FUNDRAISING
Give A Little | August 12, 2022
Give A Little today celebrates reaching £10m in donation revenues. This is a significant milestone that reflects over 4,000 charities who have made the move to cashless fundraising with the platform, taking payment card donations via contactless, Chip+PIN and online donations.
The Give A Little platform provides the point-of-donation experience for donors and campaign management for charities to set up their fundraising. The service launched in 2019 and supports charities of all sizes, including Cancer Research UK, London Zoo, and the Church of England.
All charities now need technology for handling cashless donations as donors have largely moved away from cash. According to CAF's 2021 UK Giving Report, just 7% of donors used cash in January 2021, and Give A Little has seen more than a fivefold increase in the number of cashless donations being made using its platform year on year (May 20-21/ May 21/22).
Give A Little's core mission is to reduce the cost barrier for charities moving to cashless and to thereafter shield them from the cost of technology change, which is increasing dramatically as new payment methods proliferate. The platform is built on a model where charities bringing in higher revenues subscribe to a Premium Account, which enables charities just starting, or micro charities who will never take much in the way of donations, to benefit from a free Basic Account.
"The Give A Little team is incredibly proud to reach this £10m milestone. We set out to ensure charities, especially the smallest ones, would not be left behind by the acceleration towards a cashless society and it's testament to the team's dedication that we have built such a robust customer base in such a short time, and mainly through word of mouth. We designed Give A Little from the outset to easily accommodate changing technology and to integrate with a range of portable and fixed donation points and a choice of payment processors. This allows charities to keep up with the latest innovations while at the same time eliminating technology risks and the inherent costs of change, and helps further by removing the need for staff to be trained as experts."
-Ben Stewart, Co-Founder Give A Little.
Our unique model as a point-of-donation platform enables us to offer charities reliability and resilience over very long periods of time. We achieve this while also being an affordable way to get started with cashless fundraising. Additionally, we believe strongly in making the donor experience as best as it can possibly be, whether that's by offering donors a choice of donation amounts or presenting them with a visually engaging campaign screen, and that builds trust with the charity. Our specialisation around the point-of-donation experience leads to industry leading average donation values (over £10 for App donations and £40 for Web donations). We look forward to helping many more charities increase their donation revenues and to thrive even in difficult times.
About Give A Little:
Give A Little aims to be the most easy-to-use, flexible and affordable way for charities of all sizes to collect donations in a cashless society. The Give A Little point-of-donation platform was founded by parent company, Caution Your Blast Ltd. (CYB) as part of its commitment to using digital as a force for good. CYB is one of the UK's leading digital practices and a provider of digital service design and software development to the UK Government and clients such as IKEA.
Give A Little came about after CYB worked with BT in 2016 to develop the first contactless donation solution with a touch screen - the Digital Tin. Trials of the Digital Tin were very successful, with charities like Comic Relief, Cancer Research and UNICEF loving the solution. Through this important work, CYB identified that smaller charities needed the support of a sponsor to be able to afford contactless donation solutions as the cost of entry was too high, sometimes even for bigger charities. So Give A Little was set up to drive down the cost of accessing cashless donations for charities of all sizes, as it was out of reach for many.
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FUNDRAISING
Indiegogo | August 12, 2022
Today, two of the biggest names in crowdfunding, Indiegogo and StartEngine, teamed up to ensure that startups have continuous access to the capital they need. In a move that's the first of its kind, Indiegogo will now share its enormous community of entrepreneurs and backers with StartEngine for follow-on funding rounds all the way through Series C (up to $75M per year). The exclusive deal between the two constitutes an unprecedented leap forward for StartEngine and equity crowdfunding, while delivering concrete benefits for both sides:
Indiegogo's community of 800,000+ founders now have an avenue to continue fundraising, while its 11M backers can further support projects they believe in.
Similarly, StartEngine's investor community gets a massive influx of new investment opportunities, and companies raising on the platform can reach a larger audience.
Teaming up with a global fundraising giant adds yet another layer of credibility to StartEngine's brand of equity crowdfunding and demonstrates its viability as an alternative to traditional funding sources.
The collaboration between the two could not come at a better time either. After an initial post-pandemic boom in investment and soaring tech valuations, funding for startups worldwide fell 23% between the first and second quarter of 2022. Economic uncertainty and dwindling stock market returns severely impacted venture capital portfolios and deal-making activity. As a result, savvy founders are now seeking alternative funding sources to help keep their startup dreams alive.
"At a pivotal moment for founders when many VC firms have slowed their pace of investments, we've joined forces with a fellow leader in crowdfunding to ensure startups consistently raise the capital they need. What we have created is a funding ecosystem from an idea stage through Series C, As we're seeing in our current economy, you never know what's coming around the corner…you protect your company by continually raising and maintaining sufficient capital."
-Howard Marks, the founder and CEO of StartEngine, explains the unique advantages of joining Indiegogo and StartEngine's platforms.
The Indiegogo/StartEngine startup ecosystem flow:
Launch a rewards-based crowdfunding campaign on the Indiegogo platform to introduce or solidify a new concept and acquire customers.
Raise funds for proof of concept and minimum viable product or prototype and build an enthusiastic community of backers.
Migrate the community as the company transitions to StartEngine to launch a regulation crowdfunding campaign.
Raise capital to scale the business while simultaneously acquiring new shareholders who serve as champions of the brand, motivated to see it succeed.
Becky Center, the CEO of Indiegogo, believes that joining forces with StartEngine will prove immensely beneficial for the companies crowdfunding on the Indiegogo platform. Calling the collaboration "a perfect segue," Center shares, "A startup can begin raising capital with us to fortify a concept, acquire customers and scale, and when the time comes, we can pass the baton to StartEngine to help them attract shareholders and raise the rest of the way."
