Philanthropy has a place in politics because politics is about public service and philanthropy is one way to serve the public. 

Did you know, $14 billion was spent on U.S. elections in 2020? Read that again. So, how does spending $14 billion on politics help the common good?

Imagine the impact $14 billion could have if it was donated to charities or philanthropic organizations. Imagine the lives that could be changed if $14 billion went to nonprofits doing good work, but that simply did not have the funds to reach their goals.

Sparo plans to lend a helping hand through its trademark. “Vote4Good™,” an online game that serves as a transparent and philanthropic movement. In this game, users can predict who will win in the gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey, as well as the mayoral race in New York City. Users will then donate a certain amount of money to place their predictions. 10% of the initial donation will immediately go to the charity of the user’s choosing, while the other 90% goes into the total Vote4Good donation pot. Once the election is over, the randomly-generated winner will be a user whose prediction was correct. They will then have the opportunity to donate the sum of all the user donations to the charity of their choice. That’s not all – the starting pot is valued at $10,000! In this way, by playing just one game, users have the opportunity to win and donate this total sum to the charity of their choosing. Best of all? All donations are tax-deductible.

“Vote4Good” grants users the chance to transform a small donation into a meaningful impact. It encourages users to think of what their monetary donations can do for others when $20 has the potential to become $20,000. Sparo’s philanthropic partners have included Save A Child’s Heart, the Maryland Food Bank, and Lucky Dog, to name a few. Users will be able to donate to local or national nonprofits that they are personally invested in.

Sparo believes that “Vote4Good” has the potential to leverage individual political interests for the sake of nonprofits by inspiring people to take philanthropic action. Furthermore, Sparo’s Vote4Good has the potential to encourage corporations to become part of this movement to bring more transparency to “Public Square.” And last but not least, due to their personal donation habits, voters might feel inclined and encouraged to vote for candidates who they view as more charitable.

While “Vote4Good” is still in its nascence, the movement can, without a doubt, be scaled nationally and then internationally. The game’s premise is to encourage people to do good while acknowledging their civic duties; with “Vote4Good,” every vote counts.

“Vote4Good” plans to be not only a gift that keeps giving but also a gift of giving.

Rob Sobhani, the Founder and CEO of Sparo, believes that “Vote4Good” is more than a game and trusts that this intersection of philanthropy and politics can become a movement.

Sobhani says, “The goal of politics is public service, and each one of us is put on this earth for this purpose. Vote4Good is another one of these ways that we can do good.”