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Over the past seven years, GiveForward has redefined what it means to help a loved one in need.
And today, they’re at it again.
This morning, the company announced a suite of new features that vastly expands the capabilities of their old platform. In addition to raising funds for loved ones going through life’s toughest trials, GiveForward’s community members can now also schedule meal deliveries, make wish lists, and send thoughtful messages — with further work already underway to provide a means to order grocery delivery, arrange for childcare, and organize transportation and housing assistance.
“We are really excited to launch the next generation of GiveForward, which we think of as the next generation of crowdfunding,” said GiveForward co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer Desiree Vargas Wrigley.
The idea is that fundraising, however commiserative, doesn’t quite cut it. For friends and family facing illness, accidents, disaster, or death, what they need most is a community where support manifests in a variety of shapes and sizes and frequencies.
And that’s exactly what GiveForward has set out to build.
“At some point, every person has someone in their life they care about who’s going through something hard and wonders what they can do to be there for them,” said Vargas Wrigley. “Sometimes that friend is next door, and sometimes they’re 1500 miles away. We want to make it seem like you’re holding the hand of someone you care about — no matter where you are in the world.”
The goal is to centralize all of the support tools patients and caregivers use — from blogs and Facebook updates to care calendars and fundraising sites — in order to lift the burden of managing each platform separately, ultimately giving users more meaningful ways to connect.
The launch, which is the company’s most significant product announcement to date, comes after an eight-week beta phase. During that time, the company transformed 1650 fundraising pages to community pages, and Vargas Wrigley said those pages saw a 322 percent increase in engagement levels.
In addition to product upgrades, the company also announced it has partnered with Nationwide Insurance, whose 17 million members will now have access to the platform.
GiveForward’s announcements follow an enterprising summer. In April, the company appointed Josh Chapman as their new CEO, and in June alone, their team size increased by 50 percent.
Since 2008, GiveForward has already raised more than $170 million to help people around the world in need.
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