DonorNation Brings Back the Concept of the Neighborhood Unit

The vision of a neighborhood as defined in the 1950’s and ‘60's by shows like Leave it to Beaver and Mr. Roger’s, where people borrowed sugar and eggs from their neighbors, disappeared in large part with black and white television. With the advent of the Internet, doors became windows. Through sites like Facebook, and Twitter, communities are now virtual and consist of people from all over the world. Due to technology, we are more connected today than ever before, yet in many physical respects, we have never been so disconnected. There’s no denying the concept of the neighborhood has changed.

In the early 1900s, Clarence Perry crystalized the concept of the neighborhood unit. The concept organized new residential communities in a way which satisfied contemporary "social, administrative and service requirements for satisfactory urban existence." Neighborhoods were originally designed to help protect the health, safety and welfare of its citizens and centered the neighborhood around the school. The neighborhood unit was conceived as a comprehensive physical planning tool which promoted a community-centric lifestyle. The child's walk to school was only about one-quarter of a mile and school facilities were utilized for neighborhood meetings and activities, ultimately designed for use by the entire community. Initially, the concept of the neighborhood was meant to foster social cohesion.

The concept of neighbor-helping-neighbor is a powerful one and deserves to make a come-back. DonorNation gets back to the roots of the original neighborhood unit by emphasizing the importance of local schools and businesses at the heart of the community. We have created a self-sustaining vehicle for communities to continuously support local business and schools through regular purchases. Our model creates a "giving loop" where community members support local businesses, local businesses support schools, and schools support the community through quality education for our children.

DonorNation provides communities with the service, resources and tools to unlock the power of their neighborhoods. Our vision of the future is a nation of donors, where neighbor-helps-neighbor, to collectively address one of the nation's greatest challenges, ensuring quality education for our children, while building and sustaining local communities.

In the DonorNation marketplace, profit means purpose and buying means giving. With each transaction you will be investing in the
lives of children in your community through education, by empowering schools with a new, sustainable model for fundraising. Further, you will be supporting businesses who are dedicated to the greater good.

To realize this vision, we must  return to the old school concept of the neighborhood unit.  It will make Mr. Rogers, in his cardigan sweater, proud.

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