Co-founder of Give A Little JD Trask on Phoenix star's international surgery fund

Phoenix striker and Nepalese football star Sabitra Bhandari, also known as Samba, has raised over $57,000 NZD for a surgery. After tearing her ACL, Samba wants $135,000 NZD treatment in Qatar, where she went to previously. 

The Phoenix insurance policy has offered 25,000 surgery and rehab in NZ, and the Nepalese governing body is contributing $6,000 NZD. 

Nick speaks with co-founder of Give A Little JD Trask on the purpose of the app, and if this cause is over the line in what is expected from the app.

Since this interview Samba has requested supporters stop donating as she has reached her the amount needed. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from news Talk said, b.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
J D Trusk has just joined us in the studio. Now, JD.
We've had a bit to do with you over the
last year or so and we enjoy having you on
the show with your outspoken thoughts. And one of the
things that you're well known for is being involved and
Give a Little. You know, you were the the IT
company and the company that set up. Explain that to us.

Speaker 3 (00:32):
Yeah, So Give a Little was built, you know, over
over a decade ago and when it was founded it
was a combination between Movac local investment firm here in
Wellington Natalie Whittaker who is the CEO there, and we
were brought in as an equity partner so effectively in
the founding group there to build Give a Little. So
we were shareholders in the business from the first line

(00:53):
of code to launching it to the eventual sailor i
think in twenty twelve, to the Spark Foundation and now
it's moved on again. So we were really heavily involved
at that very beginning. We're not involved anymore obviously post
the exit of it.

Speaker 2 (01:07):
So that's exactly why I wanted to talk to you
when you were setting this up, when you were putting
it together, was some the sort of person that you
were hoping would be coming on give a little and
trying to raise money for an operation like this.

Speaker 3 (01:21):
Well, part of the idea was to actually give a
direct line for people to fund what they wanted. So
it was sort of saying, rather than giving to a
charity and then having a blurry line between the actual impact.
You know, you see your direct dollars as much as
possible going straight to the person in need. Now, I
will say I've looked a little bit into this case here,
and it does raise an eyebrow.

Speaker 2 (01:43):
You know.

Speaker 3 (01:44):
We used to joke a little bit, you know, back
back when we were building it, you know, like what
would stop me from running a campaign that just says
buy me an xbox? You know? And it was like, well,
the reality is nobody cares enough to buy me an xbox,
so they're not going to donate that.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
So then that hold on. Then I'm going to say
to you, what about a high profile person that's looking
for that and you want to help. I mean, this
is where the plant where it gets blurry to me.

Speaker 3 (02:06):
One hundred percent, so people bring their own tribe with
them right to raise and we see this both by
the way, Give a Little is an awesome success in
New Zealand, and there are other platforms similar to it overseas,
you know, for other localities, And that's the same thing
that kind of happens as you start to see people
turn up and look for money, and they do have
an audience, and it's a mechanism by which to get

(02:27):
that money more easily. But you do want to stop
and ask the question is this really necessary? Is this
the best use? Now? I've got to be honest. If
I'm sitting on Give a Little and I'm looking at
say a family saying, hey we've got a child with
first degree burns and you know we're in a financial mess,
I'm probably going to go and donate to that because
then a preference to go to Qatar.

Speaker 2 (02:47):
Right, So, once again, what's stopping somebody like that getting
an Xbox? Yeah, so if her operation costs one hundred
and twenty five thousand and she's got ten thousand extra,
well I might as well get a new set of
headphones or an Xbox on my trip over It.

Speaker 3 (03:04):
Is it is high trust and look to super clear,
like I have not kept up with changes in terms
of service on there, but there was an element of, hey,
we need to keep the trust high back in the day,
you know, so we were auditing. You'd have to also
get some of the campaigns approved. So usually there's a
note on there saying this one has actually been looked into,

(03:24):
invalidated a little bit by the team, or this is
just an open project or a campaign.

Speaker 2 (03:28):
So how did this one sneak through?

Speaker 3 (03:30):
Well, you'd have to ask the people working there at
the moment, because I wasn't part of that.

Speaker 2 (03:35):
But if it was back to when you were setting up,
would you have got this if you were in that group,
would you think this was what their money should be done?
How money be raisedful?

Speaker 3 (03:45):
Well, I'll be honest. I can't speak for the others,
but speaking for myself, I would be torn on it
because on the one hand, you do want people to
be aware of the site that there is an ability
to raise so there is a point of sort of
saying there could be value here. At the same time,
we were being really mindful that you did that. You
wanted serious causes because again, people who are looking to
donate are looking for impact. Yep, they're wanting to feel like,

(04:09):
you know, they're helping. Yeah, that donation is really really helping.
Just hearing Max they're talking about the knee surgeons here
in Wellington. You know, I've got to be honest, I
didn't know that. I haven't had any problems knock on
wood so far. But at the same time, you do
start to really question why this is necessary, and furthermore,
why it's for the total amount when there are contributors outside.

Speaker 2 (04:30):
Of that twenty five grand from the insurance company already
there exactly.

Speaker 3 (04:33):
That starts to get a little suspicious to me. I
won't be donating, let me put it that way.

Speaker 2 (04:39):
Is there anything in place you know that that could
stop this sort of stuff happening.

Speaker 3 (04:46):
There are processes around there for reviewing them, and causes
do get taken down, But again that's going to rely
on the take of the people there now and what
their policies currently.

Speaker 2 (04:55):
Are, and the fact that we're talking about it for
an hour on a radio show and these article has
been done. Surely they'll be looking at to.

Speaker 3 (05:02):
Yes, one hundred percent, they will be Yeah, Yes, JD.

Speaker 2 (05:06):
Always great to talk. Thank you, appreciate you coming over
and having a chat. Go back to your go back
to your office. Make lots of money, keep the keep
the wheels of motion going. Don't feel getting We are
getting better.

Speaker 3 (05:16):
It's on the mend.

Speaker 1 (05:19):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
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