VENICE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pledgeling, a leading charitable donations and crowdfunding platform, is teaming up with Zoom Video Communications, Inc. on charitable giving, becoming the first to launch a charitable donations application in the Zoom App Marketplace, called Donations by Pledgeling. This move ushers in the next evolution of philanthropy by making it easy for Zoom users to fundraise seamlessly within their Zoom events, allowing hosts to choose from over two million organizations to support, including nearly every 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the U.S. and hundreds of thousands of verified international charities. Pledgeling is also powering donations for OnZoom, Zoom’s new online events marketplace, which was announced at Zoomtopia 2020, empowering attendees of OnZoom events to make donations to verified nonprofits before, during, and after the event.
"We believe the momentous shift to virtual events will become a permanent part of our lives and enables us to reach and engage with nearly anyone, anytime,” said Pledgeling CEO James Citron. “The power of the Donations by Pledgeling application is now every event on Zoom — from birthdays to religious events to charity galas — can seamlessly add charitable donations and achieve greater impact. Our collaboration unlocks a sizable new fundraising channel for nonprofits, a new way for donors to engage with their favorite causes and ultimately, the funds that can be directed to create a better world for us all.”
Donations by Pledgeling
The free app transforms any Zoom meeting or webinar into a real-time fundraiser, featuring dynamic overlays that include live calls to action, a donation tracker, and donations as they are made. Setup is simple and links your Pledgeling fundraiser to your Zoom account. Pledgeling handles everything else, from processing and disbursing donations to the beneficiary organizations, to issuing immediate donation receipts for tax purposes.
OnZoom
Pledgeling teamed up with Zoom to launch charitable donations on OnZoom, Zoom’s one-of-a-kind online event platform. Hosts using OnZoom can grow their businesses, expand their reach into new audiences, and give back through charitable donations seamlessly embedded into their online events. Zoom users can discover OnZoom events and sign up for new experiences with additional functionality like gifting tickets and an attendee dashboard to keep tabs on favorite events and brands.
Highlighted by Zoom Founder and CEO Eric S. Yuan during the opening keynote at Zoomtopia, Pledgeling powered fundraising for the launch of the Zoom Cares and throughout the two-day virtual conference across multiple presentations. Pledgeling was featured prominently in the Best of Zoom Marketplace & SDK Showcase on Wednesday, October 14.
“The opportunity to engage our global community by making a real difference is squarely aligned with our mission here at Zoom to deliver happiness. Through this collaboration with Pledgeling, Zoom delivers happiness in one of the most personal ways – supporting the causes and organizations worldwide that people truly care about, both locally and globally,” said Zoom Chief Marketing Officer Janine Pelosi. “As charities search for new avenues for fundraising, Pledgeling opens up new pathways toward world-changing impact, delivering a virtual solution that is both free and scalable.”
On Wednesday, October 21, from 4 to 5 p.m. ET, Pledgeling will host its own OnZoom “AMA” event, Ask Me Anything: How to maximize donations through virtual fundraisers.
In what has shaped up to be a transformative year of growth for Pledgeling, here is a roundup of recent milestones.
Corporate partnerships include:
- Zoom announced it will match up to $250,000 in donations made through Pledgeling during Zoomtopia to benefit nonprofits working to reduce gaps in educational access.
- Discovery, Inc.’s TurnUp initiative in partnership with No Kid Hungry has raised funds to provide more than 520 million meals to kids living in hunger
- Evite and Pledgeling Doubled Donations in Less than Two Years, Reaching $20 Million Milestone for Causes Across the U.S.
- Over 2,000 new Shopify merchants this year have integrated Pledgeling’s award-winning ‘Give & Grow’ app to raise donations in 50+ countries
Virtual fundraisers include:
- Chris Harrison, host of The Bachelor, is currently using OnZoom to host a virtual event to support Grant Halliburton Foundation's work in youth mental health.
- Fast Times at Ridgemont High brought together an all-star cast for a live table read produced by Josh Wood Productions – including Sean Penn, Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Julia Roberts, John Legend, Jimmy Kimmel, Matthew McConaughey and more – to benefit the COVID-19 relief efforts of CORE and REFORM Alliance.
- The UNICEF-hosted Education Cannot Wait fund featured the Donations by Pledgeling overlay at its 17th September side event during the recent United Nations General Assembly Meetings, marking the first time individuals have been able to donate to its global programs serving children caught in conflict and crises around the globe.
- Comedy Gives Back and LaughAid raised donations through their livestream comedy show to provide 700 grants to comedians out of work during the pandemic, and featured a star-studded lineup of comedians including Jimmy Fallon, Howie Mandel, Amanda Seales, Adam Sandler, Ray Romano and more.
- Taraji P. Henson and the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation are raising donations through an ongoing campaign to provide free virtual therapy to vulnerable communities during the pandemic.
- CoachArt’s livestream gala included ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro to honor their volunteer coaches and raised over $100k in only 30 minutes to support their free arts and athletics coaching for kids impacted by chronic illness — almost double what they'd raised in their previous livestream gala.
- Recently, Social Venture Partners L.A. engaged Pledgeling to power donations during its annual Fast Pitch event, which was converted to a virtual event hosted on Zoom during the pandemic. The event attendees far surpassed SVPLA’s fundraising goal.
Download the Donations by Pledgeling app in the Zoom App Marketplace. Check out Pledgeling’s Virtual Fundraising Guide to learn more. Follow #PledgeToDoGood for updates.
About Pledgeling
Pledgeling is the leading fundraising platform unlocking new ways for brands, nonprofits, and people to engage their communities – locally and globally – around the causes they care about. Pledgeling processes donations from 90+ countries to its database of over two million nonprofit organizations, including all U.S.-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, as well as hundreds of thousands of international charities. A member of the UN Global Compact, Pledge 1% and Conscious Capitalism, Pledgeling is headquartered in Venice, California, and powers fundraisers for individuals, nonprofits, and 5,000+ mission-oriented brands (including Shopify, Box, Zoom, Discovery and Evite). Learn more at www.pledgeling.com.
