Paypal Giving Fund (PPGF). 100% of donations go to helping people find emergency housing in times of crisis, and no fees are charged on the donation by Airbnb, Airbnb.org or PPGF (though payment processors like Paypal may charge a small service fee). 

Most donations made to the Open Homes Fund located at PPGF have been distributed to nonprofits connecting people in need with temporary accommodations. Airbnb.org's grant cycle will begin in 2021.

You can learn more about how donations work with the PayPal Giving Fund here and learn more about donations generally in the Help Center. I hope this provides a little more clarity! 

Thanks,

Lizzie

[Melodie-And-John0]

@Anonymous , Mr.  Gebbia, sounds like a heartfelt big attempt to help others, I hope it goes well for those who receive help from it.   

Im sure your Partner can tell you,  In upstate Rural NY, we are surrounded by folks dotted in the hills and valleys that are in tough shape and bitter cold winters don't make things better, it doesnt matter if your living in a cardboard box in NYC, thats the one you will die in, its no easier to die in a mobile home in the middle of nowhere cause you dont have heat.  Melodie and I have not donated to things that aren't local and directly going from my hand to the persons that will benefit from it in years, there were just too many hands out and most of them only knew me when I was reading off my credit card number to them and they sold my name to other hands.   

All politics and charity that matters the most is local as a rule for the survival of my friends and neighbors.  Many are the less than fulltime food service workers, hospitality tenders and retail hourly schlepps that don't do all that well when covid isnt in town and they are out of work.  Now that its here, they are fighting with the coyotes for the white tail deer to feed their kids (the coyotes are winning).   I hope your charity does well, I just ask folks to think about helping someone specifically you know needs it right now, in these desperate times, they may not have the means or ability to ask for help from a real charity while many others wouldn't accept it if they were offered,

To be perfectly honest (and with all due respect), there are so so many charities that all need help and so few that we actually can be sure will give 99 pennies of the 100 they receive to the people that need it to make a difference today.  Another challenge for Airbnb is they have chased too many butterflies and shiny objects in the recent past, hosts like my wife and I  (and a few million others) really need the mothership to focus on what you have always done best more than anything else right now. 

Stay well, JR

[Emma2297]

Thanks for this news update 😉

[J-Renato0]

@Anonymous 

Congratulations. It is a good initiative to help people when they are going through hard times.

[Christine3005]

I have been donating to Open Homes for well over a year. There is no way for this to be recognized on my profile or on my listing.  I've written about a portion of my fees going to the program but I can not include an URL for guests and prospective guests to learn more. The Airbnb app scrubs that out of my listing.

I want to discontinue this donation and can not, for the life of me find a way to do so. When I try on the app, it gives me an unspecified error.  On the website...it doesn't appear in any obvious place.

UGH!