Clam Lorenz, Director, Nonprofit Engagement, PayPal
The Alzheimer’s Association is the world's leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer's care, support and research. Dagmar and I discussed their mission and the ways in which PayPal helps along the way.
Can you introduce us to the Alzheimer’s Association?
Alzheimer’s is a 24/7 disease and we are a 24/7 organization – serving families any time, day or night at our 24/7 Helpline and website. We have offices in communities nationwide working on research, advocacy, support and awareness. We’ve been helping families and funding research for about 30 years and have already seen incredible advances in the understanding of this devastating disease from the perspectives of both research and care and support – but we have a long way to go, and 5.4 million Americans (and their families) to serve! There is hope on the horizon and we are leading the way to a world without Alzheimer’s!
What makes your organization unique?
We are unique because we take a big-picture, strategic approach to end this disease and its devastating effect on families: We are the largest private, nonprofit funder of Alzheimer’s research; at the same time, we are driving the grassroots movement to end Alzheimer’s through advocacy and awareness; we mobilize communities nationwide at Walk to End Alzheimer’s; we are square one for education, and thousands of families reach out to us for help and support every day. Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s isn’t easy, but reaching us is, and while there is no encyclopedia for this disease, we are helping families get on the right page.
What are some of your biggest challenges in serving your mission?
We currently see an unfathomable approach to Alzheimer’s disease – lots of denial and misunderstandings about the disease from health professionals, as well ass communities and families. We sum it up in one word: STIGMA. People often think memory loss is just a normal part of aging, but Alzheimer’s is a progressive brain disease that causes severe memory loss and so much more. It kills more people each year than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. It has no cure, no means of prevention, there is no way to even slow this disease. While we do see Alzheimer’s cases in people as young as 40, the risk of getting the disease increases with age – and seniors are often a forgotten and neglected population. The Alzheimer’s Association is leading the movement to change people’s understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and we are making progress, but we need more people to open their eyes to the facts about Alzheimer’s.
How is PayPal Here helping you to collect donations?
We use PayPal Here to take donations at our fundraising events such as Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Equipping the volunteers was remarkably easy. We set up PayPal accounts for them before the event, so they arrived with the app already on their devices.
And they needed very little training – everyone found the app super easy to use.
Roving donations were also embraced by walkers and other event attendees. I had one 80-year-old donor who was amazed at the technology. He had already made a gift at another walk, but wanted to donate again with the PayPal Here device.
We were also able to save on the cost of renting credit-card machines and were able to capture more spontaneous donations thanks to the roaming volunteers.
Would you recommend PayPal to another nonprofit? Why?
Yes! It’s fast and easy (for both us and the donor).
How can someone who’s interested get involved in the Alzheimers Association’s work?
We always need volunteers – in our offices, for Walk, advocacy and more! People can also connect with us on social media, and share the facts or visit our website’s volunteer area. Of course, we welcome donations and new fundraisers.