GroupRaise.com

GroupRaise operates an online platform that connects nonprofit organizations and community groups with local restaurants to host fundraising events. Founded in 2010 by Devin Baptiste, Kevin Valdez, Sean Park, and Paul Kwiatkowski, the Houston-based company was born from Baptiste's experience as a musician playing in local restaurants and recognizing their need to attract customers. This insight led to a business model that provides restaurants with a customer acquisition channel while offering a simple, effective fundraising method for causes.

The platform streamlines the entire fundraising process for both parties. Community groups, such as schools, clubs, or individuals supporting a cause, can browse a directory of over 10,000 participating restaurants, view their donation percentages (typically 15-25% of sales), and request a date for their event online in minutes. GroupRaise provides these groups with a personalized event page and promotional tools to help them gather RSVPs, which is crucial as events often require a minimum number of attendees to proceed. This system minimizes the organizational workload and eliminates the need for direct negotiations with restaurant managers.

For restaurant partners, which range from large chains like Applebee's and IHOP to local establishments, GroupRaise functions as a targeted marketing and community engagement tool. Restaurants create a profile, set their fundraising policies, and receive email notifications for event requests, which they can approve with a few clicks. The platform helps drive significant foot traffic and sales, often on slower weekdays, by attracting large groups of charitably-minded customers who might not have visited otherwise. The service includes a dashboard to track event performance and provides post-event satisfaction surveys for customer insights. While the platform is free for fundraising groups, GroupRaise's revenue stream is derived from its restaurant partners. The company has received backing from investors such as Techstars, Kapor Capital, and Capital Factory.

Keywords: restaurant fundraising, community fundraising, nonprofit events, cause marketing, dine-to-donate, charity fundraisers, restaurant marketing, customer acquisition, local fundraising, school fundraisers, church fundraisers, team fundraisers, PTO fundraising, group dining, fundraising platform, charitable donations, restaurant partnerships, community outreach, event-based fundraising, meal fundraisers