Crowdrise Rocks

I received the most amazing email today from Crowdrise! Crowdrise is the fundraising platform I chose to use to collect donations for #miles4change.

Not only did they provide me with the platform to raise funds, but they invested in my cause! Can you say AWESOME?!?!

I'm using this post to sing the praises of Crowdrise, the site I'm using to fundraise for #miles4change . Last year, or in 2012, I asked on Facebook if anyone knew a reliable online site for fundraising. One of my coworkers responded with a site teachers use to get donations for their classrooms, but I wanted a general site for my fundraiser.

I wanted a site that was easy to navigate and wouldn't have my donors payment information all over cyberspace. I also wanted it to be FREE, yes, FREE. I didn't want to have to pay to keep my fundraiser up and running. After carousing the internet I found articles about the top social networking fundraising sites. Crowdrise was one of the sites I found multiple articles written about.

So how did Crowdrise measure up against what I truly wanted? When looking for a platform for my fundraiser I wanted a site that was:

(1) reliable: I did not want to create a fundraiser and come back later to a page that was gone. Let's be honest in the 21st century anybody can create anything and pass it off on the internet. It's a two-edged sword! Crowdrise was created in 2009 "by actor and activist, Edward Norton, producer and activist Shauna Robertson, and internet entrepreneurs Robert and Jeffrey Wolfe." That quote is straight from the webpage. I was able to read the history of Crowdrise and see various fundraisers and people who have had multiple fundraising projects over a period of time. They also listed some coveted awards they've received during their existence. Companies do not get rewarded for unreliability!

(2) a simple process to donate and a reliable framework to take donations: I am very skeptical of putting my credit card info on random sites. After checking out Crowdrise's website and seeing the charities they have collected for, the celebs who use them, and the fact that SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) technology was used, it made me breathe a little easier to think of using it to collect funds. Even though we know some of the best systems have been breached, ie the Target issue not long ago, I felt comfortable with the process. Not to mention they made donating very easy using Network for Good and WePay to process credit card payments. They have it clocked as taking no more than 30 seconds! I never felt a need to time it; all I know is it's fast.

(3) easy set up: The very last thing I wanted to do was use a platform that I would have to have my niece or nephews help me figure out. Let's be honest, kids/teens are so much better at figuring out technology because they (1) have grown up with it and rarely have anything else on their minds and (2) aren't afraid to mess stuff up explore. I mean really, if something gets extensive I'm thinking about 5 million things I could have already done and completed instead of sitting in front of my iPad or laptop. I didn't need to worry about that with Crowdrise. Very simple set up without any muss or fuss. I believe even my mother, who has finally got the hang of texting, could do it with no problems!

(4) BONUS: lots of humor, giveaways, and contests: The website is very easy to read through. Which is a good thing because no one has all day to try and figure it out! They even make a reference to finding a high schooler to help you out if you get stuck during the process of setting up your page. Their motto is "if you don't give back no one will like you" IYDGBNOWLY!!! Talk about using peer pressure for good and not evil! They also have multiple contests from identifying drawings to movie quotes and give away everything from napkins, yes Crowdrise napkins, to T-shirts, even moolah coolah (money). You also can earn Crowdrise Impact Points (CIPS) for donating to other fundraisers, for contests, giveaways, etc. These points can be redeemed for Crowdrise stuff. It's just a big party to celebrate doing good! Of course you can find Crowdrise on Facebook and Twitter. Twitter is where I won $50 for my fundraiser!

This made my Saturday!

BONUS: celebrity presence: Many celebrities have fundraised using Crowdrise, this was another nod of reliability. You may want to check them out and find out if your favorite celeb is raising funds for a cause or just check out the assortment of causes that various people are fundraising to help.

Yep, just one big old party; but there is a serious side to Crowdrise. I liked the fact that your donations are sent straight to the charity of your choice. I did not want to be the middle man for my fundraiser having to put donations in my personal account or create another account for donations and sending it on to my charity of choice. Their is also a transaction fee for each donation and a credit card processing fee. Both fees are explained on the website.

Crowdrise has been an easy platform to use to fundraise to bring awareness to human trafficking. So if you are looking for a great site to create your own fundraiser, I would definitely endorse Crowdrise.

PS: I actually liked the site before the $50 donation, honestly I did. They sent me lots and lots of stickers, and everybody knows elementary teachers LOVE stickers!

 

 

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy