GIVEN is a simple idea. Lucian Tarnowski came up with the idea after his friends became tired of him asking them to support his various charity initiatives. He felt guilty asking them for more money and wanted to make the life of the fundraiser more simple.
Through an initiative called One Young World, Oliver Stacey suggested that fundraisers could target over 20,000 companies that have Facebook fan pages. A light bulb went off in Lucian’s head. Wouldn’t it be great if fundraisers could have a Facebook application which would help them target company fan pages on Facebook.
Then came http://www.Launch48.com. Lucian had the opportunity to pitch this idea to a room full of top people that had volunteered their weekend to build a web business over a weekend (in just 48 hours). The idea was picked as one of 6 web businesses to be developed. Then a fantastic team of 20 people gathered together to complete what you see today in just 48 hours.
We had a wealth of experience – management consultants, strategists, designers (Evisua.com), developers, marketers and entrepreneurs. Companies represented included Acturis, BraveNewTalent.com, Evisua, JustFDI, KatalystLabs, Meerkatalyst, 7digital, RiVO Partners, O-BIT Telecom, Webremix and WeComeOne.
We had lots of fun, laughs and heated debates but we are really proud to see just what can be done when 20 great people come together to execute an idea in just 48 hours!
What next? Our mission is Given.org will change the way companies give to causes online. Why give in secret when they can now give publicly and build that fan base at the same time. We love what we have made and hope you will too!
