Events that benefit a worthy cause are always a good idea. Arranging those events — that’s not so easy. ImpactFlow, a startup out of Portland, OR, aims to make the planning process easier with an automated matching platform for businesses and individuals.
To better understand how it works, imagine a few restaurants want to celebrate organic food with an event. Two or three local restaurants work together on details like food for the event, and one of the chefs may even know someone willing to donate a space.
As word spreads about the event, other restaurants may want to get involved, sending ticket sales soaring. As the project balloons, other concerns come into play: is the venue large enough? Is more seating necessary?
More importantly, how can a few busy restaurants make this labor-of-love side project happen?
If ticket sales for the imagined food event were to benefit a local farmers’ nonprofit group, the goal would be to get them as much of the proceeds as possible (naturally). ImpactFlow can bring those interested in doing something good for the community together, which helps events run a bit more smoothly and scale as necessary without dipping into funds to make it happen.
When I spoke with Tyler Foreman, CEO of ImpactFlow, he said its goal was to tear down barriers and legwork that often hamper the fundraising process. The platform allows anyone interested to find their niche — and an event that suits them best.
The moving parts of ImpactFlow rotate around ImpactEvents, which is the main hub for managing your next soiree. It’s where businesses connect, and things like ticket sales or promotional reach can be monitored.
You can also amplify your event using ImpactFlow’s social media management tools, and create a forward-facing webpage so those interested can learn more about what you’re doing.
ImpactFlow is also free for nonprofits to join, and says it has one of the lowest transaction fees of any online fundraising platform.
Without having to spend time finding financial backing for an event or partners to make it all happen, the focus can be on what’s most important: the cause. In making philanthropy widely available on a platform that’s easy to use, ImpactFlow is hoping more causes see the benefits from those who want to help.
Read next: Google is testing One Today, an Android app for giving $1 micro-donations to good causes
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