DENVER, Oct. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ — iGivefirst is using cutting-edge technology to transform the world of online charitable giving.  They have launched a unique, user-friendly platform which allows visitors to any website to securely donate to more than 1.5 million federally approved nonprofits, a number that is growing daily. By putting an easily customizable iGivefirst “Give” button on their website, publishers and bloggers can support charities and causes associated with their content through the advertiser-sponsored Give window. In addition to donating on publisher websites enabled with the “Give” button, individuals may also support their favorite charities and discover new ones by going directly to iGivefirst.com.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121010/CG89037)

With online giving on the increase, it is important that individuals who are inspired to donate be able to find nonprofits that appeal to them, trust that these charities are legitimate, donate securely and then track those donations for record-keeping purposes.  Today, iGivefirst has released an online web interface which allows you to easily search through federally-approved US-based charities,  and the iGivefirst donor dashboard which allows you to set up a one-time or recurring donation, share your donation or personally support via your social networks and track all of your charitable donations.  The iGivefirst donor dashboard also condenses all of the online donations that you have made over the course of the year into one tax receipt. This can potentially reduce both the administrative and fundraising overhead expenses for the nonprofit,  resulting in a greater portion of your donation going directly to the cause rather than operational costs.

This past summer was a difficult one for the Colorado community. Wildfires across the state destroyed 100,000 acres and nearly 600 homes causing half a billion dollars in damage, and a mass shooting tragedy in an Aurora movie theater saddened and shocked the Nation.  During these challenging times,  iGivefirst’s “Give” button was posted in beta on a couple of small local media sites raising more than $40,000 for the organizations supporting those affected by the fires and shooting. All donations were delivered within 30 days of the donation date.

About iGivefirst:

iGivefirst is a Denver-based, registered 501(c)(3), transformative platform that makes donating tolegitimate charities as easy and safe as “liking” or “tweeting” from digital media and news sites. The company’s “Give” button can be easily placed on any website or blog and facilitates donations to registered charitable organizations providing support to the need described in the story on that page. iGivefirst is easy, trustworthy and secure, and it supports only legitimate nonprofit organizations that are federally registered and in good standing with the IRS. For more information on iGivefirst, visit their website at www.iGivefirst.com.

Media Contact:

Sharif Youssef iGivefirst, 7202954483, sharif@igivefirst.com

News distributed by PR Newswire iReach: https://ireach.prnewswire.com

Colorado Wildfires officially called a disaster by the President. In addition to the High Park Fire and Waldo Canyon Fire, other numerous fires are burning in Colorado. Over 105,000 acres have been scorched in the two larger fires, alone. Nearly 600 homes have been lost, thousands have been evacuated, and a handful of people have been injured or killed.

Thankfully, in just the last two and half weeks, Colorado has been showered with aid and support from compassionate, generous people from all over the state and the nation. iGivefirst is grateful to be able to help facilitate financial support for these helpful organizations in addition to educating the public with who is on the ground helping victims. We are proud to announce that over $20,000.00 has been raised so far through the organization for the fire victims.

People pulling together in times of need are shining moments in humanity. iGivefirst would also like to thank Matt Bryant for reaching out to us and sharing the privilege of a benefit concert, headlined by the local band, Frogs Gone Fishin’, presented and sponsored by Samana Lounge in Vail, Colorado on June 26th.

By working together, we have impacted this tragedy in a positive way, but we have to remember that we have a long way to go. Many people and animals have been displace. We offer a special thank you to friends, family members, courageous firefighters, volunteers and neighbors that are being affected and have been affected by these fires. Thank you from iGivefirst.

The High Park Fire in Colorado has been officially declared the most destructive in Colorado history. It has affected numerous families and animals and has reshaped over 100 square miles of the northern Colorado mountain landscape.

An unfortunate lightning strike turned major wild fire has left an entire community displaced. Through all of the hardships, several wonderful organizations, large and small, have pulled together to help those who have been victimized by the blaze. Many donations have been made to local foundations, but a new donation channel has emerged. iGivefirst is an organization that simplifies the giving process and facilitates streamlined donations to those in need.

Since the blaze began on June 9th, iGivefirst has raised over $7,000 for local relief organizations by empowering people to donate directly from the Reporterherald, Dailycamera.com, Timescall.com, Denverpost.com and KDVR.com news stories about the High Park Fire. Director of operations Brian Wilkerson delivered the checks on June 21st to some of those organizations helping to support those directly affected by the High Park Fire, and they were received with big smiles and open arms.

iGivefirst will continue to help raise funds for the victims of the High Park Fire, as well as those in need all around the world.

