GivKwik - Raising Change

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1. What is your project? [1 sentence]

GivKwik Inc. is a mobile, web and API platform that will make philanthropy a more impulsive and frequent act. 

2. How will your project use mobile tools and approaches? [2 sentences]

With a more user-friendly experience, a points system, game mechanics and social influences, GivKwik wants to keep the shared emotion in giving electronically by making it easy, fun and social.

3. Who will use it and why? [1 sentence]

Younger donors require an improved user experience for online giving that includes smaller values - Nonprofit organizations need inexpensive and simpler ways to capture smaller donations from large amounts of younger donors.

4. Please list three ways they would learn about your project.

1) Nonprofits marketing their participation in our platform through their social and web presence, as a way to supplement their fundraising drives, by providing an affordable alternative (25 cents +).

2) Donors/Users Social Media participation. The GivKwik platform is leveraging Twitter, FB and other social utilities to create a shared experience for giving in small amounts. New users will be made aware of their friends using GivKwik and will be encourage to participate.

3) Corporates. Because we’re making giving more, more affordable, we’re also providing a more affordable platform for small to mid-size enterprises to participate in Corporate Social Responsibility matching donation campaigns at lower amounts. Corporate brands will help us raise awareness of our platform. 

5. What connections have you made, or will you make, with others [communities, organizations or networks] about your project? [2 sentences]

We have 17 nonprofits already on-boarded with official licensing agreements, with a robust additional pipeline. We’ve just completed the Hub Ventures Startup Accelerator program for Social Innovation companies and are participating as a scholarship entrepreneur in the SOCAP Conference in October. 

6. What part of the project have you already built? [1-2 sentences, feel free to include links]

Our iPhone App Version 1.5 is available for download in the App Store (http://givkwik.com/download). Our website, (http://givkwik.com) is being enhanced right now to allow for transactions within the next 2 weeks, and our public API will also soon be released. 

Our goal is to create a platform that allows for millions of users to give on a daily basis to as many of the 1.7 million nonprofits in the US as possible as a reflection of the variety of impulse triggers that daily news and information based events can enable. Success to us means we’re enabling several $100 grants per month (ideally, at least one a day) to deserving nonprofits, and creating an active and engaging feedback loop, where our users become “addicted” to the good feeling that giving often often provides. 

8. What resources do you need to succeed? [1-2 sentences]

We’re looking to raise between $350-750K for full-scale operations for a team of 8-12 people in design, technology, marketing and operations. Since the key to our project is scale, we’ll need to leverage a variety of mechanisms for brand awareness and adoption. 


Additional details:
Please list who is on your team:

Jason C. Rosado, CEO and President, a 15-year veteran of banking and financial services at key financial institutions, such as JPMorgan Chase and the Bank of New York Mellon. Diverse background includes interning at the White House, founding both a web start up in Buenos Aires, Argentina and a scholarship and grant foundation in New York. 

Tom Roli, CTO, a 20-year veteran and pioneer of technology and entrepreneurship. Tom has led in the founding and development of several significant digital technology platforms ranging from online advertising to digital music consumption. Co-Founder and CTO of Skematic, LLC and Co-Founder and President of WebNoize/Digital Music Network.

Thaddeus Wojcik, GC & VP, Business Affairs. Skilled attorney and 20-year veteran with extensive background in business negotiations, financial transactions, corporate governance, technology law and charitable organizations, and has been principal or co-founding member of several start-ups.

Expected number of months to complete project:

6 months to build the full product/platform. 18 months to scale up. 

Estimated Project Cost: $350 - 750K

Name: GivKwik Inc. 
Twitter: @givkwik
Email address: jason.rosado@givkwik.com
Organization [if applicable]:
City: San Francisco, CA (and New York)
Country: USA
How did you learn about the contest? From a post to an email list serve for NYU Alumni of the Interactive Telecommunications Program.