Nonprofit Technology
PR Newswire | August 25, 2023
Charity Navigator, the world's largest evaluator of nonprofit organizations, has acquired Causeway, a startup that makes it easy to create and curate a personal giving portfolio. The acquisition is indicative of Charity Navigator's commitment to innovation in philanthropy.
Causeway with Charity Navigator will launch amid challenging times for the charitable sector. A recent report from AFP showed a significant decline in the total number of donors, and Giving USA reported a drop in charitable giving for the first time in 40 years. This new platform takes the organization's Give Now Lists, curated lists of charities related to a specific cause or current event, to the next level. Beginning in 2024, Charity Navigator will launch new "cause funds" that donors can add to their giving portfolio. Like an investment portfolio, these funds will be managed by Charity Navigator to ensure that only the most highly rated and efficient charities receive funds.
"With more than 1.5 million nonprofits in the United States alone, giving can be an overwhelming process for donors," says Michael Thatcher, Charity Navigator's President and CEO. "The integration of Causeway into Charity Navigator will remove this barrier, empowering donors to fund nonprofits by cause and, effectively, create a subscription to good."
Causeway was founded by Ben Horwitz and Reed Rosenbluth in 2022. It is the first organization to combine a donation management system, composed of managed "funds," with automatic gifts and a management portfolio. With its all-in-one portal, Causeway makes it easy to track donations by combining all gifts into a single tax receipt.
"Our world is full of tough decisions, but choosing where to donate shouldn't be so difficult," said Ben Horwitz, Co-founder of Causeway and now VP of Business Development & New Ventures at Charity Navigator. "We are proud to join forces with Charity Navigator to advance our shared goal of turning intent into action."
As part of the acquisition, Causeway has transferred its intellectual property and other assets, including its brand, to Charity Navigator. The acquisition was made possible through generous support from the O'Shea Family Foundation and an anonymous donor. Charity Navigator is actively seeking additional funding to expedite and expand the Causeway integration, aiming to develop a cutting-edge, best-of-breed giving solution.
ABOUT CHARITY NAVIGATOR
Founded in 2002, Charity Navigator is a 501(c)(3) organization that guides intelligent giving with the nation's largest, most comprehensive charity evaluation tool. The organization helps donors easily identify U.S.-registered charities making a difference on the issues they care about most while helping charities better understand their donors, deliver on impact, and increase awareness and funding. Learn more at charitynavigator.org.
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Fundraising, Nonprofit Technology
PR Newswire | July 26, 2023
The fifth annual Indy Tech Gives social and corporate fundraising challenge, hosted by OneCause, raised over $45,500 for nonprofits over a five-week campaign. Since 2019, Indy Tech Gives has engaged more than 25 Indianapolis-area tech companies in fundraising for mission-driven organizations, with approximately 700 technology professionals raising more than $260,000 for local charities. The annual campaign provides an enjoyable, easy way for companies to expand their corporate social responsibility efforts, engage employees, and contribute to the important missions of local and regional nonprofits.
This year's social fundraising challenge, which ran from June 9 to July 16, was dedicated to the memory of Bill Oesterle, a key figure in the Indy Tech community who passed away in May of this year. Nine Indianapolis tech companies participated in the 2023 program, each supporting a nonprofit of their choosing. This year's nonprofits included: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, AthLead Indy, Gigi's Playhouse, Indiana Youth Group, IPS Education Foundation, Indy Humane, Indy Women in Tech, March for Our Lives, and Riley's Children's Foundation.
Fundraisers from each company used the OneCause peer-to-peer social fundraising platform, with personal and group challenges and live leaderboards to foster friendly competition, participation raffles to engage their networks in giving, and social sharing to drive participation. Within each company, employees set up personal fundraising pages and joined teams with their colleagues to collect donations.
"Year after year, Indy Tech Gives brings together central Indiana tech companies in a powerful display of community-driven generosity, driving change for local causes," said Steve Johns, chief executive officer for OneCause. "Since the program's inception in 2019, fearless fundraisers have come together to raise over a quarter of a million dollars for nonprofits that create positive impact in the lives of thousands of people. Indy Tech Gives exemplifies the true spirit of giving back, and we're proud to be a part of this transformative campaign."
The nine Indianapolis-area companies that participated in 2023 Indy Tech Gives were:
Authenticx
Boardable
Casted
CSL Marketing
DemandJump
Diverse Tech Services
Fire Starters, Inc.
OneCause
SIM Indy
2023 Indy Tech Gives Highlights
224 tech professionals formed 22 teams and raised over $45,500 for benefiting charities.
Distributed employees around the country and social sharing helped Indy Tech Gives stretch beyond the Indianapolis area, resulting in 639 donations from 40 different states and two Canadian provinces.
The average amount raised per participant was just over $200.
The top five individual fundraisers collectively raised nearly $9,000.
Teams got creative with their fundraising, hosting events like yoga classes and disc golf outings.
The 11 participating teams from OneCause raised 111% of their fundraising goal — over $16,700— for Gigi's Playhouse.
Every year, Indy Tech Gives brings together employees, teams, and departments through its distinctive fundraising tactics and events, fostering natural cohesion and unity among participants.
"Indy Tech Gives is more than just a fundraising campaign; it's a brilliant initiative that combines the power of technology, friendly competition and social impact," said Jessica Maginn, who heads marketing and communications for Indy Women in Tech. "By harnessing a collective passion in our tech community, Indy Tech Gives supports and empowers a number of nonprofits to further thrive and make a real difference. It stands out as a shining example of how technology can be harnessed for good, bringing together people, ideas, and resources to create lasting change."