To donate go to:

Prairie Mountain Publishing Sites (Dailycamera.com, Timescall.com and Reporterherald.com):
http://www.reporterherald.com/news/larimer-county/ci_20844485/reporter-herald-and-igivefirst-join-ease-community-donations?IADID=Search-www.reporterherald.com-www.reporterherald.com

Fox 31 KDVR Denver:
http://kdvr.com/2012/06/10/live-blog-high-park-fire/

The Denver Post:
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_20882380/colorado-wildfire-extreme-weather-conditions-stoke-high-park

About iGivefirst
Denver-based iGivefirst has created a transformative platform that makes donating to trusted and legitimate charities as easy and safe as “liking” or “tweeting”. The Company’s “Give” button is easily placed on any publisher page and facilitates donations to charitable organizations providing support and services related to the story on that page. iGivefirst is easy, trustworthy and secure, and it supports only legitimate non-profit organizations which are federally registered and in good standing with the IRS. For more information about iGivefirst, visit their website athttp://www.iGivefirst.com.

Reporter-Herald and iGivefirst join to ease community donations
Reporter-Herald staff
Posted: 06/12/2012 11:30:44 PM MDT

The Reporter-Herald and its parent company Prairie Mountain Publishing are partnering with Denver-based iGivefirst to make it easy for readers to make online donations to local nonprofits responding to the High Park Fire. “Every day — even at midnight on Saturday — people have been calling the Reporter-Herald asking how they could help those affected by the fire,” said Managing Editor Jeff Stahla. “This will give readers an opportunity to help their neighbors rebuild their lives.”

The Reporter-Herald is featuring iGivefirst’s easy-to-use “give” button with its online news coverage of the fire so those wanting to donate can do so as they read our stories, Stahla said. To make a donation, readers simply click the button, select the nonprofit — at this point four key nonprofits have been identified in connection with the fire, including the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Larimer Humane Society and ACS Community L.I.F.T. — choose a donation amount and complete the contribution form.

Donations are then distributed directly to the participating nonprofits by iGivefirst. There are no setup or maintenance fees for nonprofits to participate.

“The High Park Fire has claimed over 100 structures, burned over 43,000 acres and is responsible for at least one death. iGivefirst and Prairie Mountain Publishing have partnered to quickly facilitate donations directly from news articles to the nonprofit agencies on the ground helping those immediately affected by the fire,” said Brian Wilkerson, iGivefirst director of operations. “iGivefirst makes giving online easy, trustworthy and secure.”

iGivefirst is a hybrid organization. It is made up of the nonprofit iGivefirst Charitable Fund, which collects, processes and distributes donations to participating nonprofits. It also has the for-profit iGivefirst Inc., which developed the company’s fundraising platform, oversees administration, tax reporting, branding, payment processing and other business functions.

Of each donation, 91.5 percent goes to the participating nonprofits. Of the remainder, 3.5 percent is for payment processing and 5 percent goes to iGivefirst to cover its costs. iGivefirst notes that according to the American Philanthropy Institute, it is acceptable for a nonprofit to spend up to 40 percent of each donation on fundraising. An efficient charity, iGivefirst states on its website, typically spends 15 to 20 percent on fundraising.

As a result, the company says, “iGivefirst offers significant savings to the nonprofit community, which empowers them to spend more of your money on the cause you intended it for.”

For more information go to:
http://www.reporterherald.com/news/larimer-county/ci_20844485/reporter-herald-and-igivefirst-join-ease-community-donations

Or Donate to the High Park Fire directly by clicking the Give button below:

Posted: June 01, 2012

Tech startup: iGivefirst Inc.By Eric Peterson

Company: iGivefirst

CoBiz Magazine: “INITIAL LIGHT BULB Sharif Youssef spent 15 years in technology, consulting for firms like eBay, Amazon and Citigroup, before deciding to focus on philanthropy and start charity-centric iGivefirst.

“The very definition of philanthropy is the love of humanity,” Youssef says. “I realized there was a total disregard for humanity in corporate America.” To this end, iGivefirst offers a means for nonprofits to raise money online. “We created a ‘give’ button,” Youssef says. “It sits right next to ‘share’ and ‘tweet.’” Youssef is CEO of the seven-employee company. He envisioned iGivefirst as a nonprofit before settling on “a hybrid model” that includes both a 501(c)3 charitable fund and a for-profit company.

IN A NUTSHELL “There isn’t a trustworthy giving brand online, and that’s what we aspire to be,” Youssef says. “The goal of iGivefirst is to increase charity worldwide and give youth an easy way to donate online without fear of fraud.”  With the “give” button next to relevant stories, iGivefirst puts a fundraising vehicle in the best possible spot. “Emotion leads to action,” Youssef says. “We wanted to take searching out of the process.” Donors simply click and get a list of 10 relevant nonprofits; one more click and they are donating to a cause. iGivefirst’s technology searches the article text and matches it to relevant charities.

