In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as ongoing protests for racial justice, people have sought out different ways to contribute, which in turn has led technology companies to launch new features and campaigns.
There is now a new fundraising platform called Project Bento, created by chef and restaurateur Marcus Samuelsson (better known as the chef behind Red Rooster Harlem), Derek Evans (CEO of the Marcus Samuelsson group) and the Sage Digital team (a startup that creates tools for reviewers, chefs and other experts to publish content and create a sequel).
Samuelsson told me he was already working on Sage Digital to create a presence on the platform. Then he mentioned Harlem Serves Up, this year's version of the annual Harlem EatUp festival - Samuelsson and his team reinvented the event during the pandemic as a fundraising telethon for nonprofits fighting food insecurity.
But Samuelsson said that when he looked at the options available to manage the online fundraiser, he wasn't satisfied with any of the options available.
"We thought a lot about our needs: what we were building, how we want consumers to use it," he said.
So the Sage Digital team ended up building Project Bento in seven or eight weeks, on top of the startup's existing platform. Samir Arora, CEO of Sage, said that in addition to allowing non-profit organizations to raise funds (without having to pay a commission), publish content, promote on social media and keep track of their campaigns, the platform also includes tools for management of sponsorships and corresponding donors.
Rapid development, said Samuelsson, was a perfect demonstration of "what entrepreneurship is". So far, Project Bento has been used to raise more than $ 350,000 for Harlem Serves Up, as well as $ 4.8 million for the Project Bento Fund (which Arora has described as a completely new nonprofit whose purpose is to create matching funds. "for campaigns on the platform).
Many other campaigns already exist, in addition to links to employee help fundraisers on other platforms, but Project Bento also accepts applications from other nonprofits that wish to raise funds on the platform. Samuelsson said he wants the website to be a place where many of these campaigns are brought together.
"There are communities not only in Harlem, but across the country that need a campaign, they need to connect," said Samuelsson. "[Project Bento] it will continue because that need will continue, raising funds and connecting a community. "
