This is a guest presentation from Alok Tayi, PhD. He is a postdoctoral fellow, in the Whitesides Lab at Harvard University. Alok has been working to provide sample case studies on for the Startup Secrets series. Special thanks to Coulter King and Joyce Meng of Givology for their contributions to this case study. Givology is a student-run social enterprise that helps individuals find and fund education-related projects around the globe. Givology was launched in 2008 and founded by three University of Pennsylvania undergraduates: Joyce Meng, Jennifer Chan and Carl Mackey. More: http://www.mjskok.com/resource/startup-secrets-raising-funding

1. Harvard innovation lab : Michael J Skok : Startup Secrets : Company Formation
Hi
1
#innovationlab @mjskok #startupsecrets www.mjskok.com
MICHAEL J SKOK
Hi Harvard innovation lab
Funding strategies to go the distance
twitter: @mjskok mjskok.com
North Bridge Venture Partners
STARTUP
SECRETS
Case Example: Givology

2. Harvard innovation lab : Michael J Skok : Startup Secrets : Company Formation
Hi
2
#innovationlab @mjskok #startupsecrets www.mjskok.com
For context and more information:
• The entire “Funding Strategies to go the Distance”
presentation can be found here.
• For more on the Startup Secrets series, visit
www.startupsecrets.com
• Related Startup Secrets presentation recommendations:
– Getting Behind the Perfect Pitch
– Building a Compelling Value Proposition

3. +

4. +
Best Practices for Non-Profits
① Launch cheaply and quickly. You can’t plan for everything –
it’s better to be out there first and adapt later.
② Learn social media early. It’s key to raising awareness and
reaching your audience.
③ Focus on quality first and scaling secondarily.
④ Diversify and experiment in figuring out what works. We
constantly generate new ideas for initiatives.
⑤ Motivate volunteers by giving them meaningful projects and
the freedom to come up with their own solutions.

5. +
Best Practices for Non-Profits
⑥ Form a strategy for organizational turnover early.
⑦ Develop a strategy for recurring funding. It’s difficult to find
new donors. Use newsletters, campaigns, and personalized
engagement with key donors to maintain enthusiasm.
⑧ Collaborate with similar organizations. Collaboration through
cross-blogging and other cooperation expands the pie.
⑨ Match expenses with inflows. See what you can do without
first and think critically about your return on expenses.
⑩ Leverage art and video to make a difference. It can convey a
message succinctly and powerfully.

6. +
Founding and Track Record
 Givology was launched in 2008 by University of Pennsylvania
students with the goal of empowering youth around the world by
creating educational opportunities
 Since 2008, we’ve raised over $315,000 to assist 2,875 students
through 46 grassroots partners in 26 countries from over 2,500
registered donors and 11 chapters
 Received Intelius Award for “Best Student-Run Social Enterprise,”
“Top Education Non-Profit” by GreatNonprofits, “Technology in
Education” prize by Education Without Borders, Ford Focus
Finalist
 Featured in Knowledge@Wharton, MTV Act, Nicholas Kristof’s
book Half the Sky, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and other media
channels

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Our Model
 Givology’s virtual office and 100% volunteer team allows us to
operate on a budget of $400 per year for website hosting
 Our low operating costs allow us to be more innovative and
encourage individual entrepreneurship:
 Non-profit organizations tend to be risk-averse, since essential
funding depends on a long track record and proven model
 We can experiment with social media, empower volunteers to
launch their own campaigns, and decentralize decision-making
 Our small size led us to partner exclusively with smaller,
community-based organizations where the small dollar
donations we raise really make a difference

8. +
Our Partnerships
 We partner with grassroots education non-profits and schools that meet
our criteria for transparency, model of impact, quality of operations, cost
effectiveness, continuity of presence in the community, and innovation.
 We find organizations that do great work but are too small to afford a big
marketing budget and staffing presence
 We help them with:
 Online fundraising by posting education projects and student profiles
 Offline fundraising through events run by our chapters and volunteers
 Recruitment of volunteers for administrative and field roles
 Marketing and awareness building through our social media network
 In return, we receive regular updates about the use of funds in the form of
student letters, videos, photos, transcripts, and more

9. +
Documenting Best Practices
 To share our successes and
setbacks, we published a 212-
page e-book in January 2013
 A Guide to Giving is available on
Amazon for $2.99
 Amazon Prime members can
borrow the book for free. We also
offer periodic giveaways, during
which the book is free to all
 The following slides summarize
key lessons; the book provides
more details and case studies

10. +
Thank You
Givology.org | info@givology.org

11. Harvard innovation lab : Michael J Skok : Startup Secrets : Company Formation
Hi
11
#innovationlab @mjskok #startupsecrets www.mjskok.com
For context and more information:
• The entire “Funding Strategies to go the Distance”
presentation can be found here.
• For more on the Startup Secrets series, visit
www.startupsecrets.com
• Related Startup Secrets presentation recommendations:
– Getting Behind the Perfect Pitch
– Building a Compelling Value Proposition

12. Harvard innovation lab : Michael J Skok : Startup Secrets : Company Formation
Hi
12
#innovationlab @mjskok #startupsecrets www.mjskok.com
MICHAEL J SKOK
Hi Harvard innovation lab
Funding strategies to go the distance
twitter: @mjskok mjskok.com
North Bridge Venture Partners
STARTUP
SECRETS
Case Example: Givology