Evergive CEO uses social media for change
Q& A: Platform, launched inMay, a network for mission- driven groups
PALO ALTO — James Ioannidis saw the college donation solicitations pile high after he graduated from Cornell University, but the thought of filling out an online form or mailing back a letter seemed tedious.
His co- worker Mary Minno noticed the same problem in churches where people had to have a check or cash on hand to place on a collection plate.
Trying to make giving back as easy as sending a text, the duo started a company called Paystik in 2012, allowing people to donate to charities by scanning a quick response code with their phones. That idea then evolved into Evergive a social network, which launched in May, where people can do more than just fundraise. The company is working with 13 mission- driven groups, including the Archdiocese of San Francisco, the Holy Spirit Church in San Jose and Catholic Charities.
“Money is one element, but there’s contribution of time, mind share, skills, volunteering, mentoring people and being part of the community,” Evergive CEO Ioannidis said.
This newspaper recently sat down with Ioannidis to chat about using social media to drive change. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. QHow
does Evergive work? AThere’s
no other platform out there that’s telling the story behind how your contributions are making a difference side by side with the donations. So one great example of this is we had a church in San Jose that was using the platform, and they posted about a half- completed playground. You see the playground coming together and the member dollars that went into that. They’re telling the story of how