What is The Canopy Club?Donors
The core contributions to The Aspen Project (TAP) are not need-specific and are subject to modest underwriting and speculative selection. This "freedom of funding" could be a little too frivolous for those that are looking to contribute larger sums of money.
The Canopy Club was created to provide a more structured approach with greater control over where your donations go. .
Canopy members have the ability to choose a cause that is important to them and their funding. These "causes" include (subject to change based on the requests of donors and receivers):
1. Medical Expenses
2. Education Expenses
3. Entreprenurial Ventures
4. Homestead/"Off-Grid" Aspirations
When signing up for a Canopy donation, "one of the above" or "all of the above" will need to be selected ("all of the above" is a donation cast to pay the 1st request).
Donations will accumulate for these causes, and be paid out based on availability of funds.
Unlike TAP donations, requests and funding will carryover from month to month.
As a Canopy member, you may select for us to require approval before acceptance/payment.
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Those seeking funding DO have the option of requesting through standard TAP and Canopy, but their request will NOT be fulfilled through both. If standard TAP funding is granted, their request will be removed from Canopy database (and vise versa).
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At the close of each month Canopy investors will receive a summary of outstanding Canopy requests and will be given the option to apply funds, or carryover (carryover will always be the default).
Unlike core TAP memberships, Canopy members do not need to set up recurring donations. If you do choose to set up recurring donations ($1K+/mo), new donations will be treated the same as current funding in place for your desired cause.
Because the nature of these canopy requests could be urgent, Canopy members have the option to opt-in for real time updates when requests are received. Unlike core TAP payments, Canopy payments can be made immediately once approved.
What is The Canopy Club?
Receivers
The best way to explain the difference between a Canopy and a core receiver is to explain why the canopy exists.
When dreaming up the idea ofThe Aspen Project I had this vision of everyone being free and liberal with whatever they could afford. Everyone would know it was going to a good cause and trust the process, so they would just be throwing money in to it like it was going to save our future! Having spent some time in the retirement world of finance, I'd seen it all the time. Aging IRA account holders just dumping money out of their retirement accounts to charities, thousands of dollars at a time. "Why wouldn't they do that for me, for TAP?" I asked.
Then I began thinking on an individual realistic level, rather than as a group and hypothetical. I thought about those that I've rubbed shoulders with in my life that would have thousands to contribute to a cause, and realized that maybe 5% of them would blindly give $1k+ to a cause that they were unsure of EXACTLY where it was going. One does not acquire thousands of dollars of expendable assets without a high degree of discernment of where their donations are going.
And so, the Canopy was born. Together we (the perspective receiver and The Aspen Project) will be going to these donors with a very specific ask, and very specific cause. These causes have to align with what the donor is willing to support, there has to be some urgency and some organization around the request, and the donor has to have the opportunity to decline. The receiver and the donor(s) should also have the option to work together on the request.
For example, if the receiver is looking to start an off-grid community and the donor is a partner in a company that builds tiny homes, or drills wells, why wouldn't we try to connect these two?
Or, if the receiver is seeking money for cosmetology school and the donor runs a hair salon, shouldn't they connect?
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So what are we asking from the receiver? Upon submitting your request, understand that you're seeking more than just a quick donation. You're potentially looking for partnership, or mentorship. Instead of putting a hand out, you're opening a door.
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From the perspective of a canopy receiver, I would view this as potentially building a relationship with someone who is INVESTING in you, your health, your vision, your future. Your submitted request should reflect your desire for this relationship, and you will have the opportunity and necessity to be able to speak to it.