BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ChallengeStar, a Miami-based tech start-up, has launched a new mobile app of the same name that is revolutionizing fundraising and social media competition. With the app, people can create contests that help them raise money and awareness for their causes.
“Our mission is to make the world a more charitable place,” said Jed Royer, CEO of ChallengeStar. “We have developed a way for people to support their favorite causes simply by pledging real money to their favorite posts instead of just ‘liking’.”
The ChallengeStar app will make its Massachusetts debut March 20-22 at the Association of Fundraising Professionals International Fundraising Conference in Boston. The conference is designed to educate and inspire thought leaders from around the world on how to create change in their communities and organizations.
Jed Royer and the ChallengeStar team will be at booth 329 in the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, Hall C, throughout the conference and will hold five 10-minute workshops:
"Fundraising Goes Viral: How to Create Your Own ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’ on ChallengeStar!”
Sunday, March 20 - 12:00 & 3:15 pm
Monday, March 21 - 12:00 & 5:30 pm
Tuesday, March 22 - 12:30 pm
The app is free to download at the App Store and the Google Play Store. Registered users can play for a cause by setting up a “Charity Challenge” or play for themselves by setting up a “Winner Takes All Challenge.” In either instance, users create their own challenges, message their followers to participate, and raise money online using ChallengeStar’s secure payment gateway via PayPal.
“The app is completely scalable, making it a great tool for any size organization,” Royer said.
The “Charity Challenge” can be activated by a verified nonprofit organization to raise money for a global cause such as cancer research or it could be as micro as a local soccer team or school music program looking to raise money for equipment or travel.
“Unlike other crowd-funding and fundraising sites, ChallengeStar enables nonprofit organizations to create challenges and raise money safely and securely, and reach far beyond their base of supporters with no upfront cost and no risk,” Royer said. “ChallengeStar is easing the pain of traditional fundraising and leveling the playing field for nonprofits. We are providing other organizations, such as clubs, youth sports and college Greek life organizations, a simple solution through our Charity Challenges.”
ChallengeStar provides users with an entertaining social media game in the “Winner Takes All” challenge. The organizer has the option to offer a cash award or set a “Buy In,” a required fee for all users who submit a post. The resulting prize amount would be awarded to the post with the most votes, and the organizer of the challenge would take a percentage. In the alternative, the organizer could set the “Buy In” at zero and the winner would simply walk away with bragging rights – or the pot, if completely funded by the organizer.
About ChallengeStar LLC
Founded in 2012, ChallengeStar LLC is a Miami-based tech start up company that is making the world more charitable by transforming fundraising into a competitive game played via social media. ChallengeStar strives to create innovative products that capitalize on how people share socially, translating those behaviors into tangible social good. ChallengeStar is led by Co-founder and CEO, Jed Royer who is a seasoned marketing and creative director who is passionate about philanthropy. Royer serves in his local community as the volunteer president of the Miami Shenandoah Neighborhood Association.
