It was 2017 and Martin Diamond, founder and CEO digital media firm VURIA, LLC, was brainstorming. The father of three saw something he realized he wanted to change - the negativity of social media.
So he created Kindli, a platform focuses on the good and eliminates the negative. There’s no bullying or hateful language and there are no depressing conversations about news or politics. Instead, the narrative is on kindness and positivity.
“It really just was trying to figure out a path to fix what I saw were the major flaws in those platforms that were allowing them to be abused and taken over by hate, and, essentially, allowing them to become a very, very toxic environment.” Martin explains.
During development, Kindli attracted a number of outstanding personalities; football star Tim Tebow, three-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings, and WWE star Thaddeus Ballard (also known as Titus O’Neil). Darleen Santore, also known as Coach Dar and for her work with professional athletes, also signed on as the CKO—Chief Kindness Officer.
So, what exactly is Kindli?
It looks and acts similarly to social media apps with which most of us are familiar, but everything on the site is positive and kind acts are celebrated. It’s a safe space for people to connect and where they can be inspired or inspire others.
Kindli Cards
In addition to the platform, Kindli provides a home for the “Pay It Forward” movement with real-world Kindli Cards™, a method of tracking kind acts worldwide.
Diamond describes them in a Starbucks drive-thru “pay it forward” experience. A Kindli user would leave a Kindli Card with the barista and ask them to give it to the car behind them when they tell them their order was paid for. The card has no details on it that would personally identify the card’s giver, just a QR code. If the person who was on the receiving end wanted to say thank you, they could scan the card with their phone and send an anonymous thank you message, photo, or video to the Kindli member. That member could then share that message to their Kindli profile to inspire others to perform their own acts of kindness. They may reveal their identity and connect on the platform if they choose.
The cards are intended to inspire kindness and to track the number of acts they inspired. Kindli’s goal is to inspire one billion acts of kindness around the world.
Making it a Positive Place
Creating an account on Kindle is free.
The first time a member comments or posts content, they are must make a one-time, $1 payment, which Kindli donates in full to a charity, including United Way Worldwide, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, ASPCA, GLAAD, Special Olympics, Disabled Veterans, Susan G. Komen, Tim Tebow Foundation, and Bullard Family Foundation. The proceeds help with another of Kindli’s goals—to donate one billion dollars to nonprofit organizations.
Diamond agrees that inspiring one billion acts of kindness across the globe and donating one billion dollars to charity are big goals, but says confidently, “Yes, they are lofty goals, but I think with this platform we can reach them.
Redefining the Influencer
Kindli also aims to change the current perception of what it means to be an influencer on social media. Martin says, “On Kindli, rather than putting the focus on just likes and popularity, our emphasis is more on what have you done to make a difference, and how much of an impact are you making?”
Everyone from companies to celebrities to individuals can show the world how much they are an influencer by the number of Kindli cards they’ve given out, based on the number that will be linked to their profile.
Spot the Bus
Kindli has a dedicated bus with their “Street Team,” making stops to do random acts of kindness. Tebow and the Street Team took the bus to a gas station and surprised customers by paying for their gas. Tebow actually pumped their gas and cleaned their windshields! They also stopped by a teen football practice, where Tebow gave the team an inspiring speech, and one more stop at a grocery store to pay for customers’ groceries.
“I hope this platform helps the well-being of people and lifts up their spirits to inspire them to serve. This is going to change the word for better,” says CKO Darleen.
Find Kindli at Kindli.org, or download the mobile app in the App Store or Google Play.
