GiveForward.com
| Web address | www |
|---|---|
| Commercial? | Yes |
|
Type of site
|
Online fundraising |
| Registration | Required |
| Launched | 14 August 2008 |
| Current status | Online |
GiveForward.com was launched on August 14, 2008 in Chicago, Illinois. It is an online fundraising tool designed to help people raise money for the causes and organizations that they care about. GiveForward.com has become popular among the growing number of people who fundraise to help pay for a loved one's medical bills. The Chicago Tribune called it the "future of medical fundraising in the Internet Age."
Users have initiated fundraising pages on GiveForward.com to raise money for medical expenses incurred by a friend, a family member, or even a pet. In March of 2009, two sisters used the site to raise $32,000 to pay for one sister's kidney transplant. [1]
The platform charges a 7.9% fee + $0.50 per transaction and claims to have raised over $163,000,00 for its users.[2]
World Give Day
World Give Day was launched by GiveForward in 2010 for May 4 as "one day a year when people focus on giving. One day when people across the United States can join together to make a difference. One day, where every person, regardless of age or income level, can collectively have a huge impact. Whether people give money, time, resources, or random acts of kindness, it all helps."[3]
GiveForward started an online and physical petition to support National Give Day.[4] The purpose of this collection of signatures was to encourage the Mayor of Chicago, Richard M. Daley, to make May 4, 2010 the first National Give Day.[4]
Business Model
GiveForward.com, an American organization, has found a niche in the online fundraising industry by being one of few sites that allows people to fundraise for projects that are not affiliated with a registered 501(c)(3) (United States Internal Revenue Code). Due to the absence of this prerequisite, GiveForward cannot be designated a non-profit itself.
GiveForward operates as a for-profit company with a social mission[5]
Fees and Criticism
GiveForward.com has received some criticism for its fees. The platform charges 7.9% on all transactions, which includes the per transaction fee charged by credit card companies.[6]
References
- ↑ http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/triage/2009/03/sisters-raise-29000-on-the-internet-for-a-kidney-transplant.html#more
- ↑ www.giveforward.com see "How it works".
- ↑ http://www.care2.com/causes/politics/blog/national-give-day/
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://www.giveforward.org/blog/national-give-day-may-4th-2010
- ↑ http://mashable.com/2009/07/29/gen-y-startups-social-media/
- ↑ Holiday, Ryan. Skimming Off The Top: Social Giving Sites Take a Huge Cut Of The Check. Betabeat. May 27, 2014.
