What Matters To Me: Muhammad Alfatih Timur, Founder Of Crowdfunding Platform Kitabisa

The founder of social crowdfunding platform Kitabisa says success can’t be measured in numbers

In the What Matters To Me series, a Generation T honouree describes what they do, why they do it, and why it matters

Muhammad Alfatih Timur helps Indonesians raise money for good causes. The crowdfunding platform he founded, Kitabisa, allows people in need to ask for financial help for everything from medical care to animal shelters, and makes it simple and seamless for others to contribute. Here, he describes his work in his own words.

I believe that when we are doing something together, everything is possible. This is the case with Kitabisa, which started as a fundraising project for a school and became a crowdfunding platform that helps with many social issues. My dad also inspired me—he is a doctor who loves to help people despite the fact that you always give more than what you get in return. “Kita” means “us” and “bisa” means “can,” which reflects our country’s gotong royong [mutual co-operation] principle to share hardship together.

I believe that this platform can truly help those in need

- Muhammad Alfatih Timur -

Growing a social enterprise needs trust, which is a value we have upheld since the beginning and will never disregard. I believe that this platform can truly help those in need, even though in the first year I was the one standing up for Kitabisa when others could not fully commit to the project—until I met Vikra, now Kitabisa’s vice president, in our second year. One vivid example was when I went to the hospital to meet a father who had raised money through Kitabisa to save his newborn baby. He hugged me while crying and said that each rupiah had extended his daughter’s life.

We gain trust from the public by verifying all the people who start a fundraiser, and we match their identity card with a selfie to prevent fraud. In addition, from all the payments taken by Kitabisa, only 5 percent goes to our own operations while the rest goes to the fundraiser, and we are transparent about this.

Kitabisa is here to help people as a social enterprise, and our achievements cannot be measured according to certain standards. It’s enough when we meet those whose causes we’ve helped and to know that Kitabisa has made a difference in their lives.

See more honourees from the Social Entrepreneurship category of the Gen.T List 2019.

Topics

Social Entrepreneurship Philanthropy Indonesia Crowdsource Charity Fundraise

Tatler Asia

What Matters To Me: Muhammad Alfatih Timur, Founder Of Crowdfunding Platform Kitabisa