Boulder-based Techstars has selected Civic Champs to participate in their 2020 accelerator, putting particular focus on helping startups flourish in an ever changing technology landscape. Civic Champs, a software technology company helping to make volunteering a seamless and easy process for volunteers and nonprofits, was one of the startups to apply and be one of 10 accepted to the accelerator. In addition to the 3 month program, Civic Champs will also receive $20,000 in funding and will have the option of taking an additional $100,000 in convertible notes.
“Civic Champs was started to help serve the most vulnerable in our communities. Our primary mission is to help nonprofits get back valuable time to focus on what matters most. This sense of responsibility to our community has only been heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Giving our partners the technology and platform to succeed while also implementing safe practices is something we’re immensely proud of.” said Geng Wang, CEO of Civic Champs. “The Techstars Iowa Accelerator will give us access to experienced mentors, a global network of experts, civic and corporate partners. With their special focus on the technology landscape, we can continue to adapt to our constantly evolving world with new social norms. This opportunity will not only allow us to reach more nonprofits but also be better equipped to take on the challenges of today.”
Civic Champs, founded in 2019, first concentrated on one of the nonprofit industry’s biggest pain points, management of volunteers using binders and clipboards. These pen and paper-based processes are very time consuming and take away from the time a nonprofit could be spending to serve their clients or the community. Now with the Civic Champs’ platform and app, nonprofits have the ability to quickly track volunteer hours by using mobile and geofencing technology. These tools allow volunteers and coordinators to quickly and easily log the volunteer’s time directly into the platform where the data is easily accessible.
More recently, the company has developed a micro-donation feature that helps to convert volunteers to donors. This tool supports nonprofits with additional revenue from those individuals that are most likely to donate (volunteers are twice as likely to donate) but are rarely asked. Now, with the help of the Civic Champs’ platform, volunteers who indicate they had a positive experience receive a personalized solicitation at the moment when they are feeling most inspired by the organization.
Since its creation in 2016, TechStars has worked with over 1,600 startups from across the nation. Fewer than 1% of applicants are accepted into their exclusive program. They provide expert opinions and help guide these new organizations through a three month accelerator, connecting them to investors and vital contributors. Each month is dedicated to a different topic: mentorship, growth and investment. The success of their mentorship program is shown through some of their partners, such as Bench, Graphic.ly and Next Big Sound. Learn more about TechStars at techstars.com.
Civic Champs' Mission is to deliver the most intuitive and impactful volunteer management and engagement software for nonprofits and their champions