Type of business Private Headquarters Chicago, Illinois Employees 5 | Available in English Area served Worldwide Founded 2012 | |
Type of site Online Charitable Marketplace Founders Shayan Nahrvar, Mike Tang, Hassan Hassan | ||
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."
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. 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."
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. In May 2012, Raise5 won Sir Richard Branson's 500 contestant "Screw Business as Usual" competition. In September 2012, Raise5 began work with "Impact Engine", a startup accelerator led by Chuck Templeton (founder of OpenTable).