HP Business Class: Nathalie Whitaker of Givealittle

Nathalie Whitaker of Givealittle. Photo / Sarah Ivey

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Anyone who's 30 or older will remember how fundraising used to go. Someone needing money might collect cash on a street corner, or painstakingly colour in a fundraising thermometer to measure progress.

These days, it's a lot easier thanks to the Givealittle platform. It allows people to collect money for their cause online. Givealittle was created by Nathalie Whitaker, who grew up with a real concern for the world around her. She also had a very early understanding of the limits of government.

"I remember quite distinctly sitting at my grandparents on the typewriter as a 7-year-old, writing a letter to the Prime Minister about the plight of seal cubs being hunted for fur."

Out of that kind of social interest, she wanted to come up with a better way of getting issues solved. After studying business and political science at Victoria University, she was keen to see how "business could be used for better".

Nathalie came up with the idea of Givealittle, which has raised an astounding $170 million so far. But for Nathalie, her lifelong care for the world around her has already led her down a new path. She's now heading up an impact investment company called Toha – working to channel funds into averting climate crisis.

To hear more about Nathalie and her next venture, listen to her episode of HP Business Class here: