RE-volv and the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation Offering Hurricane Zones $120,000 of Matching Funds to Install Solar Panels on Schools, Community Centers, Homeless Shelters, Churches and Other Types of Non-Profit Organizations

Good Samaritan’s that Donate $25 to $1,000 to Help Non-Profits Install Solar Power Arrays Will Receive a Tax Credit in Return for Their Donation to Help Generate Clean, Green Solar Electricity

By Robert Hoskins

Puerto Rico – The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation will provide a $120,000 award of matching funds to RE-volv, a solar crowdfunding platform, to install affordable roof top or community solar power for any non-profit organization located in Florida, Puerto Rico, Texas, and impacted cities throughout the United States. This makes it easy for any charity fundraising organization, school, community center, homeless shelter, pet welfare shelter, church or any other type of 503(c) non-profit organization that would like to install a solar power system to go to revolv.org and build a free crowdfunding profile that will allow them to raise enough money from friends, family and the general public to build solar power arrays that will generate free solar electricity for the next 25 years.

RE-volv and the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation Offering Hurricane Zones $120,000 of Matching Funds to Install Solar on Schools, Community Centers, Homeless Shelters, and Churches

Good Samaritans that would like join academy-award winner, Leonardo DiCapri, and RE-volv in supporting solar crowdfunding campaigns to provide free solar power can donate money online with a credit card.  Anyone that makes a donation will receive a tax credit that can be filed with their personal or corporate tax return at the end of the year.

The partnership will provide matching funding for RE-volv’s 503 (c) crowdfunding platform, allowing donors the opportunity to double their contributions with support from the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation.

RE-volv supports solar energy projects for nonprofits that lack access to financing options. An estimated 1.5 million nonprofits in the U.S. face financial barriers to obtaining solar power, as they do not qualify for solar tax credits or are too small to attract traditional investors. RE-volv bridges this funding gap for organizations that provide valuable public services to vulnerable communities, including homeless shelters, schools, community centers, and houses of worship. This is the largest grant to date for RE-volv, a two-time awardee of the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative.

“RE-volv is working to make sure that the benefits of solar can reach everyone, including nonprofit organizations and the people they serve,” said Andreas Karelas, Executive Director of RE-volv. “Thanks to this generous grant from the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, RE-volv will be able to scale its impact and bring solar to even more nonprofits around the country.”

RE-volv’s unique solar crowdfunding platform is the first to employ a revolving fund. Donors select a specific nonprofit to support and, as the project pays back dividends through a solar lease agreement, the user can then reinvest their earnings into new solar projects through the RE-volv platform. This pay-it-forward model helps to accelerate solar energy deployment in local communities while keeping donors engaged in solar projects.

“The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation is excited to support RE-volv,” said Gregory Lopez, Climate Program Director of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. “Not only is their work important in deploying solar energy and reducing greenhouse gasses, their unique solar crowdfunding business model provides an introduction of accessible, renewable energy to new communities.”

To date, RE-volv has raised over $300,000 from over 1,000 people in 22 countries. It has crowdfunded ten solar projects (150 kW of capacity) in four states, include Harbor House in Oakland, which serves refugee, immigrant, and low-income families with after-school programs and ESL classes, and Morris Chapel Baptist Church, the oldest African American Church in Philadelphia.

Thanks to the solar crowdfunding campaigns, grantees are expected to save between 15 and 40 percent on their electric bills. In total, these ten nonprofits will save more than $1.5 million over the life of their solar energy systems. RE-volv’s solar revolving fund, the Solar Seed Fund, is now worth $650,000 in future lease payments from these ten projects – payments which will be used to finance at least 20 more solar energy projects.

In addition to financing projects, RE-volv invites college students, community volunteers and solar advocates to become RE-volv Solar Ambassadors, who in turn lead ground efforts to deploy solar. RE-volv has educated 10,000 people about solar energy through training, outreach, and more than 100 events.

RE-volv empowers people to take direct action on climate change by crowdfunding solar energy projects for nonprofit organizations. Donations made to RE-volv’s crowdfunding campaigns grow a revolving fund that provides solar financing for nonprofits across the nation. RE-volv is an inaugural member of the White House National Community Solar Partnership.

Founded in 1998, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation (LDF) works to protect the Earth’s last wild places by implementing solutions that restore balance to threatened ecosystems, and ensuring the long-term health and wellbeing of all its inhabitants.

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Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR

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Mr. Robert Hoskins is a seasoned marketing veteran with a proven track record of helping entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses as well as Fortune 500 corporations launch successful marketing communications campaigns to gain market traction for a wide variety of products and services.

On a regular basis, Mr. Hoskins consults with crowdfunding campaign managers as well as crowdfunding sites, portals and platforms to deliver successful crowdfunding marketing campaigns.

Google search “Robert Hoskins Crowdfunding” to see why Mr. Hoskins is considered one of the industry’s foremost crowdfunding experts that has amassed a huge social media following, which is dedicated to supporting donation-, rewards- and equity-based crowdfunding campaigns.

 

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Texas Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief Crowdfunding Campaigns

Hundreds of Thousands of Texans Need Your Crowdfunding Donations to Help Pay for Food, Water, Shelter, Repairs, Emergency First Responder Services and All Storm-Related Cleanup Expenses

By Robert Hoskins

Houston, Texas – If your family or friends need free help creating a Hurricane Harvey Relief crowdfunding profile to raise money to help pay for pay for food, water, shelter, repairs, emergency first responder services and all storm-related cleanup expenses, visit https://crowdfundingtrainingclasses.wordpress.com first, then call Robert Hoskins at 512-627-6622 for free crowdfunding advice, consulting and marketing services to help raise money for your loved ones.

Front Page PR Offers Hurricane Harvey Victims and Evacuees Free Crowdfunding Marketing Services to Help Them Launch Crowdfunding Campaigns to Request Donations to Help Fund Disaster Relief

Below is the initial list of Hurricane Harvey Crowdfunding Campaigns that will benefit from a $25 to $100 donation from Good Samaritans that want to do the right thing and help out with just one small donation. It would be best to donate to individual families with their full names and locations posted in the crowdfunding profiles first, then local governments, chambers of commerce, emergency first responders and then local businesses that you know and trust.

Families: 

Help for Gary and Tammy Telles in Port Aransas

Keliy Anderson-Staley in Houston

Samantha Rae Zontini in Richmond

Watson Family in Houston

Terry Wickwire Homeless Relief

Mike Cutler Hurricane Fund

Christenson Family Hurricane Relief

Elise Smith in Rockport Hurricane Relief

Erika & Jamal in Houston

Dustin and Family in Friendswood

Chambers of Commerce:

Rockport Fulton Chamber of Commerce

Schools:

KIPP Houston High School

Harmony Public Schools

Emergency First Responders:

Helicopter Rescue Texas Disaster Relief for Houston Area

Businesses:

eXp Realty Agents and Brokers Hurricane Relief

4 Paws Farm/ I Love My Dog Team

Houston Goodfellas

General Funds:

Samaritan’s Purse Disaster Response

GoFundMe Hurricane Harvey Relief

YouCaring Houston Flood Relief Fund

GlobalGiving Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund

We will add every Hurricane Harvey Crowdfunding Campaign to this list as we receive them! Please the send us a tweet on Twitter at @Crowdfunding_PR or @FrontPage_PR, or an instant message via Facebook at Front Page PR or Crowdfunding PR Campaigns!  We will push this information to millions of crowdfunding campaign supporters, 100% free with no strings attached.

Sign Up Here for Free Help Creating a Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief Crowdfunding Campaign:

Name(required)

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Email(required)

Please describe who you are, what the hurricane did to your family/home, where you live, when you expect to survey the damage, how much money you need, what you plan to spend the money on and we will contact you ASAP:(required)

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Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR

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Mr. Robert Hoskins is a seasoned marketing veteran with a proven track record of helping entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses as well as Fortune 500 corporations launch successful marketing communications campaigns to gain market traction for a wide variety of products and services.

On a regular basis, Mr. Hoskins consults with crowdfunding campaign managers as well as crowdfunding sites, portals and platforms to deliver successful crowdfunding marketing campaigns.

Google search “Robert Hoskins Crowdfunding” to see why Mr. Hoskins is considered one of the industry’s foremost crowdfunding experts that has amassed a huge social media following, which is dedicated to supporting donation-, rewards- and equity-based crowdfunding campaigns.

 

 

 

 

Facebook Rolls Out Crowdfunding Platform for Education, Medical, Pets, Crisis Relief, Personal Loss, Sports and Community Needs

However, with a crowdfunding platform commission fee of  6.9% + 30 cents per credit card transaction fee Facebook’s Fundraiser Service will be considerably more expensive than competitors such as GoFundMe, Indiegogo and Kickstarter

By Robert Hoskins

Menlo Park, California – Facebook is a place where people come together to connect with their communities and support one another in meaningful ways. Today, we are giving people another way to mobilize around causes they care about by expanding personal fundraisers to everyone over 18 in the US and by adding two new categories – community and sports.

Facebook Rolls Out Crowdfunding Platform and Fundraiser Service for Education, Medical, Pets, Crisis Relief, Personal Loss, Sports and Community Needs

Facebook began testing personal fundraisers, a new product that allows people to raise money for a friend, themselves or a sick pet directly on Facebook, in March. Since then, they’ve been inspired by the response to create them and the support felt by those they benefit.

People can create a fundraiser to quickly raise money on Facebook and easily reach their friends in a few taps, without leaving Facebook, and can share fundraisers to help build momentum. People can learn about the person who created the fundraiser and the person benefiting from the fundraiser, as well as see which friends have donated. Now people can raise money for any of the following categories:

• Education: such as tuition, books or classroom supplies
• Medical: such as medical procedures, treatments or injuries
• Pet Medical: such as veterinary procedures, treatments or injuries
• Crisis Relief: such as public crises or natural disasters
• Personal Emergency: such as a house fire, theft or car accident
• Funeral and Loss: such as burial expenses or living costs after losing a loved one
• Sports: such as equipment, competitions or team fees
• Community: such as neighborhood services, community improvements or environmental improvements

Nonprofit fundraisers continue to be available for people on Facebook to raise funds and awareness for 501(c)(3) nonprofits.

It’s easy to get started:

1. On mobile, tap the menu icon and select Fundraisers, or on desktop, go to facebook.com/fundraisers
2. Choose to raise money for a Friend, Yourself or Someone or Something Not on Facebook
3. Give your fundraiser a title and compelling story, and start raising money

All fundraisers are reviewed within 24 hours. Personal fundraisers are available on all devices, and have a 6.9% Facebook commission fee + $0.30 fee that goes to payment processing, fundraiser vetting, and security and fraud protection. Facebook’s goal is to create a platform for good that’s sustainable over the long-term, and not to make a profit from our charitable giving tools.

We’re constantly inspired by the good people on Facebook do, and we’re excited to learn more about how people use this new product so we can continue improving the experience.

Find out more about Facebook fundraisers at facebook.com/fundraisers.

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Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR

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Mr. Robert Hoskins is a seasoned marketing veteran with a proven track record of helping entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses as well as Fortune 500 corporations launch successful marketing communications campaigns to gain market traction for a wide variety of products and services.

On a regular basis, Mr. Hoskins consults with crowdfunding campaign managers as well as crowdfunding sites, portals and platforms to deliver successful crowdfunding marketing campaigns.

Google search “Robert Hoskins Crowdfunding” to see why Mr. Hoskins runs one of the industry’s foremost crowdfunding PR, social media and marketing agencies that has amassed a huge social media following, which is dedicated to supporting donation, rewards and equity crowdfunding campaigns.

YouCaring.com Acquires GiveForward.com to Create World’s Largest Portal for Crowdfunding Critical Personal, Medical Expenses and Charitable Causes

Combined the two leading donation-based crowdfunding sites have raised over $750 million and have created the world’s largest free donation crowdfunding site

By Robert Hoskins

San Francisco, California  – YouCaring announced that it has acquired GiveForward. GiveForward has been a pioneer in crowdfunding medical expenses for individuals and has helped people raise nearly $200 million. Combined with YouCaring, which has helped people around the world raise over $550 million for critical personal, medical, and charitable causes, this acquisition will expand YouCaring’s fundraising and donor reach.

Combined the two leading donation-based Crowdfunding Sites have raised over $750 Million and have created the world’s largest free donation crowdfunding site

For the GiveForward community, YouCaring offers an optimized on-site experience, robust marketing tools for fundraisers, real-time customer support, and the ability to reach a donor pool of six million. GiveForward users can expect increased campaign performance and an expanded customer support system to meet their fundraising goals.

Unlike other crowdfunding sites, YouCaring does not charge fundraisers a fee to raise money on the platform and relies on voluntary donations from donors to fund their operations. As a Certified B Corporation®, YouCaring is committed to advancing social good and adheres to strict standards for consumer advocacy.

“We’re excited to welcome GiveForward users to the YouCaring community. GiveForward has been a leader in medical crowdfunding for nearly a decade,” said Dan Saper, YouCaring’s CEO. “With health care costs continuing to rise for consumers, building a platform that can help relieve that stress is critically important to us. The GiveForward brand and what it stands for couldn’t be more aligned with who we are and what we do here at YouCaring.”

Desiree Vargas Wrigley, a co-founder of GiveForward, added, “We started GiveForward to help change the way people care about each other. We’re happy to see that vision expanded to the tremendous global community of supporters YouCaring has built.”

YouCaring focuses on Compassionate Crowdfunding™ and believes that no one should have to face hardship alone. Their community of worldwide donors is more than six million strong, and to date, have raised over $550 million. The company does not charge platform fees to fundraise, and like its fundraisers, relies on donations from generous supporters to finance its operation.

GiveForward has been a leader in medical crowdfunding. Since inception in 2008, GiveForward has raised nearly $200 million for people in need, and has empowered 270,000 people to raise money for their causes.

# # #

Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR

---

Mr. Robert Hoskins is a seasoned marketing veteran with a proven track record of helping entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses as well as Fortune 500 corporations launch successful marketing communications campaigns to gain market traction for a wide variety of products and services.

On a regular basis, Mr. Hoskins consults with crowdfunding campaign managers as well as crowdfunding sites, portals and platforms to deliver successful crowdfunding marketing campaigns.

Google search “Robert Hoskins Crowdfunding” to see why Mr. Hoskins is considered one of the industry’s foremost crowdfunding experts that has amassed a huge social media following, which is dedicated to supporting donation, rewards and equity crowdfunding campaigns.

YouGov Omnibus Research Reports Donors 45% More Likely to Give Crowdfunding Donations to Individuals in Need, Not Charities or Causes

GoFundMe now dominates the crowdfunding space, with 41% of Americans aware of the site; IndieGoGo comes in at number two at 13%

 By Robert Hoskins

New York, NY – According to the latest YouGov Omnibus research crowdfunding’s charitable sweet spot focuses squarely on donations to individuals in need.  For those who have donated via crowdfunding sites, 45% have given to an individual person in need, compared to only 22% who have given to a charity like the Red Cross, or 20% who have given to social causes like homelessness.  16% have given to disaster relief or individual animals in need.  Global environmental causes garnered only 12% amongst crowdfunding donors.

YouGov OmniBus Research Report on Crowdfunding Donations

By contrast Americans who donate via any channel say the single channel they are most likely to donate to is a charitable organization (25%) compared to 17% who prefer to give to individuals.

Charities Still Most Effective Use of Funds: Politicians Least Effective

In terms of effectiveness, more than half of Americans who donate via any channel (52%) think that the most effective home for a donation is a charitable organization. Nearly a third (32%) think gifts to individuals are the most effective.

