Raise5

Raise5
Type of business Private
Type of site
 Online Charitable Marketplace
Available in English
Headquarters Chicago, Illinois
Area served Worldwide
Founder(s) Mike Tang, Hassan Hassan, Shayan Nahrvar
Employees 5
Slogan(s) Have Fun Giving
Website www.Raise5.com
Alexa rank 1,645,883 (As of 23 January 2013)[1]
Launched Feb 2012
Current status Active

Raise5 is an organization that allows individuals and groups to fundraise for charities and non-profits through micro-volunteering. Users exchange goods and services to raise money for their selected charity, with Raise5 taking an 8% fee on the transaction. According to the "Our Beliefs" section of their website, "...money is not the sole measure of success, but rather a fuel that sustains a business and drives real change."[2]

Other related sites include Justgiving, Crowdrise, and Charitykick. Raise5's emphasis is on keeping communities engaged in activism by allowing them to meet other needs (playing, developing a skill, building a portfolio, buying a valued service) while also supporting a cause.[3][4] One reviewer writes that "the vast majority [of services] are actually useful opportunities" but also that "several of the services are a bit out there."[4]

History

The idea was first pitched at a Startup Weekend event in Toronto at the end of 2011. The first service provided was for one of the co-founders to wear an animal costume and dance.[5] In May 2012, Raise5 won Sir Richard Branson's 500 contestant "Screw Business as Usual" competition.[5][6] In September 2012, Raise5 began work with "Impact Engine", a startup accelerator led by Chuck Templeton (founder of OpenTable).[5][7]

References

  1. ↑ "Raise5.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2013-01-23.
  2. ↑ www.Raise5.com, "About Us" section, accessed January 23 2013
  3. ↑ www.Raise5.com, "Values" section, accessed January 23 2013
  4. 1 2 "Got A Talent? Raise5 Lets You Use It To Raise Money For Causes", Fast Company, Whitney Pastorek, accessed January 23 2013
  5. 1 2 3 www.Raise5.com, "History" section, accessed January 23 2013
  6. ↑ "Virgin Unite, Jamie Oliver Food Foundation Name Raise5 Winner Of 'Screw Business As Usual' Competition", HuffingtonPost, Alicia Ciccone, published 05/14/2012, accessed January 23 2013
  7. ↑ "Impact Engine Accepts First Batch Of Startups For Social Enterprise", Forbes, Tomio Geron, published August 7 2012, accessed January 23 2013


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