What is your passion? Can you answer the question? Jeffery Sesol couldn’t; at least not right away. “I finally realized I was passionate about two things: technology and helping people.” Out of these two passions, iGive Market Place was born. iGive Market Place is a ebay-meets-craigslist website designed to benefit nonprofit organizations. Sellers can choose to donate anywhere from 10-100 percent of their sales profits to their charity of choice. Buyers can purchase online and arrange delivery/pickup or, by using a smartphone, they have the option of buying in person using a credit card. “We wanted to make it simple and easy for individuals to purchase items,” says Sesol. Negotiations with MapDing are currently underway. This partnership will allow the speed and ease of use customers are looking for with today’s technology. But the technology is only one half of the puzzle. The ability to support charities in the process is the other. This website allows nonprofits to communicate with their donor base in a unique way. Rather than simply asking for outright donations or hosting events, they can tell their donors to use iGive Market Place over ebay or craigslist, which will benefit them in the process. And it’s not just the major charities that are benefiting. Sesol has a database of 800,000 non-profits, and if yours isn’t listed, you can add it yourself. “I hope it becomes commonplace for nonprofits to consider this as a third revenue stream,” says Sesol. “Raising money for nonprofits is critical because it’s far and away how they make things happen.” And with Sesol’s combined passions, nonprofits can make more things happen every day.
