Connect For A Cause

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New Features!

Thanks to your feedback and requests for recurring auctions or recurring meetings, we're excited to introduce Fixed-Price Meeting Availability -- an option you can set on your dashboard that lets everyone know you're available for meeting requests.

With Fixed-Price Meeting Availability, you are able to set your donation price, availability, and of course the charity you support, then wait for the meeting requests to roll in.

A meeting request is just that -- a request from a user who is willing to pay the amount you specified to meet with you. You are able to accept or ignore as many incoming meeting requests as you want.

If you're new to the site, you can sign up using a social media account or just your email address and password, and we'll guide you through the steps of setting up your Fixed-Price Meeting Availability. https://connectforacause.com/users/sign_up

If you're already a user on the site, you can set your meeting availability from the dashboard, or by clicking this link: https://connectforacause.com/meetings/new

Thanks again for doing good by doing lunch! If you have questions, feel free to email us at [email protected] or call us at 888-726-8128.

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Introducing Connect for a Cause!

As of today, we're excited to announce that Connect for a Cause has launched. Our team has worked very hard for the last few months and are proud to release version 1.0.

How Does it work?

Getting started is easy. Just visit www.connectforacause.com and create your profile. You can bid on the meetings you want, or auction off a meeting to benefit your favorite charity. As we build our audience, it may take a few days before members start bidding like crazy on your auctions.

You can share the link with anyone you think might like to participate, or charities that you're passionate about.

What if I'm a nonprofit?

If you represent a nonprofit, feel free to claim your nonprofit's profile. Once claimed, you can customize your page and begin creating campaigns.

We're really looking forward to seeing the Connect for a Cause community grow, and raising money for important causes everywhere.  

We're just getting started

More invites are going out every week, so be sure to check back often for new profiles to browse. As we grow our platform, we'll offer new features and special meeting opportunities. Stay tuned!

P.S. We want to hear from you! Click HERE to get in touch. 

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As non-profits become more social media savvy, they're releasing more and more viral content on YouTube. As we kick off 2013, Google's social video platform released a list of the five most-viewed non-profit videos of last year exclusively to Mashable.

Not surprisingly, Kony 2012 tops the list, having garnered nearly 100 million views. Non-profit Invisible Children's 30-minute viral documentary trounced the other front runners — the second most-viewed video had 35 million views. See the full list here.

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Came across this article on Mashable and I thought it'd be great to share. Nonprofits need to find more ways to engage their supporters via social media. 

"We talk about non-profits and technology (our mission), but we also talk about the puppies our staffers get and the latest Google April Fool's joke. It's our chance to build a more personal relationship with community members, and for community members to build relationships with each other. That's essential when you are working with a community that rarely gets to see each other in person." -Holly Ross

Any excuse to reach out and interact with your nonprofit's network can have value, and social media should be a key element of your engagement strategy because you can reach supporters as individuals. 

Read the full article here.

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Hustle...

Gary Vaynerchuk is a guy who knows what it means to hustle, and I really look up to him as an entrepreneur. Since starting Connect for a Cause, I knew I wanted him as an advisor but that it was probably a long shot. Sometimes, the problem with reaching people who can really be game-changers for you is that everybody else knows it too. 

I’d tried a few different times to get a meeting, but traditional networking methods don’t necessarily work on a guy that has hundreds of people reaching out to him on a daily basis. I was going to have to be creative.

A few weeks ago, I heard that Gary was collecting GI Joes for one of his many ventures. Suddenly, a light went off. I ran to my attic and found this… 

Which I turned into this…

Which led to this…

Six weeks after tweeting a picture and offering to trade my Joes for a chat over a cup of coffee, I was sitting in a New York City espresso shop pitching Connect for a Cause to Gary Vaynerchuk! I told him the story of how I’d “scratched my own itch” in building Connect for a Cause, and that I really wanted him as an advisor. He loved the GI Joes and the concept, and offered some great advice on building the company. Hopefully you’ll see him offer some meetings on Connect for a Cause in the very near future!

Never stop hustling.

-Jason Nicosia

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Paying it Forward

Over the past few weeks, a couple of people have asked, “why would I auction a meeting?”

One of the biggest challenges with Connect for a Cause is going to be engaging really influential people to auction meetings. Sure there are guys like me who will do it just for a free lunch or to raise a few bucks for my favorite cause, but what about the REAL influencers? There’s a pretty obvious business case for why someone would bid on a meeting, but the people donating their time aren’t necessarily getting anything more than good karma out of it. Or are they?

Everyone needs mentors who’ve been there done that, and can share their experience. When you auction a meeting on Connect for a Cause, it does a whole lot more than build your personal brand as an influential person. It’s an opportunity to share your talents and knowledge with someone who really values your time. 