Donations go to the iGivefirst Charitable Fund (the aforementioned 501(c)3), which passes them on to the charity of the donor’s choice, minus 8.5 percent that goes to iGivefirst Inc. Noting that even the most efficient charities usually spend more than 10 percent of their budgets on administration and fundraising, Youssef says iGivefirst is “increasing the efficiency for the most efficient nonprofits by about 40 percent.”

“Making it as simple to give as possible, that’s the trend and where the opportunity lies,” says Connie Rule, president and CEO of the Rocky Mountain Outward Bound School in Denver, which signed with iGivefirst in April. “The notion of passive fundraising is very intriguing for us.” Rule says iGivefirst’s ability to connect through a relevant news story makes it “more natural and organic” than traditional active fundraising. “It touches hearts when people are in the moment,” she says.

THE MARKET According to Giving USA, philanthropic donations totaled nearly $350 billion in the U.S. last year, three-quarters of it from individuals, but only about 8 percent was donated online. “Millennials and Generation X, we don’t have checks,” Youssef says. “To reach this audience, you have to go online.”

Youssef says iGivefirst would have helped boost the fundraising for the Haiti earthquake by several multiples; text donations are limited to $10, while online donations average $60.

FINANCING Youssef says iGivefirst’s launch was “completely bootstrapped” by him and the company’s employees, who have yet to collect a salary to date.”

For more information go to:

http://www.cobizmag.com/articles/tech-startup-igivefirst-inc

STARTO.tv Interview – About Entrepreneurs, by Entrepreneurs & for Entrepreneurs

Episode #4 Social Entrepreneur Startups & Crowd Funding

Sharif Youssef of iGivefirst talks about his inspiration for an exciting new technological approach to online charitable donations.

To see this video go to:

http://igivefirst.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=414f8911c064f22428c05d44d&id=241ecb6cc2&e=e0f1e52030

Have you ever been reading an article online about a topic or cause you feel moved to support?  Would you like to be able to make a trustworthy donation as easy as being able to follow, like, or tweet?

Are you a smaller nonprofit company with a limited budget trying to decide how to spend your marketing dollars?  Would you like to reach more people and provide them an easy and secure online donation process by simply clicking on a “Give” icon?

iGivefirst Founder and CEO Sharif Youssef notes, “Online news informs us of worldwide events without providing a simple way to take action and give back.  We empower people to take action.”

iGivefirst’s patent pending “Give” button is displayed on a wide range of popular websites, such as online media and bloggers.

iGivefirst provides a unique technology tool streamlining the online non-profit donation process for both consumers and nonprofit companies.  Youssef notes, “iGivefirst empowers people to create real change with the simple click of a button.  We are on a mission to increase charitable donations worldwide.”

Youssef explains, “iGivefirst developed out of the need for a trusted online brand which allows people to donate to nonprofits serving a wide range of local and global needs.  People are often inspired to give when they are moved by something they see or read.  The success of giving campaigns during natural catastrophes such as Hurricane Katrina or the Haiti earthquake is a testament to that impulse.”

“There are more than 1.5 million nonprofits in the world working to better people’s lives and communities beyond natural catastrophes.  The iGivefirst ‘Give’ button allows people who are moved by a story or event to immediately donate to an organization that is related to the subject matter of the story.”

While iGivefirst works with large and small nonprofit companies, Youssef notes, “Many of the nonprofits doing innovative work are small and sometimes struggle with making effective use of new technology.  We also work with the nonprofits, challenged by a lack of resources, to ensure they are effectively incorporating online giving into their overall development efforts.”

Youssef details, “Over 2.1 billion people have access to the internet and 75% turn to online media as a source for news, but only 8% of donations to nonprofits are made online.  In part, people are concerned about scams.”

“iGivefirst works only with federally registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations.  We ask that participating nonprofits provide you with information on how your donation is making an impact.”

Youssef highlights, “Anytime you see the Give button, you can be confident your donation is secure and your contribution will be delivered to federally registered nonprofit organizations of your choosing.”

“Not only are we a brand you can trust, iGivefirst also offers a digital wallet that makes giving even easier.  Within your digital wallet we keep track of all of your donations, provide tax receipts and allow you to learn about innovative charities that are doing great things to positively impact causes you care about.”

“All of your information is kept private and secure.  We never sell any of your data.  You can make an anonymous donation which prevents even the receiving organization from knowing who you are.”

