Rally.org

{{Infobox company | name = Rally.org | logo = Rally.org logo.png | caption = | trading_name =  | native_name =  | romanized = | former type = | type = | traded_as = | industry = | genre =  | fate = | predecessor = Piryx | successor = | foundation = Austin, Texas, United States ({{Start date|2009}}, rebranded 2011) | founders = {{ubl|Tom Serres|Brian Upton|Jonas Lamis|Naveed Lalani}} | defunct =  | location_city = San Francisco | location_country =United States | locations = | area_served = United States, Europe | key_people = | products = | production = | services = Fundraising platform | revenue = | operating_income = | net_income = | aum =  | assets = | equity = | owner = | num_employees = | parent = | divisions = | subsid = | homepage = {{URL|Rally.org}} | footnotes = | intl = }}

'''Rally.org''' is an American social online fundraising platform for use by a wide range of individuals and organizations. It allows users to set up their own fundraising page, through which supporters can find information about their campaigns and make donations through Rally.org's proprietary payment system. The platform is best known for its use by causes including the Make A Wish Foundation<ref name=Grant>{{cite news |title=Rally.org lets causes share stories, raise money |author=Rebecca Grant |url=https://venturebeat.com/2012/06/26/rally-org-lets-causes-share-stories-raise-money/ |work=VentureBeat |date=26 June 2012 |access-date=12 February 2013}}</ref> and Jon Bon Jovi's Hurricane Sandy relief effort, filmmakers including the director of ''Buzkashi Boys'', and political campaigns in the United States 2012 election cycle. In May 2012, Rally.org closed the largest Series A round of venture capital ever raised online. The company was founded in Austin, Texas, as '''Piryx''', in 2009 by Tom Serres, Brian Upton, Jonas Lamis and Naveed Lalani.<ref name=geekaustin>{{cite news |title= Tom Serres on Piryx — uncoiling the long tail of politics |author=Lynn Bender |url=http://geekaustin.org/2009/01/03/tom-serres-piryx-long-tail-politics |date=3 January 2009 |access-date=20 October 2013}}</ref>

==Background==

Rally.org is a free online social fundraising or crowdfunding platform<ref name=Tam>{{cite news |title=Rally.org Rallies $7.9M in Funding |author=Pui-Wing Tam |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2012/06/26/rally-org-rallies-7-9m-in-funding/ |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |date=26 June 2012 |access-date=17 December 2012}}</ref> with a built-in proprietary payment system,<ref name=Kincaid>{{cite news |title=Social Fundraising Platform Piryx Is Reborn As Rally.org With Top Investors In Tow |author=Jason Kincaid |url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/06/16/social-fundraising-platform-piryx-is-reborn-as-rally-org-with-top-investors-in-tow/ |newspaper=TechCrunch |date=16 June 2011 |access-date=17 December 2012}}</ref> which is used by individuals and organizations to raise money for their causes.<ref name=Grant /> The platform may be used for ongoing fundraising as well as for one-time initiatives.<ref name=Gannes>{{cite news |title=Rally.org Cause Crowdfunding Platform Raises $7.9M of Its Own |author=Liz Gannes |url=http://allthingsd.com/20120626/rally-org-cause-crowdfunding-platform-raises-7-9m-of-its-own/ |newspaper=All Things D |date=26 June 2012 |access-date=17 December 2012}}</ref> Rally.org can be used by organizations and individuals including charities, entrepreneurs, filmmakers, students, political campaigns, and social causes.<ref name=Kincaid/><ref name=McKenzie2/><ref name=Lunden/> Fundraisers can use the platform to create a page about their cause, which the site refers to as a "Rally", and collect money through the platform's payment-processing system.<ref name=Cutler>{{cite news |title=Rally.org Powers A Donation Drive With Prizes To Spend Time With Silicon Valley's Top Angels, VCs |author=Kim-Mai Cutler |url=https://techcrunch.com/2012/12/14/rally-org-glide/ |newspaper=TechCrunch |date=14 December 2012 |access-date=17 December 2012}}</ref> They can also share their story through content including photos, video and blog entries.<ref name=Grant/><ref name=Kincaid/> Through a feature called Covers, Rally.org allows fundraisers to embed a link for donation into their videos and images. These can then be shared via social media, allowing fundraisers to promote their campaigns.<ref name=McKenzie2/><ref name="Nyczepir"/> Additionally, Rally.org's platform analyzes how users respond to individual posts and provides data analytics tools for fundraisers to analyze their campaigns' effectiveness.<ref name=Gannes/>

The proprietary payment system developed by Rally.org processes payments directly, rather than needing to use a third party payments platform such as PayPal or Amazon.<ref name=Etherington>{{cite web |url=http://betakit.com/2012/06/26/rally-org-raises-7-9m-to-help-fund-causes-and-the-stories-that-drive-them |title=Rally.org Raises $7.9m to Help Fund Causes and the Stories That Drive Them |author=Darrell Etherington |date=26 June 2012 |work=BetaKit |access-date=12 February 2013}}</ref> Additionally, the system offers one-click payment functionality, which allows individuals donating through Rally.org to make multiple donations to different causes and campaigns without having to re-enter their payment information.<ref name=Stirland2>{{cite news |title=Social Fundraising Platform Rally To Launch One-Click Donations |author=Sarah Lai Stirland |url=http://techpresident.com/news/22543/social-fundraising-platform-rally-launch-one-click-donations |work=TechPresident |date=10 July 2012 |access-date=12 February 2013}}</ref> Although the platform is free to use by fundraisers, the company takes 5.75 percent commission from each donation made through the site. This commission includes Rally.org's payments to credit card companies.<ref name=Lunden/><ref name=RallyHowItWorks>{{cite web |url=https://rally.org/corp/how_it_works |title=How It Works |work=Rally.org |publisher=Rally.org |access-date=18 March 2013}}</ref> Fundraisers do not need to meet a predetermined goal to receive their donations and are able to raise funds on an ongoing basis if they choose.<ref name=Kim>{{cite news |title=A GigaOM guide to Kickstarter wannabes |author=Ryan Kim |url=http://gigaom.com/2012/11/28/kickstarter-copycats/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121201023053/http://gigaom.com/2012/11/28/kickstarter-copycats/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 1, 2012 |newspaper=Gigaom |date=28 November 2012 |access-date=27 March 2013}}</ref>

In addition to the fundraising platform, Rally.org offers space within its San Francisco headquarters for rent at a subsidized rate to non-profits and socially conscious entrepreneurs. The incubator is called RallyPad, and includes mentorship and other benefits.<ref name=Said>{{cite news |title=Rally.org's 'social fundraising' platform pays off |author=Carolyn Said |url=http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Rally-org-s-social-fundraising-platform-pays-off-3338026.php |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |date=17 February 2012 |access-date=17 December 2012}}</ref> The company also operates a similar startup incubator in Berlin.<ref name=Lunden/><ref name=Grant2>{{cite news |title=Save the Prinzessinnengarten! Rally.org launches in Europe |author=Rebecca Grant |url=https://venturebeat.com/2013/02/07/save-the-prinzessinnengarten-rally-org-launches-in-europe/ |work=VentureBeat |date=7 February 2013 |access-date=12 February 2013}}</ref>

{{As of|2013|2}}, the site had approximately 4.6 million total users, including donors, charitable causes and political campaigns.<ref name=Nyczepir>{{cite news |title=Rally.org goes global |author=Dave Nyczepir |url=http://www.campaignsandelections.com/campaign-insider/354257/rallyorg-goes-global.thtml |work=Campaigns and Elections |date=7 February 2013 |access-date=12 February 2013}}</ref> The company is based in San Francisco and is led by chief executive officer Jon Cole. It also has offices in New York City and Berlin, Germany and has approximately 23 employees.<ref name=Lunden/><ref name=Stirland>{{cite news |title=Social Fundraising Platform Rally Grows With A New Round of $7.9 Million |author=Sarah Lai Stirland |url=http://techpresident.com/news/22464/social-fundraising-platform-rally-grows-new-round-79-million |newspaper=TechPresident |date=26 June 2012 |access-date=17 December 2012}}</ref><ref name=Colao>{{cite news |title=$8M In Two Weeks: The Inside Story Of The Largest, Crowdfunded Series A Round Of All Time |author=J.J. Colao |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jjcolao/2013/02/13/8m-in-two-weeks-the-inside-story-of-the-largest-crowdfunded-series-a-round-of-all-time/ |work=Forbes |date=13 February 2013 |access-date=18 March 2013}}</ref>

==History==

===Piryx===

Tom Serres developing the precursor company, Piryx, in 2009 with co-founders Brian Upton Jonas Lamis and Naveed Lalani, originally as a platform to help political campaigns raise money online.<ref name=Tam/><ref name=Piryx>{{cite web |url=http://piryx.com/team/ |title=Executive Team |year=2013 |work=Piryx.com |publisher=Piryx |access-date=13 February 2013}}</ref> According to Serres, the company's initial aim was to provide a service similar to PayPal, but customized for political fundraising.<ref name=Said/> It was developed as a nonpartisan fundraising platform to be used by political candidates at all levels. The platform allowed donors to make payments directly to a campaign's bank account, and included an app that tracked donations and reported them to the Federal Election Commission. It also included features that campaigns could use to set up a webpage or fundraising tool via a Facebook group.<ref name=Morrison>{{cite news |title=A PayPal for politics |author=Chris Morrison |url=https://money.cnn.com/2009/11/24/smallbusiness/piryx.fsb/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091127153909/http://money.cnn.com/2009/11/24/smallbusiness/piryx.fsb |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 27, 2009 |work=CNN Money |date=24 November 2009 |access-date=18 December 2012}}</ref>

===Relaunch and venture funding===

In June 2011, the company announced that it was rebranding as Rally.org<ref name=Kincaid/> and widening the scope of its platform to a broad range of organizations and individuals, such as charities, filmmakers and students, in addition to political campaigns and candidates.<ref name=McKenzie2/><ref name=McKenzie/> Prior to the relaunch, the company moved its headquarters from Austin to San Francisco.<ref name=Kincaid/>

In June 2012, the company announced that it had raised $7.9 million in its first Series A round of venture capital funding.<ref name=Grant/><ref name=Stirland/> The funding was raised online through AngelList and was the largest round of Series A venture capital ever raised online.<ref name=Tam/><ref name=Lacy>{{cite news |title=Take That Crowdfunding Cynics! Rally Raises Largest AngelList Deal Ever |author=Sarah Lacy |url=http://pandodaily.com/2012/06/27/take-that-crowdfunding-cynics-rally-raises-largest-angellist-deal-ever/ |newspaper=Pando Daily |date=27 June 2012 |access-date=17 December 2012}}</ref> Investors included Greylock Partners,<ref name=TNW>{{cite news |title=Social fundraising platform Rally.org raises $7.9m from Google Ventures, Greylock and others |url=http://thenextweb.floost.com/Miscellaneous/post-social-fundraising-platform-rallyorg-raises-79m-from-google-ventures-greylock-and-others-502244 |work=The Next Web |date=26 June 2012 |access-date=12 February 2013}}</ref> Mike Maples of Floodgate Fund, Michael Birch, Tim Ferriss, Eric Ries and Google Ventures.<ref name=Gannes/><ref name=Lacy/> Investing in Rally.org was Kevin Rose's first investment as a partner at Google Ventures.<ref name=Stirland/><ref name=Chafkin>{{cite news |title=Kevin Rose Reigns As The Zen Master Of Silicon Valley Chatter |author=Max Chafkin |url=http://www.fastcompany.com/3004354/kevin-rose-reigns-zen-master-silicon-valley-chatter |work=Fast Company |date=15 January 2013 |access-date=12 February 2013}}</ref> Serres stated that the company would use the funding to scale the business, hire more engineers and expand into Europe.<ref name=Kane>{{cite news |title=Rally.org poised to expand global reach |author=Danielle Kane |url=http://www.campaignsandelections.com/campaign-insider/322752/rallyorg-poised-to-expand-global-reach.thtml |newspaper=Campaigns and Elections |date=27 June 2012 |access-date=17 December 2012}}</ref>

In 2012, during the U.S. presidential and congressional elections, the non-partisan platform was used by Governor Mitt Romney's presidential campaign in the general election as its only fundraising platform, as well as by Mayor Julian Castro and Senator Elizabeth Warren.<ref name=McKenzie>{{cite news |title=Rally.org learns from Obama and Romney as it looks for life beyond the elections |author=Hamish McKenzie |url=http://pandodaily.com/2012/12/17/rally-org-learns-from-obama-and-romney-as-it-looks-for-life-beyond-the-elections/ |newspaper=Pando Daily |date=17 December 2012 |access-date=17 December 2012}}</ref><ref name=Safdar>{{cite news |title=Techies Cash In On Romney, Obama |author=Khadeeja Safdar |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/24/techies-romney-obama_n_1698861.html |newspaper=The Huffington Post |date=24 July 2012 |access-date=27 March 2013}}</ref> Rally.org was also the platform used for Jon Bon Jovi’s hurricane relief campaign raising funds to rebuild New Jersey communities following Hurricane Sandy.<ref name=McKenzie/>

The company announced the launch of its platform in Europe in February 2013. The global payment system will process transactions in 17 currencies, starting with donations in euros.<ref name=Lunden>{{cite news |title=Social Crowdfunding Platform Rally.org Expands To Europe With New Berlin Incubator And Donations In Euros, With Pounds Coming Soon |author=Ingrid Lunden |url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/02/07/social-crowdfunding-platform-rally-org-expands-to-europe-with-new-berlin-incubator/ |work=TechCrunch |date=7 February 2013 |access-date=12 February 2013}}</ref><ref name="Nyczepir" /> It also established a new office and startup incubator in Berlin.<ref name="Grant2" />

Also in February 2013, Rally.org introduced a new feature called Covers, which allows fundraisers to add a video link or image about their cause to their donation form. The new Covers feature was used by film director Sam French to raise money for the two Afghan actors in his film ''Buzkashi Boys'' to attend the Academy Awards.<ref name=McKenzie2>{{cite news |title=Filmmaker turns to new Rally.org feature to get young actors from Kabul to the Oscars |author=Hamis McKenzie |url=http://pandodaily.com/2013/02/07/filmmaker-turns-to-new-rally-org-feature-to-get-young-actors-from-kabul-to-the-oscars/ |newspaper=Pando Daily |date=7 February 2013 |access-date=17 December 2012}}</ref><ref name=Ryzik>{{cite news |title=A Trip to the Oscars, After All |author=Melena Ryzik |url=http://carpetbagger.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/12/a-trip-to-the-oscars-after-all/ |newspaper=The New York Times |date=12 February 2013 |access-date=19 March 2012}}</ref>

==Recognition==

''Campaigns and Elections'' named Piryx in 2011 and Rally.org in 2012 as the "Best Online Fundraising Tool".<ref name=C&E2011>{{cite news |title=Reed Awards |url=http://www.campaignsandelections.com/awards/reed-awards/2011/technology/best-online-fundraising-tool/ |work=Campaigns and Elections |year=2011 |access-date=12 February 2013}}</ref><ref name=C&E2012a>{{cite news |title=Reed Awards:Best Online Fundraising Tool |url=http://www.campaignsandelections.com/awards/reed-awards/2012/political-technology/best-online-fundraising-tool/ |work=Campaigns and Elections |year=2012 |access-date=12 February 2013}}</ref> Also in 2012, the magazine named Rally.org the "Most Innovative Product of the Year"<ref name=C&E2012b>{{cite news |title=Reed Awards: Most Innovative Product |url=http://www.campaignsandelections.com/awards/reed-awards/2012/special-categories/most-innovative-product-of-the-year/ |work=Campaigns and Elections |year=2012 |access-date=12 February 2013}}</ref> and named Tom Serres one of its 2012 CampaignTech Innovators for creating Rally.org.<ref name=Neubauer>{{cite news |title=Campaigns & Elections Magazine Announces "CampaignTech Innovators" |author=Miranda Neubauer |url=http://techpresident.com/news/22015/campaigns-elections-magazine-announces-campaigntech-innovators |work=TechPresident |date=5 April 2012 |access-date=17 December 2012}}</ref> In 2013, ''Forbes'' included Rally.org in its list of "America's Most Promising Companies".<ref name=Forbes>{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/most-promising-companies/list/ |title=America's Most Promising Companies |date=February 2013 |work=Forbes |access-date=18 March 2013}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist|2}}

==External links== *[https://rally.org/ Rally.org website]

Category:American fundraising websites Category:Companies based in San Francisco

Rally.org

Connections

Linked from

Links to (35 total)