Practically nobody (2%) thinks that politicians are the most effective recipients of donations intended to promote a cause.

Most Popular Crowdfunding Sites

GoFundMe now dominates the crowdfunding space, with 41% of Americans aware of the site; IndieGoGo comes in at number two at 13%.  Millennials are more aware of their crowdfunding options with 47 % awareness for GoFundMe and more than one in five (21%) aware of IndieGoGo.

For all those who have heard of a crowdfunding site 20% have given money via GoFundMe. Higher earners (32%) and women (25%) are most likely to have contributed to a GoFundMe campaign.

A quarter (24%) of all American adults have been invited to contribute to a crowdfunded charity via social media. A further 16% has received solicitations via email.

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Gridmates.com Unveils New Energy Crowdfunding Site for Electric Utility Companies, Corporations and 501(c)(3) Non-Profits to Help Raise Money to Pay for Low-Income Customers’ Electricity Bills

The crowdfunding site will allow non-profits, disadvantaged, disabled and low-income customers to build profiles detailing their need for energy assistance and then match them to energy donors

By Robert Hoskins

Austin, Texas – Gridmates.com announced a new donation-based, energy crowdfunding site that will allow donors to browse through a directory of distressed electricity customer profiles and then donate energy assistance. The site seeks to help low-income customers such as single moms with young children, elderly couples, disabled veterans, storm/hurricane survivors and unemployed people that for some reason are living in energy poverty and need temporary help paying their electricity bills.

Gridmates Energy Donation Crowdfunding Site for Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Programs

For fun, please check out the energy donation process. It is very easy. Donors simply search through the Gridmates energy crowdfunding profiles until they find one they want to support. Next, donors simply type in a dollar amount into the energy calculator, which shows contributors how many days of energy they will be sharing. Energy donations can be billed to any valid credit card or to a PayPal account.

The first energy crowdfunding profile to be listed is Mobile Loaves and Fishes’ Community First Village located in Austin, Texas. This coming June, the Community First Village will be moving 240 homeless and disabled people off the streets of Austin into new shelters where they will receive warm meals and hot showers.

The Community First Village’s energy crowdfunding goal is to raise $85,000, which will provide enough electricity to power the homeless community for several months. The Gridmates site has already successfully raised more than 50% of the fundraising goal ($42,500), but more donors are needed to reach the final goal by the end of May.

All energy donations to the Community First Village are tax-deductible and are a great way to support people who are currently living without electricity.

People who donate $17.50 of energy will receive the reward of knowing that their contribution will be enough to pay for one week’s worth of electricity. A donation of $75 will be enough to pay for an entire month. These electricity donations will be used to turn on the lights, heat water, wash clothes, refrigerate/cook food and assist with many other household chores that most people take for granted.

“Imagine what it’s like to live in a dark shelter with cold showers and no way to refrigerate food or cook warm meals,” said George Koutitas, Gridmates’ CEO. “The Community First Village is a great opportunity for supporters and community relations managers throughout Texas to make a big difference for people who are living without electricity.”

“We are currently seeking more corporate sponsors to work with Austin Mayor Steve Alder and the City of Austin to raise enough money to pay the entire electricity bill,” Koutitas added. “If your business would like to help us raise money to fund this project, please give me a call on my personal cell phone at (512) 632-4363.”

As the Gridmates site grows, more and more energy poverty profiles will be added. The future platform will be able to segment energy crowdfunding profiles by energy needs, zip codes, geographic locations and by utility company service areas. Gridmates soon will be positioned perfectly to help electric utility companies throughout the United States begin collecting online donations to help them pay for their Low Income Home Energy Assistance Programs (LIHEAP).

Gridmates is developing and soon will be beta-testing a new, scaled-up version of its energy crowdfunding site. The company is seeking Texas electric companies such as AEP, Austin Energy, CenterPoint Energy, Oncor Electric, Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC), Reliant Energy, TXU Energy or any of the seventy-plus Texas electric cooperatives to help stress test the future site’s functionality.

