November 14, 2012 – Cleveland, OH – Big River, an online fundraising platform for nonprofit organizations, announced today it has received an investment commitment of $250,000 from JumpStart Inc. Big River will use the funds for product development, marketing and sales efforts to expand beyond arts and cultural institutions.
“Big River’s services help organizations capitalize on the rapid growth of online giving,” says Jerry Frantz, JumpStart’s Managing Venture Partner. “Their service easily integrates into existing digital properties such as websites, social media or email communications, to deliver highly targeted, personalized communication with donors.”
Big River helps nonprofit organizations increase online giving by delivering the most effective appeal to the potential donor at the right time. Big River’s online software can be right-sized for small or large nonprofit organizations and supports all donor transactions including events, recurring giving, sponsorships, special campaigns and more.
“I recognized the opportunity to improve online fundraising by building relationships with donors through personalized appeals and providing information about the impact of their gift,” said Ron Cass, Founder and President of Big River. “I am pleased that JumpStart has validated the market opportunity by their funding commitment.”
“Big River has been absolutely fabulous to work with. Our membership has gone up two-fold as a result of our going online with them,” said August Napoli, Deputy Director and Chief Advancement Officer at the Cleveland Museum of Art. “What this technology has done for the fundraiser is eliminates the transactional nature of the interaction and really allows the development officer or engagement officer to truly develop a relationship person-to-person.” Napoli discusses the new atrium expansion and fundraising for the Cleveland Museum of Art in a recent interview.
In early 2012, Big River was one of the first Cleveland-based startups chosen to receive funding and support from nonprofit Bizdom (www.bizdom.com), an entrepreneurship accelerator focused on creating waves of startups in the urban cores of Cleveland and Detroit. Bizdom was founded by Dan Gilbert, Founder of Rock Ventures and Quicken Loans, and Majority Owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“Big River’s software suite fills a gap in the market and Ron Cass has the skills and ability to scale the business,” says Bizdom Cleveland Leader Paul Allen. “We are pleased that the company is receiving recognition and additional investment.”
About Big River
Big River is a cloud-based fundraising platform which enables nonprofits to present more targeted appeals and develop more meaningful relationships with constituents via the Web, email and social media. This unique approach increases giving across an organization’s donor base and helps build longer-lasting relationships. Big River can also leverage and thus enhance the value of existing donor management systems. For more information, visit www.gobigriver.com.