GiveForward operates a crowd-sourced donation platform focused on helping friends and family raise money for people in need. The site was incubated at Chicago’s Excelerate Labs and emphasizes trustworthiness and a simple interface for page owners. GiveForward reports over 3,000 active fundraisers and estimated those pages would raise $25–$30 million in 2012. The company is for‑profit and takes a 7% cut of donations; the founder says that 7% includes all payment processing fees and is lower than many competitors’ 8–10% fees. GiveForward cites examples such as a fundraiser for skier Sarah Burke that raised $300,000 in 72 hours. Company leaders argue the platform enables more successful fundraising for individuals than alternatives while explaining their structure prevents operating as a non‑profit. GiveForward is an online fundraising tool that allows anyone to create customizable fundraising pages for medical expenses. The platform provides users with fundraising tips and enables social sharing on Facebook and Twitter to solicit donations. GiveForward monetizes by deducting 7 percent of all donations. Since 2008, about 10,000 users have joined and the startup has helped families raise nearly $3.5 million for out-of-pocket medical costs. The company was incubated in Chicago’s Excelerate Labs and positions itself as the "Kickstarter for medical expenses." It has raised $500,000 from Tim Krauskopf, New World Ventures, David Cohen, Ed Chandler, Social Leverage and Excelerate Labs.

Total raised

$3M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

Jul 2012