We’ve talked a lot about what $0$ is. Now let’s talk about what $0$ isn’t.

$0$ is not a charity

While we here at $0$ do provide aid to those who need it, we do not consider ourselves a charity. We are a service provider. We enable people to help others and to help themselves. We make navigating the systems that various government and non-profit organizations have set up easier so that people can more readily receive aid from those organizations, aid they may not have been able to receive, or even have known they qualified for without $0$. We also make it easier for individuals to help each other by taking care of a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of logistics. We centralize things, so that there is one place to contact, and one place to donate.

$0$ is not for profit

We at $0$ do a lot of stuff with data. In fact, we couldn’t provide the services we provide without using data. One of the ways that we use data is that we sell it. This can raise concerns about how we treat your data, and what our motivations are. $0$ exists for one reason: to help people. We do not exist to make a profit. Money made from the sale of data covers operating expenses, so that $0$ can keep running, and any money left over is used to provide services to those that need it. We are not here to pad our bank accounts. We are here to help people who might not even have a bank account.

$0$ is non-discriminatory

At $0$, we believe that kindness is universal. We are all humans together. Nobody gets out of this life alive. And while death may be even-handed, life rarely is. That is why we believe that it is critically important that we leave no one behind. $0$ accepts everyone who believes in kindness. We don’t care what color your skin is, what’s in your pants, what your religion is, or anything else about you. The only thing that we care about is that you believe in compassion, and sharing that compassion with others.

$0$ is non-partisan

$0$ is or will be, what the IRS calls a 501(c)(4): a social welfare organization. That is a type of non-profit that exists to do good in the community. To quote the IRS itself “To be operated exclusively to promote social welfare, an organization must operate primarily to further the common good and general welfare of the people of the community (such as by bringing about civic betterment and social improvements)“. We do this mainly by helping individuals gain access to various aid programs, as well as by helping them directly. However, in the future, we intend to take advantage of the ability of a social welfare organization to lobby for and against legislation, specifically any legislation that directly impacts the systems in place that drive people into poverty and keep them there. $0$ does not identify with any political party. Although we will be active in the political area, our only political stance is that the current system is broken and needs to be fixed. We will advocate for and against legislation accordingly. We identify with issues, not affiliation.