(Courtesy of CardUP Inc.) CardUP, the fundraising platform created to help charities raise money to respond to the economic implications of COVID-19, built by high school students at The Frisch School earlier this year, is once again finding its pertinence and purpose during the second wave of the pandemic.
The software platform, founded in March by high school seniors who wanted to bring fundraising aid to nonprofits experiencing devastating revenue losses due to COVID-19, is launching a new app to reach charitable organizations around the world. This comes at a time when nonprofits are looking for vital financial support during the latest pandemic spikes.
“We created CardUP in March as a group of Frisch students who felt the impacts of COVID-19 firsthand and wanted to do something about it,” explained Noah Schultz, president and chief executive officer at CardUP. “Whether it’s a local shul or a national nonprofit, we are confident that our software can create real change in every organization’s ability to raise money. We’re incredibly excited to expand our impact and presence in the United States, Israel, Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom.”
The new platform, designed collaboratively by CardUP student engineers in North America and Israel, elevates the core platform—which allows nonprofits to create online pages where donors can pay for digital greeting cards—to a new level by allowing organizations to manage the end-to-end experience on a new Web app. In turn, the accessibility of the new platform will allow the software to exponentially grow its reach internationally.
CardUP’s team today comprises over 25 students in North America and in Israel, many of whom are in their gap year. The students have collectively donated over 20,000 volunteer hours to date helping organizations around the world set up CardUP fundraising pages. The company also inaugurated its board of directors and advisory council over the summer, which includes influential executives at Twitter and Google who are providing guidance to the company’s student-led teams.
The innovative software platform, featured on FOX5’s “Good Day New York,” USA Today and PIX11, has seen dramatic growth and a passionate response from its customer base and media outlets since it was created by seniors at The Frisch School who were among the first students in the country to be forced out of their classrooms due to the pandemic. “What a unique way to celebrate the people who do so much for us in our communities,” said Rosanna Scotto, co-host of “Good Day New York,” during FOX5’s live segment on the students’ story in June.
“This is a truly powerful answer to a problem so many nonprofits are having,” explained Morgan Lazarus, executive vice president and chief operating officer at CardUP. “At its core, this new iteration of CardUP’s software is designed to enable widespread deployment internationally, where we have received an overwhelming positive response from so many different types of nonprofit organizations.”
“We’re all incredibly excited about the potential this new, incredibly intuitive and accessible platform provides for organizations eager to use our software to supplement their digital revenue streams,” said David Reese, vice president of software engineering at CardUP. “Our student-led product development team has dedicated a tremendous amount of effort to create a product organizations and donors will love.”
Nonprofit organizations are invited to learn more about CardUP and get started for free at getcardup.com. Eligible organizations are also encouraged to request complimentary fee waivers for premium subscriptions at www.getcardup.com/covid-19.