Instead of blind giving, Gridmates’ mission is to let donors and philanthropists browse through real-life energy poverty profiles and find their own personal grid mate that they will enjoy supporting with their energy donations. Once the energy crowdfunding site has been verified and is ready to scale, Gridmates plans to rollout the service state-by-state in the U.S. and then on a country-by-country basis in international markets.

To participate, electric utility companies, corporate sponsors and non-profit organizations can all sign up at www.gridmates.com/corporations. Or send an email to contact@gridmates.com for more information on how to get started.

More details, facts, figures, logos and photos are available via the Gridmates online pressroom.

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Austin Startup Launches Product Marketplace and Crowdfunding Platform to Connect Brands, Charities and Consumers

121Giving was built by the two “philanthropeurs” to help charities find products they need to fulfill their missions, match those needs with supplier brands eager to help causes, and get consumers involved to help fund the product-oriented campaigns

 By Robert Hoskins

Austin, Texas – For donors and consumer givers who want to know that the money they donate to charity is making a tangible impact and serving real needs, Austin-based startup 121Giving.com launched a new product marketplace and crowdfunding platform that enables donors to know where their giving is going every time they support a nonprofit through the site.

121Giving.com Shows Consumers Where Their Donations are Going

Developed by Liz Deering and Mark Courtney, experienced entrepreneurs who have funneled their business-technology passions and nonprofit expertise into a business model that makes philanthropy a successful and transparent online venture, 121Giving was built by the two “philanthropeurs” to help charities find products they need to fulfill their missions, match those needs with supplier brands eager to help causes, and get consumers involved to help fund the product-oriented campaigns.

“We launched 121Giving because we wanted to improve the way that nonprofits, consumers and charity-minded companies can all work together for the collective good,” said Deering, co-founder and chief operating officer, who previously worked for technology companies and Goodwill Industries of Austin before launching the company with Courtney. “We wanted to make the entire giving process more efficient and transparent, both to solve the inefficiencies and costs that nonprofits often face with traditional product procurement and to address consumer skepticism about how their donations are being used.”

Many recent studies have shown that consumers want more details from the companies they patronize about their support of nonprofits and causes and the results of their donations and contributions. In fact, 88% of consumers in North America want companies to inform them about their support of social and environmental causes (Cone Communications, 2013), and 69% of Millennials say they are most likely to donate to a nonprofit that inspires them (Cone Inc., AMP Agency).

“Our online marketplace and crowdfunding platform brings everything to the forefront in a way that delivers measurable results for everyone involved,” says Courtney, a social innovator and enterprise technology expert who is responsible for 121Giving’s technology, platform and business strategy. “Nonprofits get the products they need, donors can see the impact of their giving, companies can make a profit while being good corporate citizens, and communities benefit from campaigns that tackle issues, solve problems and change lives all around them.”

Feeding the Need, Matching Brands and Donors
Through 121Giving, nonprofits can publish their specific needs for products by developing crowdfunding campaigns, consumers can donate money to buy those products and track the campaign’s progress and success, while companies can show they care by making their products available at prices that nonprofits can afford. The unique nonprofit-donor-brand ecosystem delivers the visibility nonprofits need, the crowdsourcing power of donors, and a steady supply chain for merchants to sell products at discounts to charities and still make a profit.

For brands interested in selling their products to nonprofits at 121Giving, visit the site’s “Corporate Brand Partners” section.

After a soft launch at SXSW in Austin this week, 121Giving is already hosting four crowdfunding campaigns that support Central Texas nonprofits. Ongoing and future campaigns will cover a range of products that nonprofits urgently need, including office, medical, cleaning and educational supplies; clothing; computers; furniture; food and hygiene products; electronics; home goods, non-perishable goods and more.