Paying it forward really does work, and by giving other people the chance to pick your brain, present an opportunity, or get some advice, you’re participating in that chain, not to mention raising money for a charity that will send some major good vibes your way. Who knows, the person that wins lunch with you might present the opportunity of a lifetime! 

You’ve got to eat lunch everyday, so eat in good company.

Jason

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“I’m encouraging young people to become social business entrepreneurs and contribute to the world, rather than just making money. Making money is no fun. Contributing to and changing the world is a lot more fun.” -Muhammad Yunus

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Jason's Reading List- 5 books that changed everything for me.

 1. Rework by Jason Fried and Heinemeir Hansson

I'm actually pretty embarrassed that I didn't read Rework much sooner. It is the first book anyone should read if they want to succeed in business today. It's an awesome handbook for play-by-play instructions on how to build your business the right way, the first time.

Quote- "Talk like you really talk. Reveal things that others are unwilling to discuss. Be upfront about your short-comings. Show the latest version of what you're working on, even if you're not done yet. It's OK if it's not perfect. You might not seem as professional, but you'll seem a lot more genuine."

Available Here

2. Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi

I read this when just starting my first job out of college and it completely changed the way I interacted in business settings. Ferrazzi describes how to leverage your network to be successful and preaches that the secret to personal success is reaching out to other people.

Quote- "Never eat alone. The dynamics of status are the same whether you’re working at a corporation or attending a society event— “invisibility” is a fate worse than failure."

Available Here.

3. Lean Startup by Eric Ries

Ries' work is geared a lot more toward the startup crew, but is an awesome introduction to lean methodology. It's all about getting through the build-measure-learn feedback loop as fast as possible. Staying lean is critical for most early stage companies, and this book outlines some best practices to follow. 

Quote-A video is even better for this. Click here.

AvailableHere

4. Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie  

 Blake tells the story of starting TOMS, and what it's like to be a social entrepreneur. I read parts of this book often for inspiration because it reminds me to keep the focus of Connect for a Cause on creating social good. 

Quote- "Conscious capitalism is about more than simply making money—although it’s about that too. It’s about creating a successful business that also connects supporters to something that matters to them and that has great impact in the world."

AvailableHere

5. Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk

This one was written by the personal branding and social media poster child, Gary Vaynerchuk. I'll hopefully have a post just about him coming soon. This is the book that got me off the bench and into the game of social media. It's all about the HUSTLE. 

Quote- “Your latest tweet and comment on Facebook and most recent blog post?  That’s your resumé now.”

AvailableHere

Have something I should be reading? Hit me up on Twitter.

Request an invite to Connect for a Cause Here.

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Startup Life, New Orleans style.

Another day of testing features with my team, hustling on AngelList, and promoting the upcoming launch of Connect for a Cause. Just a regular day in the life of a startup founder in New Orleans.

In the world of startups, the Silicon Bayou isn't the #1 location choice for aspiring founders the world over (yet), but has been a welcoming community of mentorship and support in building Connect for a Cause. It feels like the whole city is willing us to WIN. You could chalk it up to the brain gain that the city is currently experiencing, or the collaborative attitude of the startup community, but I think it's just a genuine belief that in New Orleans, anything is possible.

We may have to move to SF or NY someday down the road, but in a world where companies can scale globally over the web, New Orleans is  proving to be an awesome place to start a company.  The resources are all here (Launchpad, Idea Village, Etc.), and we have a community of entrepreneurs that actually execute on their ideas. 

There's an awesome movie about what's happening here called BeNolaBound. It's a study on the "status of New Orleans as a model of new business progress and thinking". Check it out!

I'm not sure what's in store for my startup, but I'm stoked to be giving it my best in a city of doers that'll accept nothing less.  #WhatsnextNOLA

-Jason Nicosia

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Inspirations...

The concept for Connect for a Cause came from a million different places, but the inspirations for starting it are pretty clear. Here are a few of the bigger ones.

  1."Never Eat Alone" by Keith Ferrazzi:

     This is a must-read for anyone who wants to build the value of their network. I read this book while I was in sales, and it helped me to create lasting business contacts by always inviting someone to lunch. It taught me that everyone has to eat, regardless of whether they're the CEO of a huge company or a lowly sales rep (like I was at the time). Lunch ended up being where I began the best business relationships and led to the biggest opportunities. I remember buying a bunch of copies and giving them to all my friends. From this book, I learned that the best way to meet someone new and leave a lasting impression is always over a good meal. Thanks, Keith.  