About OneCause
OneCause is driving the future of fundraising with easy-to-use digital fundraising solutions that help nonprofits improve the giving experience and raise more money. OneCause builds technology that optimizes everyday generosity, making it easier for nonprofit organizations to fundraise and for nonprofit supporters to give. Since 2008, OneCause has helped over 10,000 nonprofits in the United States and Canada raise more than $5 billion for their missions. Headquartered in Indianapolis, OneCause is committed to driving innovation in the charitable sector, bringing together nonprofit professionals across the world for the annual Raise Conference to exchange ideas that further fundraising. For more information, visit www.onecause.com.
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Financial Management, Philanthropy
Globenewswire | August 21, 2023
GuideOne Foundation (“Foundation”), the philanthropic arm of GuideOne Insurance, announced today that it distributed community grants totaling $37,000 to 34 charities. The grants, which are one component of the Foundation’s 2023 giving efforts, are awarded by the Foundation’s Employee Advisory Committee to provide financial assistance to charitable organizations that positively develop, enhance and impact the communities where GuideOne employees live and work.
The Employee Advisory Committee assists the board and officers of the Foundation by reviewing applications from 501(c)(3) organizations and recommending funding and requests up to $2000. In addition, they represent the interests of GuideOne employees as well as organize employee volunteer opportunities throughout the year to support the Foundation. Employees receive 16 hours of volunteer time off annually to support their favorite charitable organization.
“For 25 years, the GuideOne Foundation has played a critical role in fulfilling our mission to make positive change possible,” said GuideOne Insurance President & CEO and GuideOne Foundation President Bernie Hengesbaugh. “It starts with our employees, who are generously giving their time and resources to build connections and offer support to the organizations who are improving our communities.”
The community grants are part of the Foundation’s larger philanthropic efforts, which include a week-long employee giving campaign every fall, corporate contributions and various volunteering opportunities throughout the year. A list of charities that received grants is available on GuideOne.com. While grants had previously been dispersed throughout the year, the Foundation changed to an annual schedule this year to be able to maximize funding requests. Applications are now being accepted for 2024 grants. The deadline for submission is April 1, 2024. Details are available at GuideOne.com.
About GuideOne Insurance Company
For 75 years, GuideOne Insurance Company supports our policyholders’ goals by providing Nimble Solutions for Niche Needs®. Driven by a diverse portfolio of property and liability insurance and risk management solutions, we strive to Help Make Positive Change Possible® by serving as a trusted partner to the people who strengthen and support our communities. GuideOne’s corporate headquarters are located in West Des Moines, Iowa. For more information, visit www.guideone.com.
About GuideOne Foundation
As the philanthropic arm of GuideOne Insurance Company, GuideOne Foundation has long promoted the company’s commitment to help make positive change possible®. Since 1998, GuideOne Foundation has provided financial assistance in the form of grants to 501(c)(3) organizations that positively develop, enhance and impact the communities where GuideOne team members live and work. In 2022, the GuideOne Foundation awarded more than $150,000 to 40 nonprofits in Iowa and across the United States. Learn more at www.guideone.com/about-us/guideone-foundation.
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Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy
prnewswire | August 16, 2023
Ministry Brands, the leading provider of software and services for faith-based, non-profit, and other purpose-driven organizations, today announced the launch of a significant enhancement aimed at providing nonstop donation processing while safeguarding donor contributions. The new service,DonorShield, is proprietary technology which will be integrated into the company'sportfolioto enhance robustness and continuous service, regardless of any downtime with the processing servers.
The addition of DonorShield will bolster the reliability of Ministry Brand's payment processing systems, offering critical safeguards against unforeseen disruptions caused by intermittent third-party outages. Additionally, launching this new service is part of the company's overall efforts to elevate Ministry Brands Amplify, an all-in-one solution dedicated to providing clients with the tools they need to efficiently run their ministries.
Key Features of DonorShield Include:
Elimination of Duplicate Payments:DonorShield identifies and prevents duplicate payments caused by intermittent third-party failures. This feature mitigates the risk of erroneous transactions, safeguarding both donors and organizations from potential financial discrepancies.
Transaction Queuing for Outages:In situations where third-party partners experience complete outages, DonorShield supports transaction queuing. This means that once the payment processing system for donations encounters an outage, DonorShield diligently checks for system recovery every few minutes. Once the system is operational again, it automatically processes the queued donations and promptly notifies donors with confirmation emails, affirming the success of their contributions.
"We understand the importance of maintaining uninterrupted and seamless donation processing for our clients," saidPat O'Donnell, CEO at Ministry Brands. "DonorShield has been meticulously developed to secure donors' contributions during unexpected outages, offering peace of mind to faith-based, non-profit, and other purpose-driven organizations who rely on donors. This innovative technology not only protects sensitive payment information but also ensures a steady flow of revenue for churches and other organizations, enabling them to focus on their mission without worry."
With the integration of DonorShield, Ministry Brands continues its commitment to delivering a comprehensive suite of secure software and services that empower faith-based, non-profit, and purpose-driven organizations and enable them to thrive. For more information, please
About Ministry Brands
Ministry Brands helps nearly 90,000 purpose-driven organizations grow and increase their impact on the world. We provide community and organizational leaders with integrated solutions covering people and donor management, digital giving, websites, communications, media, event planning, employee and volunteer background screenings, and more. Together, our nearly 700 associates help clients transform how they operate and create positive ripple effects that drive the real human impact for which we all strive.
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