The current campaigns include:

• Front Steps, an agency that provides services to the homeless, raising money for 250 move-in kits for clients moving from the streets to transitional or permanent housing
• Color Cancer, a nonprofit serving people with cancer, raising money for cases of high-protein Ensure for 125 people with cancer
• Project Transitions, an agency for people with HIV/AIDS, raising money for medical, cleaning and comfort supplies for the 30-plus individuals cared for yearly at Doug’s House, the only Central Texas hospice facility for those with HIV/AIDS.
• Rebuilding Together Austin, an agency dedicated to safe, healthy homes for low-income residents, raising money for home repair tools and volunteer supplies to help 30 families.

“The nonprofit market deserves a no-cost solution that enables them to engage online donors easily in helping them purchase the products they need,” said Courtney. “We’re giving nonprofits access to a single online resource where they can source bulk products consistently and affordably, helping them spend less time on product acquisition and more on the missions they serve so passionately.”

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WeCareCard Crowdfunding Credit Card Delivers a Simple, Seamless and Secure Way to Share the Wealth in Las Vegas

The cause-related fundraising site will offer a prepaid debit card to fundraisers to support them in times of hardships and celebrations

By Robert Hoskins

Las Vegas, Nevada – WeCareCard introduces the first-ever prepaid debit card tied to a crowdfunding platform. The first-of-its-kind patent pending technology will fulfill a crowdfunding campaign’s financial component by loading funds onto a WeCareCard Prepaid MasterCard rather than the traditional fulfillment method of check, bank account deposit or PayPal.

WeCareCard crowdfunding site delivers a simple, seamless and secure way to share stories of hardships or celebrations, connect networks and gather funds for those in need

The idea of WeCareCard spurred from co-founders Jessica Weiss, a former nurse who consistently witnessed first-hand financial hardships caused by unexpected medical bills and Phillip Qualls, a Technology, Payments and Financial Services executive with more than 20 years of experience in the industry.

“I saw an opportunity to leverage my experience to revolutionize relational giving and gifting by leveraging crowdfunding, prepaid and patent pending technology. Announcing the card at the world’s premier destination for emerging payments and financial services organizations, made perfect sense.” said Qualls.

The Indiana-based cause-related crowdfunding site delivers a simple, seamless and secure way to share stories of hardships or celebrations, connect networks and gather funds for those in need. The WeCareCard Prepaid MasterCard serves as the money- management tool, welcomed at over 25 million MasterCard locations worldwide. The card will be delivered to fundraisers early in their WeCareCard crowdfunding campaign and funds will be loaded throughout the duration of the campaign, helping fundraisers manage the expenses related to their cause directly, quickly and easily.

“After our family suffered hardships associated with long-term illness, I began contemplating how I could help others through similar situations,” said Weiss. “I knew there had to be a simple, streamlined way to help more people locally, and nationally through an online platform and prepaid debit card.

WeCareCard has retained Atlanta-based FirstView Financial as their card processor and program manager. FirstView excels at innovation in the high-growth prepaid card and mobile payments arenas. Metropolitan Commercial Bank (New York, NY) will be the issuer of the WeCareCard Prepaid MasterCard.

We are very excited to be working with WeCareCard on this new crowdfunding and prepaid solution,” said Jerry Uffner, CEO of FirstView Financial. “This new platform will help serve a very large audience. There are so many people in need of immediate financial relief and we are just happy to be a part of the initiative that will help remove that burden as quickly as possible.”

Individuals and organizations interested in receiving funding through WeCareCard’s platform can click here to apply for consideration.

WeCareCard is the first-ever online fundraising platform tied to a prepaid debit card that empowers people from around the nation to raise funds for a variety of life-changing causes. The cause-related fundraising solution delivers a simple, seamless and secure way to share stories, connect networks and gather immediate funds for those in need through the WeCareCard Prepaid MasterCard. This prepaid card serves as a money management tool and is welcomed at over 25 million MasterCard locations worldwide.

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Need a Tax Deduction? Commit an Act of Random Crowdfunding to Promote Social Good on CrowdItForward.com

Crowd It Forward creates “Random Acts of Crowdfunding” for those in need, those who deserve it, and those who perform random acts of kindness to others

By Robert Hoskins

Crowd It Forward, a crowdfunding website owned and operated by the ClickStartMe Foundation, Inc., launched today. Crowd It Forward is a 501(c)(3) organization that accepts tax deductible donations and creates “Random Acts of Crowdfunding” for those in need, those who deserve it, and those who perform random acts of kindness to others.

