SWAMPSCOTT — Keiko Zoll, a local activist, is launching WeHelp Collaborative, a nonprofit organization that seeks to “connect people who need help to those who can offer help via donated goods, services, or other resources to meet critical needs at scale.”
Zoll, who previously worked as the director of communications for the Boston Schools Fund, drew on her experience she gained while creating her Free Formula Exchange, as she developed WeHelp. The formula exchange, which Zoll launched in May to help connect those in need of baby formula to those who have surplus or excess to donate, served as a “robust minimum viable product (MVP)” that developed into the larger nonprofit, she said in a statement.
“An immediate crisis doesn’t have to be baby formula. It can be someone’s apartment burning down, a natural disaster, or other devastating circumstances,” Zoll said in a statement.
On its website, WeHelp is described as “the GoFundMe for mutual aid.”
“WeHelp campaigns exchange humanity instead of dollars; thus, launching a nonprofit organization is the most natural home for this work,” Zoll said. “I’m beyond thrilled to have the freedom and flexibility to commit myself to this transformative time in my career. If someone needs help I know that they will be able to turn to resources such as WeHelp.”
“I want to embrace the kindness in humankind, and with that my long-term goal for this organization is that it expands further than just regionally,” she continued.
Work on the nonprofit remains in progress, and its website notes that “WeHelp campaigns are still in beta.”
Magella Cantara can be reached at [email protected].
