What better way to raise money for your club or organization than eating with friends?
According to GroupRaise co-founder Sean Park, GroupRaise is “the most delicious way to change the world.”
GroupRaise, a company that began in college in 2011, is a service that provides organizations resources to fundraise by working with restaurants across the country. K-12 schools, colleges, local charities and multinational charities are all welcome to using this free service.
During a phone interview, Park explained that GroupRaise “help[s] people who may not have had many resources to raise money by raising money through eating.”
GroupRaise has partnered with about 4,000 restaurants across the country and provides their services at over 300 colleges. The best part about GroupRaise is that it is easy to do and easy to schedule.
All you have to do in order to create a fundraising event for your club or organization is to go to the GroupRaise website at www.groupraise.com and create an account. Once you’re registered, you’ll need to provide necessary information for resturants to make the donation: zip code, city for local restaurants around you, etc. None of the organizations that make requests on the site are screened; it is up to the restaurant to accept the request.
Once you’ve registered, you can look at a list of restaurants located near you and pick a date that the restaurant is available for you and your organization to come in. Your organization gets 100 percent of what is raised, and the restaurant gets charged for the events that they host.
Additionally, you will get promotional materials like email reminders (before and the day of) and an RSVP service to make sure people show up.
It’s designed for people who haven’t had much experience organizing events or fundraisers.
Before, you needed to bring in a flyer. Now all you need is to put your receipt into the GroupRaise box located inside the restaurant. Once the event is over, the organization will receive a check with the amount of money they raised that day and time period that they signed up for.
This service can easily be used on a monthly basis, or can be used for gathering events or dinners. There is no max on the amount you fundraise at these restaurants, but it is recommended to put some gap between fundraisers (about two weeks to a month).
“We’re not creating something new,” says Park. “We’re creating something for people who don’t have much to make [fundraising] more accessible.”
Samantha Mineroff is a third-year student majoring in English writings track with a minor in creative writing. She can be reached at SM825021@wcupa.edu.