Crowd It Forward creates “Random Acts of Crowdfunding” for those in need, those who deserve it, and those who perform random acts of kindness to others

“We are excited to extend the ClickStartMe brand with Crowd It Forward,” founder and crowdfunding expert Kendall Almerico said. “With our Random Acts of Crowdfunding, we can find people who need or deserve something good to happen to them, and we can make it happen through crowd funding.”

Crowd It Forward launched with two crowdfunding projects. The first involves raising funds for U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Myles Kerr, whose recent viral story touched the hearts of millions as he helped a nine year-old boy find his lost companions while running a 5K race. Crowd It Forward is raising funds for LCpl Kerr to send him and a companion to another 5K race of his choice, and to purchase the Marine a new pair of running shoes. Tax deductible donations for this project may be made here at Crowd It Forward.

The second Random Act of Crowdfunding involves Chelesa Fearce, an inspiring young woman who graduated as her high school’s valedictorian despite being homeless. Crowd It Forward is raising funds to help Chelesa with her ongoing educational expenses. Tax-deductible donations for this crowdfunding project may be made here at Crowd It Forward.

“Launching Crowd It Forward by helping LCpl Kerr and Chelesa Fearce truly illustrates what we are all about,” founder and crowd funding expert Kendall Almerico said. “We want to spread the word about positive news stories, and also to reward those who deserve to be rewarded, but would never ask for it themselves.”

CrowdItForward.com is a crowdfunding website owned and operated by the ClickStartMe Foundation, Inc. Crowd It Forward is a 501(c)(3) organization that accepts tax deductible donations and creates “Random Acts of Crowdfunding” for those in need, those who deserve it, and those who perform random acts of kindness to others. All donations to crowdfunding projects on Crowd it Forward are tax deductible.

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Related Crowdfunding News Articles:

• New Web Site Performs “Random Acts Of Crowdfunding”
• Crowd It Forward Creates Crowdfunding Project For Homeless High School Valedictorian
• Crowd It Forward Honors Marine Who Helped Nine Year-Old In Race
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FunderHut.com Partners with Non-Profit Chicago to Promote Crowdfunding Campaigns

Chicagoland’s Nonprofit Chamber of Commerce Partners with FunderHut for community-crowdfunding platform

By Robert Hoskins

The FunderHut team is very excited to announce our new partnership with Chicago Non-Profit, Chicagoland’s Nonprofit Chamber of Commerce! FunderHut is a community-crowdfunding platform, and although we’re national, what better way to start than with our own Chicago community? We’re extremely excited to be working together to make a positive impact in the community.

FunderHut’s team believes the community plays an essential role in our everyday lives. Whether it’s your family, your neighborhood, your social clubs, or the worldwide community, these are the people and the environment that construct who we are, so why not make it better? Our motto is Finding Unity By Funding Community.

From networking events to educational events to fundraising events, Chicago Non-Profit is the number one resource for Chicagoland’s non-profits, using their extensive knowledge and resources to help their members achieve their goals. As fundraising continues to be a primary concern for these organizations, the idea of crowdfunding only seemed natural, and FunderHut welcomed the opportunity to help Chicago’s non-profits raise money and build awareness, as well as the added benefit of an increased donor base. The vision and vast network of Chicago Non-Profit, with non-profit categories ranging from Arts Awareness to Community Works to Medical Research, helps create a partnership with a shared mission in mind, improving our community.

What’s our goal? To provide non-profits with the resources they need to launch an online fundraising campaign, while receiving full support from the collaboration between Chicago Non-Profit and FunderHut.

As an exclusive benefit to Chicago Non-Profit members, we’re also returning 20% of the contribution fees. What this means is that not only is it absolutely free to sign up and create your campaign, but 20% will be given back to member organizations that launch their campaign on FunderHut.

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