“Before iGivefirst, there was no central online source that made giving easy, secure and efficient.  There is a nominal fee for the giver but none for the nonprofit receiving the donation.  Essentially, iGivefirst has streamlined the process of giving, so ultimately more money goes to the organizations in need.”

Here is how iGivefirst works.  Click on the iGivefirst button.  A selection of nonprofits doing work related to the content of the article will appear in the window.  Choose which nonprofit you want to donate to and the amount you want to donate.

The payment window pops up after a nonprofit has been selected allowing a donation to be made instantly.  The donation is private and secure.  Payment options include major credit cards, PayPal, and Google Checkout planned for a future release.

You can raise awareness immediately for your selected cause and nonprofit by posting with the Facebook and Twitter posting options.  In addition, you have the option of creating an account with iGivefirst to facilitate future donations and stay updated on the work being done by the nonprofits you support.

It is always interesting to learn what inspired an entrepreneur.  Here is Sharif Youssef’s inspiration.

“After spending long hours, days, and weeks talking to people during the launch of iGivefirst, I have been asked numerous times to tell my personal ‘why’ story for all to see.  I am a first-generation American, my parents and sisters were all born in Egypt.”

“After repeated confrontations, my family left their families at home and fled to the United States as refugees to avoid religious prosecution.  When they first arrived, everyone lived in a church while my father started work to begin a new life.”

“At first times were tough. My mother and sister went door to door asking for bread and water, which wasn’t a trivial task with a thick accent and limited comprehension of English.”

“Shortly after renting their first apartment, I was born.  At a very young age, my parents instilled morals, ethics, and an overall ‘do-good’ attitude into our everyday lives.”

“As I graduated high school, I started my first corporate job as a mailroom clerk and quickly climbed the ranks to become the program manager of Government Electronic Commerce Object-Oriented Systems; now more commonly known as e-file.”

“Continuing my journey through corporate America, I entered into the .com world in 1999 and quickly became a multi-channel marketing expert.  I practically lived on airplanes, traveling to as many as 6 states in a single week!”

“I was responsible for creating innovative solutions that fixed real-world problems for Fortune 500 companies and top Internet brands.  After spending 15 years in marketing and identity management, I started seeing a pattern – that many organizations made decisions without any consideration of what the impact would be on humanity.”

“This realization began my personal journey.  I wanted to make a difference.  I wanted to help the world.  I wanted to wake up in the morning and be able to look myself in the mirror and know I was helping humanity.”

“I spent endless weeks analyzing philanthropy.  I came to the realization there are only three players: people that want to help, people that need help, and the over 1.5 million charities that are doing their best to help.”

“However, charities are largely evaluated on their ability to keep their overhead as low as possible, with conventional wisdom suggesting that this translates to more investment in their programs that ultimately help the needy.”

“While most business leaders would never agree to run their business on such low overhead, recognizing the shortsightedness of this approach, many irrationally expect charities to do so while running programs, fundraising, paying staff, and paying basic business expenses like administration, advertising and marketing costs.”

“This places every charity at a financial disadvantage, which makes it very difficult to get mainstream media exposure and adopt new technology.  I realized there was not an online giving brand that makes giving easy, trustworthy and secure.”

Youssef concludes, “I founded iGivefirst to be the solution. ”

Many of the nonprofits working with iGivefirst agree.

“The iGivefirst button provides access to new digital audiences that were previously too expensive to target.” – Tom Tuohy, President and Founder of Dream for Kids

“iGivefirst levels the playing field for all nonprofits empowering effective and innovative charities to create real change.” – Amanda Brown, Director of Development at Rock the Vote

“Charities struggle with consumer trust and have restricted marketing budgets.  iGivefirst is a ubiquitous brand that provides nonprofits with mainstream media exposure at no cost with virtually no effort.” – Daniel J. Nasharr, Board Member at Suicide Prevention Services of America

As an online media reader, start looking for the iGivefirst “Give” icon on articles to donate to what matters to you.  Follow iGivefirst on Twitter and Facebook.  Read the iGivefirst Blog.

Contact iGivefirst directly to learn more about adding your nonprofit company to their trusted client list.   Benefits include new digital audience through mainstream media exposure, no upfront costs (no setup, no maintenance, no commitment), and no integration effort required.

For more information go to:

http://www.businessinsider.com/look-for-the-new-igivefirst-icon-in-online-media-2012-4

http://brenda-huffman.blogspot.com/2012/04/look-for-new-igivefirst-icon-in-online.html

http://axcessnews.com/index.php/articles/show/id/22507

iGivefirst has been named a 2012 Computerworld Honor Laureate. We have been recognized for innovative technology that promote and advances public welfare, contributes to the greater good of society and changes the world for the better.

