Harnessing Facebook to launch ‘couch philanthropists’
Steve Landes could smell the smoke as he walked down his street in the Delawanda neighborhood near Clintonville.
Through social media, he’d heard there had been a possible house fire nearby, but he had no idea the heavy smoke would still be lingering a day later or that he might see people hauling piles of damaged items from the house.
His instincts to help kicked in — so he turned to the internet.
The 42-year-old asked his 3,600 Facebook friends to lend a hand, something those followers have grown accustomed to over the past six months.
“I posted a photo of the house and the fire damage and said, ‘If you have some spare change in your couch cushions’ — that’s how I typically word it — ‘this family could use some help,’” Landes said.
Within 48 hours last week, the group raised more than $5,000 for Mike Wilson, owner of the home, and his two sons.
“It’s the kind of thing you only hear about,” said Wilson, a crack in his voice as emotions overwhelmed him. “To be on the recipient side of things out of the blue is just unbelievable.”
But that’s how it works with Couch Philanthropy, as Landes
has dubbed his grassroots social media fundraising efforts that organizes via his personal Facebook page.
In a few days, Landes and his hefty Facebook following can raise a couple hundred dollars to pay an electricity bill for a single mom or a couple thousand dollars to help a grieving family bury their teenage son.
Grandma is on a fixed income and hasn’t had a new mattress in 30 years? No problem. Landes’ Facebook friends will simply send him cash via Venmo or another cash app until they’ve raised enough to buy one. Same for your houseless friend who just got a construction job but needs help affording safety gear.
“It’s the easiest way to scratch a philanthropic itch, and you can do good from your couch,” Landes said. “There are so many good people out there with a couple extra bucks, and so many people just need a hand up and a couple bucks.”
Landes prefers the “asks” to have a specific goal — such as the cost of a medical bill or a new washer and dryer. Typically, it takes his group three or four days to hit that mark.
These days, the group — a collection of friends and acquaintances from his years as a bartender, rugby player and coach, and overall friendly guy — is able to complete about five requests a month.
“There are definitely no rules to this,” Landes said. “I shoot from the hip and try to help any legitimate ask.”
He said many of the needs are emergency ones, in which people don’t have time to jump through the hoops of governmental assistance or even traditional nonprofits. Most recipients are local and either discovered by Landes or suggested by his vast network.
He had often wondered how to mobilize his thousands of friends for a greater purpose. When Landes, who is married with a 13-year-old son, lost two jobs in the service industry at the start of the pandemic, he finally figured out how to do that.
At first, he simply helped friends working at local nonprofits raise money for their causes, but then in October, he asked for money specifically for a waitress he knew to pay for car repairs.
After that, requests for help kept coming — and since October, Landes and his Facebook following have doled out roughly $40,000.
Rob Curtis donated to Couch Philanthropy a few times — Landes comes into the gym where he works — never expecting that he’d ever be on the receiving end. But life happens, he said, and he was fortunate to have a friend like Landes, who has the trust and ear of thousands of ready-to-help strangers.
Curtis’ father, who lives in Florida, was hit by a car in January, and the 30-year-old Clintonville resident needed funds to visit him. A few days later, Landes sent Curtis $800 via Venmo, courtesy of his fundraising efforts.
“It was a lifesaver,” Curtis said. “With all the things I was worried about (with) my dad, I was also worrying if I’d have enough gas money to get back or money for a hotel or food while I was there. It was critical, the help I got.
“It took multiple stressors off my mind so I could focus on Dad getting better.”
Curtis hesitated to ask for help, but Couch Philanthropy’s quick and mostly anonymous process took some of the stigma away from reaching out, he said.
“Some people don’t ask, and they find themselves in really poor times,” Curtis said. “Nobody expects a family emergency like that, and you have to leave town in 72 hours.”
While making it easier for recipients to get financial aid, Couch Philanthropy also has streamlined the process for giving, said Jessica Bishop, a regular donor.
“There’s not a form to fill out, no paperwork,” said Bishop, 39, of the University District. “You don’t have to worry about the overhead. It’s a direct payment to whoever needs it.”
Bishop, who met Landes when he managed a tavern that she frequents, said she trusts him with the money she gives, and it helps that there’s always a very tangible reason for the donations.
“It’s a direct way to support people in my community, and Steve is the perfect conduit for it,” Bishop said.
Mike Ryan, a friend from Landes’ rugby career as both a player and coach, said he began contributing due to the ease of the transactions and immediacy of the impact.
“On Monday, he asks for some money, and by Friday he’s telling you what he did with it,” said Ryan, of Springfield Township in Hamilton County. “There’s very little bureaucracy.”
Wilson’s house caught fire on March 22 due to faulty wiring, and before the weekend, he had more than $5,000 sent to his Venmo account by Landes, collected by the “couch philanthropists.”
Wilson said the house is most likely salvageable; however, the family lost a bird and a beloved dog named Kirby to smoke inhalation. Their kitten, Minge, and other dog, Pogo, both had to be hospitalized for injuries over several days. Wilson said much of the money received from Couch Philanthropy will help pay for those medical expenses.
“It’s been an ugly four years around the country with everyone hating each other,” Wilson said. “To do all this, it’s revitalized some hope in me.”
Landes is more than happy to be the connection between all these good deeds.
He’s in the process of filling out paperwork to become an official nonprofit and he just created a website at www.couchphilanthropy. org. Couch Philanthropy will continue to evolve as much as it needs to help the most people, he said.
“Giving away money is the best feeling I’ve ever had in my life,” Landes said. “People just don’t realize they have that many people looking out for them.”