CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--RushCard-- a prepaid Visa card co-founded by Russell Simmons in order to provide financial freedom and access long denied to an underserved population-- and CrowdRise, the crowdfunding site founded by Edward Norton-- today announced the #RiseToThrive Charity Challenge. The crowdfunding challenge will raise money and awareness for non-profits dedicated to building prosperous futures for people in American neighborhoods RushCard serves. Through highly engaged, incentivized fundraising, the #RiseToThrive Challenge will reward the charities who best fundraise for their cause, and offer prizes to those who donate.
The #RiseToThrive Challenge takes place September 10, 2013 through October 22 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The Challenge is open to the public, and all are encouraged to choose organizations to support with donations and fundraising throughout the campaign. Visit www.crowdrise.com/risetothrive to join the challenge and fundraise or donate for your favorite causes. To view a special message from Russell Simmons and Edward Norton please visit: http://www.youtube.com/rushcard
“RushCard is proud to have created this Challenge to further reach the people we serve. RushCard’s $50K contribution is merely seed money to jumpstart the giving we need to help our neighbors and communities,” said Russell Simmons, co-founder of RushCard. “When we rise together to help each other, our neighborhoods thrive.”
“CrowdRise is committed to helping non-profit organizations strengthen their crowdfunding capacity because we believe that network-based, peer-to-peer grassroots movements will define social activism in the next century,” said actor and CrowdRise Co-founder Edward Norton. “We're excited to provide these inspiring organizations with a platform to help them raise money and awareness, and inspire others to support their innovative work."
RushCard will award a total of $52,500 in prize money to the #RiseToThrive charities with the most dollars raised. The non-profit that raises the most money will receive $25k, the runner-up will receive $10k, and the third place fundraiser will receive $5k. The remaining $12,500 in prize money will be used to fund weekly charity incentives. All participating non-profits will keep funds raised, regardless of grand prize eligibility.
RushCard will also be offering prizes to donors, including apparel from Russell Simmons’ new yoga line, Tantris, signed copies of Russell Simmons’ book “Super Rich,” a shopping spree to Kimora Lee Simmons’ JustFab shoe retailer, and more.
“RushCard is proud to partner with CrowdRise on our inaugural #RiseToThrive campaign,” said Rob Rosenblatt, RushCard CEO. “We look forward to giving back to the neighborhoods where we do business. It is a rewarding venture and a great opportunity to continue having a positive impact on our customers’ lives.”
Founded in 2003, RushCard has been providing access to the financial mainstream for 10 years. Today, RushCard is a comprehensive payment platform that serves as a feature-rich and mobile alternative to a traditional checking account. RushCard offers a full range of financial management tools including electronic bill pay, payroll direct deposit, card-to-card money transfer, mobile text alerts and electronic servicing – all available to the millions of Americans who want an alternative to traditional banking.
About UniRush, LLC
Co-founded in 2003 by entrepreneur and philanthropist Russell Simmons, UniRush, LLC, revolutionized the payments industry when it launched one of the first prepaid Visa cards. RushCard provides instant access to a set of basic financial services for millions of Americans who cannot or choose not to establish a traditional banking relationship. For more information on RushCard, please visit www.rushcard.com.
The Prepaid Visa RushCard is issued by The Bancorp Bank pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted. The Bancorp Bank; Member FDIC.
About CrowdRise
CrowdRise is a crowdfunding platform for people and organizations to raise support for charitable causes. CrowdRise's core principles are that people have unprecedented power to use the power of networks to leverage their personal capacity and that raising money for charity and giving back should be fun. CrowdRise's custom-built platform and game theory, as well as the company's proven record of designing innovative crowdfunding strategies, provide individual fundraisers, charities, and events with powerful tools to raise the most money for their causes and share compelling philanthropic stories with their personal networks. The site lets anyone turn their friends into an active base of donors for any cause and lets any organization, company, or event unlock untapped leverage out of their existing platform.
CrowdRise topped Mashable's list of "Most Innovative Crowdfunding Platforms" and was named a "Top 25 Best Global Philanthropist" by Barron's. CrowdRise was founded by actor and activist Edward Norton, producer Shauna Robertson, and the founders of Moosejaw, Robert and Jeffrey Wolfe. Thousands of charitable organizations, events, celebrities, and everyday donors have made CrowdRise their philanthropic base for giving back.