 2. A Jedi Master network:

     Anytime I've ever had a big win in life, be it getting that new job, closing the big sale, or getting ahead in some way, it's always been due to hard work, and knowing someone who  helped me get ahead. Hard work is  pretty self explanatory, but knowing  the right people isn't always easy. It's not just about having someone as a Twitter follower or Linkedin contact, but having mentors and advisors who are invested in your success. Creating and maintaining these lasting relationships is important, and those people who have "been there, done that" are often eager to pay it forward if you're willing to invest the effort. Who's your Yoda?

 3. Other Successful Social Entrepreneurs:

     There are some pretty awesome startup founders out there  that have found a way to make money by making a meaningful  impact in the world. Companies like Toms Shoes and Warby Parker  are kicking butt in the business world, but there's also a social good element to what they do. I'll frequently shop at certain stores because of the causes they support, or their social   message, and consumers are becoming much more savvy about who their donations/purchases impact. Our business helps people get ahead by giving back. If the business is successful, that means we're changing the world for the better. This is what gets me amped to work on Connect for a Cause everyday.

These were just a few of the influences behind building our venture for good, but the bottom line is helping people get ahead by giving back is a mission I can get behind. Of course, I wouldn't mind buying a yacht someday either. 

-Jason Nicosia, Chief Philanthropreneur 

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"As long as you're going to be thinking anyway, think big." -Donald Trump

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Lessons Learned

For our second blog post, I want to share a personal account of some of the mistakes I've made so far in getting this startup off the ground. 

Overall, it's been an amazing experience, and I'm excited about what the future holds for Connect for a Cause.

Lessons Learned:

Talk about your idea -- I can't emphasize this one enough. I had Connect for a Cause (I was calling it bid2meet or something along these lines at the time) stewing around in my head for months before having the guts to tell anyone about it. Chris Schultz is a tech investor in New Orleans, and nearly kicked me out of his office when I asked him for investor intros but wouldn't tell him what my idea was (thanks for the reality check Chris). I was so afraid that someone would steal my super "original" idea that I remained a cubicle dweller for an extra 4 months. Now, 7 months into building the company, I realize this is a hilarious proposition. Starting a company is HARD. Very Hard. If you aren't willing to devote every waking hour for months on end, don't do it. Dave McClure has a great video on this. Success is much more about the execution of your idea, in most cases, than how great your idea is. I've learned my lesson that the more you talk about your idea, the better. 

Don't do it alone -- Building a startup is HARD. You'll notice I say this a lot. One of the first mistakes early on was thinking that I could build a tech company without technical talent. Granted, I've become quite the geek since founding Connect for a Cause, but outsourcing your tech is a very temporary solution to a bigger problem. Your product is never done, so don't go into it thinking that $50k and a well mapped out product will be all you'll ever need. We've now got a rockstar tech team that ships code like crazy. I love my team. 

Stay Lean -- Once we launched our beta, we immediately began to staff up and build out our marketing efforts without proof of concept. This was a costly mistake early on. Stay as lean as humanly possible until you absolutely have to spend money. In fact, even then, don't spend money. Eric Ries has a great book, Lean Startup, that I highly recommend. Rice and lentils aren't so bad after a while anyway.

Don't get too attached to your original concept -- What I initially thought our startup would be and what it's becoming are two entirely different things. Based on the feedback we received very early on, it turned out that people weren't willing to pay for what I initially wanted to build. We pivoted to build the Minimum Viable Product, which worked fairly well, but wasn't perfect. We were able to raise tens of thousands of dollars for nonprofits around the country, but our user acquisition model was all wrong. We're finally getting closer to product/market fit, which is all you're really going for when building a startup. It may be way off from what we initially wanted to build, but people will pay for it.

These are just some of the many lessons that I've learned and continue to learn everyday.  More to come as we continue to refine Connect for a Cause to be the best social fundraising platform out there. 

Jason Nicosia -- Chief Philanthropreneur

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The story so far

Greetings Friends, 

We're really excited to announce the launch of the Connect for a Cause blog. We'll be keeping you up-to-date on cool topics related to our social mission. You can expect non-profit spotlights, networking tips and tricks, meeting success stories, and posts about our team's journey as a startup. 

Thank you to everyone who has supported us up to this point! We can't wait to see where you'll take the site over the next few months. Our beta was a huge success, and we're really looking forward to releasing version 1.0 of Connect for a Cause in just a few short months. We've put together an amazing team to build out the platform and help our users get ahead while giving back. 

Until version 1.0 is released, we'll be posting a few lessons learned and funny stories from our adventures as a fledgling venture for good. Stay tuned!

You can register for an invite at connectforacause.com and we'll let you know when we're ready. Sign up before the launch and get early access.

Thanks again for your continued support and generosity. 

Sincerely, 

Jason, Matt, and Brian

Be sure to keep up with us on Twitter: @connect4cause