ioby is…
A) An online fundraising platform for neighborhood projects
B) A boundless hub of community organizing education and resources for local leaders, including: project strategy mentorship, budgeting assistance, detailed introductions to crowdfunding and resource organizing, marketing campaign coaching, and leadership guidance—just to name a few
C) A growing team of dedicated staffers who love their work, a growing community of ioby Leaders and volunteers who are driving tangible change in their neighborhoods, and a growing list of generous donors who believe in what we’re doing and want to actualize their support
D) Awesome
E) All of the above
Of course you’re right—it’s E!
While ioby is often associated with our crowdfunding platform, we’re much more than just that.
In the past five years, ioby has helped neighborhood leaders raise over $2 million for almost 800 local projects. Crowdfunding money doesn’t just fall from the sky (unfortunately), so we’ve accomplished these numbers using a multi-pronged approach that involves:
- Dedicated staff members who individually review and provide feedback on each and every project idea submitted to ioby
- A Prospect Chart process that helps Leaders arrive at an appropriate fundraising target
- A series of webinars about the ins and outs of grassroots fundraising tailored to different kinds of projects: green schools, food justice, community gardens, and more
- Individualized help from our staff in creating and maintaining a stellar campaign page, designing live events, and producing marketing materials to create buzz for projects
- Promotion through ioby’s blog, social media, and press outreach
- Introductions to other grassroots leaders and an ongoing relationship with the ioby community
To put it another way, we’re much more than the sum of our parts. Together our platform, staff, Leaders, volunteers and donors are growing a movement of individuals who are ever more knowledgeable, more connected, and more able to make positive change happen, right in our own backyards. That’s a lot more than just a website!