While many founders assume venture capital funding is a necessity, Marks thinks otherwise, especially now the two crowdfunding platforms have teamed up: "The truth is some businesses may never have to take venture capital." Case in point, funds raised on Indiegogo, combined with equity crowdfunding on StartEngine – which can reach sums as high as $75 million in one round – are often sufficient for companies to reinvest and grow.
About Indiegogo:
Indiegogo is a global crowdfunding platform that enables entrepreneurs to go to market and raise funds from curious backers looking to support the most unique and exclusive products. Our mission is to create a worldwide network of communities that connect trustworthy, professional entrepreneurs and the enthusiasts who power their innovation. Since the company launched in 2008, Indiegogo has helped fund over 925,000 ideas and raised over $2 billion benefitting more than 800,000 entrepreneurs. The company has team members located all across the world.
About StartEngine:
One of the largest equity crowdfunding platforms in the U.S., led by Activision Games Co-Founder Howard Marks and Strategic Advisor Kevin O'Leary, StartEngine launched in 2015 with the mission to help entrepreneurs achieve their dreams, while enabling everyday people access to private investment opportunities. To date, over $550 million has been raised for startups and alternative assets on the StartEngine platform from more than 800,000 investors. In October 2020, StartEngine also became one of the first equity crowdfunding platforms to launch an investor marketplace where anyone can trade private securities that have raised capital via Regulation Crowdfunding and Regulation A+.
StartEngine Crowdfunding Inc. is not a broker-dealer, funding portal or investment adviser. StartEngine Capital, LLC is a funding portal registered with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). StartEngine Primary LLC is a broker-dealer registered with the SEC and FINRA/SIPC. StartEngine Secondary is an alternative trading system regulated by the SEC and operated by StartEngine Primary, LLC, a broker dealer registered with the SEC and FINRA.
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FUNDRAISING,PHILANTHROPY
CompTIA | August 10, 2022
CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the information technology (IT) industry and workforce, today announced that its member communities and councils selected 16 technology-related charities in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, Belgium and the United States to give $240,000 in donations this year. WonderKey Collective received the largest total donation of $70,000.
As part of CompTIA Giving, contributions made by CompTIA's member communities and councils support local communities and improve education, access to resources and career options for individuals in need. CompTIA Giving designates $10,000 for each of CompTIA's communities and councils to give to their chosen charities each year. Each community and council can give the full $10,000 to one charity or split it among two charities.
"CompTIA and our member communities and councils are committed to building a stronger and more diverse technology industry, This year's group of charities is a perfect example of how people are using technology to solve all sorts of challenges and support the dreams and capabilities of the people across the globe. I am honored to be part of an association that believes in giving back and proud to support these wonderful organizations."
-M.J Shoer, chief community officer, CompTIA.
The following charities have been selected by CompTIA's member communities and councils for donations this year:
Ability Technology aims to increase the independence and productive potential of people with a disability by using computer and related technology.
Aspire2STEAM provides educational scholarships to young, underserved women pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
Centrepoint provides housing and support for young people in the UK and aspires to end youth homelessness.
Close the Gap aims to bridge the digital divide by offering high-quality, pre-owned computers donated by European and international companies to educational, medical and social projects in developing and emerging countries.
Digitunity aims to eliminate the technology gap, through and with a network of stakeholders and solutions, so that everyone can thrive in a digitally connected society.
Federation of Galaxy Explorers inspires youth in the fields of science and engineering by providing afterschool "mission team" meetings where students participate in hands-on lessons that support the National Science Education Standards.
Foster Care to Success works with college-bound foster youth, helping them navigate the tricky waters of academia, understand the importance of personal fiscal responsibility, determine achievable career goals, and create networks of friendship and support.
Future Possibilities for Kids focuses on building leaders through unique leadership programs, coaching children to believe in themselves and lead community change.
Hire Heroes USA provides free, expert career coaching and job sourcing to transitioning U.S. military members, veterans and military spouses.
iMentor builds mentoring relationships that empower first-generation students to graduate high school, succeed in college, and achieve their ambitions.
Kids Help Phone Canada is a counseling center for Canadian kids which promises to listen without judgment 24/7.
OMGTech! aims to open up the world of future tech to every Kiwi kid through award winning workshops and initiatives.
Share Your Soles provides gently worn/new shoes to those in greatest need around the world.
Starlight Children's Foundation aims to bring the very best in technology, play, and other fun experiences to distract and entertain pediatric patients.
Women in Aerospace is dedicated to expanding women's opportunities for leadership and increasing their visibility in the aerospace community through networking and policy events that highlight issues relevant to the aerospace industry.
WonderKey Collective exists to narrow the digital divide by providing hardware, internet access, and essentials for foster, emancipated, and homeless youth throughout the United States.
CompTIA divides its philanthropic efforts along three main lines: 1) CompTIA Giving, which gives money and staff time to tech-related charities; 2) CompTIA Tech Career Academy, which provides grants to low-income individuals and those who are underrepresented in tech roles; and 3) CompTIA Spark, which researches and develops workforce development and tech education programs to build new pathways to IT careers.
About CompTIA:
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is a leading voice and advocate for the $5 trillion global information technology ecosystem; and the estimated 75 million industry and tech professionals who design, implement, manage, and safeguard the technology that powers the world's economy. Through education, training, certifications, advocacy, philanthropy, and market research, CompTIA is the hub for unlocking the potential of the tech industry and its workforce.
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