For over two decades, The Computerworld Honors Program has recognized… more »

iGivefirst Deepens Nonprofit Staff Expertise with Addition of Mike Niyompong

Former United Way executive brings technical and philanthropic experience to innovative social enterprise as vice president of product management.

Denver, CO (PRWEB)

January 31, 2012

iGivefirst, developer of a user-friendly platform that allows website visitors to safely donate to various nonprofits via an on-page “Give” button, today announced the addition of Mike Niyompong as its new vice president of product management.

more »

“A Single Click Supports Any Cause with iGivefirst”

Breakthrough “Give” button lets website visitors easily donate while giving advertisers a turnkey way to align with virtually any cause

Denver, CO (PRWEB)
December 08, 2011

Starting today, online publishers, bloggers, and website owners can make supporting charities as easy as “liking” or “tweeting” with iGivefirst, an easy-to-use platform allowing website visitors to donate to federally registered charities with just one click.

“Social media has made it easier than ever to share and discuss news within our social circles. iGivefirst provides people with the opportunity to not only share the story, but also make contributions to charities that support the very issue they’re reading about,” said Sharif Youssef, founder and CEO of iGivefirst. He noted that during the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, more than 5,500 Twitter posts per second (called “tweets”) were being posted discussing the earthquake. “Imagine the difference we could have made if those people also would been able to donate to disaster relief causes that supported Japan,” Youssef said.

By combining new technology, mainstream media and social involvement, iGivefirst completes the social Internet trifecta of the future, which, according to Youssef, will be “Like”, “Tweet” and “Give”. “The ‘Give’ button empowers people worldwide to unite in their effort to positively impact the things that really matter,” he added.

The iGivefirst “Give” button can be displayed on any website, much like the Facebook, Twitter and other sharing buttons used by millions online each day. Rather than simply sharing or forwarding a story, users that click the “Give” button are presented with legitimate nonprofit organizations directly related to the story they’ve been reading. For example, a click on the “Give” button at the bottom of an online story about the recent earthquakes in Turkey will show organizations offering relief and support to victims of that specific disaster. Users may select the charity of their choice and make a donation, which can be as little as $10.

The button is currently displayed on ICOSA Magazine’s website and Hypervocal.com. ICOSA facilitates dynamic cooperation among individuals, businesses, governmental bodies and educational organizations to help foster change and growth through social responsibility. HyperVocal provides engaged millennials of the “Facebook Generation” with a comprehensive look at the complete, hyper-frenetic news cycle.

iGivefirst also assures consumers their donations are going to legitimate, federally registered charities. The number of Katrina related sites doubled in two days after the hurricane devastated the U.S. gulf coast. Sadly, a follow-up FBI investigation of 800 of the charities revealed as many as 60 percent of the sites were not legitimate. iGivefirst only displays legitimate nonprofit organizations that are registered and in good standing with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). “iGivefirst increases fundraising efficiency by reducing costs for charitable organizations, which benefits the nonprofit and those they serve,” said Miriam May of SMART Consulting, who formerly served as executive director of Susan G. Komen Foundation and senior vice president of the United Way of Southeastern New England.

Revenue for Websites, Exposure for Advertisers

The “Give” button also provides website owners with a new source of revenue through content-related advertising. Companies and brands can sponsor the placement of a supporting message within the give screen through either the website owner or iGivefirst. This feature not only provides a new revenue stream to online publishers, it allows companies and brands to show support for virtually any cause important to a consumer through the iGivefirst application.

“A majority of consumers patronize companies that support causes that are meaningful and important to them,” said Youssef. “Eighty-eight percent of people believe companies should encourage and support social causes, and 80 percent are likely to switch brands to one that supports a cause they care about,” he added (statistics from the Do Well Do Good Survey 2010).

Additionally, when a visitor chooses to make a contribution, they are prompted to share on social networks like Facebook and Twitter. As a result, the hosting website, the specific article, the supporting brand, and the ability to support the cause, are all communicated within the donor’s online social circle.

About iGivefirst

Denver-based iGivefirst is a transformative platform that makes donating to legitimate charities as easy and safe as “liking” or “tweeting” from digital media and news sites. The company’s “Give” button can be easily placed on any website or blog and facilitates donations to charitable organizations providing support to the need described in the story on that page. iGivefirst is easy, trustworthy and secure, and it supports only legitimate nonprofit organizations that are federally registered and in good standing with the IRS. For more information on iGivefirst, visit their website at http://www.iGivefirst.com.

To register as a publisher or apply as a nonprofit go to:
http://www.igivefirst.com/register