PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Civic Shopping, a ground-breaking cause-commerce ecosystem, has launched in the Greater Pittsburgh Region with a phase one “call for non-profits” to sign-up at no-cost for the new fund-raising tool.
According to Civic Shopping Founder and CEO, Jay Resio, Civicshopping.com converts everyday consumer purchases into effortless charitable contributions or fundraising activities. This unique and powerful program combines online and offline consumer shopping to grow businesses and help continually fund non-profits, schools, churches, communities and more.
"Our ecosystem creates unique opportunities for merchants to sell their products and services to consumers, and then we are able to redirect portions of the revenue generated from the purchase of goods, services and marketing fees to causes chosen by the consumers," says Resio. "Consumers spend trillions of dollars on stuff every and business spend hundreds of billions of dollars marketing to consumers. We're developing creative, new ways for consumers and merchants to connect so we can help route some of those dollars, and other new forms of revenue, to organizations and causes."
To generate initial interest, Civic Shopping is hosting a "Non-Profit Challenge." Once signed up for Civic Shopping, the non-profit organization will receive a landing page to share with their members and audience. The organization to sign up the most potential shoppers during the pre-launch phase by June 1, 2014 will receive a $1,000 donation.
Here is a general overview of the Civic Shopping experience. Organizations share Civic Shopping with all of their members, friends and family, whom essentially are consumers. Merchants post products, services and offers, choosing from campaign types that best fit their needs. Consumers shop from a wide variety of goods and services, either online or at participating merchants brick and mortar stores. Each purchase puts a portion into a "civic bank" that the consumer can then choose which organization receives the full amount or spreads the dollars between multiple organizations. Consumers can use this on a daily basis to make purchases using their computer or mobile device, continually getting access to great goods and deals, while helping grow businesses and organizations.
Civic Shopping will launch locally in phases with an official go-live goal of July 2014. For the next 60 days, the company is focused on signing non-profits to participate. Non-profits have already signed on to the program including Achieva, Hope Grows, Pittsburgh Cares, Southwinds, West Allegheny Food Pantry, and more.
The company is simultaneously prospecting local and national merchants. Civic Shopping offers them low-to-no cost marketing campaigns to sell products and services, acquire new customers, and build long-lasting relationships with loyalty rewards.
For more information or to sign-up, visit www.civicshopping.com.
