# Grapevine

The first group giving platform for everyday philanthropists

## Elevator pitch
We are an all-in-one payments and community management solution for Giving Circles. With Grapevine, circles can launch in just a few minutes, collect donations, nominate and vote on nonprofits, invite new members, crowdfund, get expert advice, create reports, and more. Giving Circles bring people together around a common cause, community, motivation, or goal. They have two key elements: 1) a group of donors pools their recurring donations, 2) the group decides together where to donate the money.

- Canonical URL: https://wefunder.com/grapevine
- Entity ID: wefunder:company:57146
- Last updated: 2026-06-18T05:02:56Z
- Generated at: 2026-06-18T15:43:15Z

## Quick facts
- $1.5M+ donated w/ 67% MOM growth from 5K donors. Revenue avg 5%+
- CEO has Harvard MBA. CTO is a serial Founder/CTO with 2 prior acquisitions & raised $20M+ from a16z
- Investment from XX, Y-Combinator alumni, Human Interest Cofounder, Caviar Cofounder & many customers
- Fastest-growing social movement in a $410B philanthropic space
- Partnered with Philanthropy Together — the new giving circle initiative from the Gates Foundation
- Circles have been featured in the NYT, Forbes, Vogue, and local outlets throughout the country
- Grapevine is a paradigm-shift for online giving

## Active fundraises
- wefunder:fundraise:36376: 4(a)(6) successful (USD)

## Story
The problem: The philanthropic industry was built for the ultra wealthy, but Everyday Philanthropists are a $282Bn market.*Golden Age of Philanthropy Still Beckons: National Wealth Transfer and Potential for Philanthropy, Boston College, Center on Wealth and Philanthropy ^Based on an Ideas42 Giving Poll, funded by the Gates FoundationThe Solution: Giving Circles are like book clubs (or AngelList Syndicates) for donating!Launchpad Incubator for new Giving Circle Leaders (Cohort 1), created by Philanthropy Together and supported by GrapevineWe're the first platform for Giving Circles that helps groups pool their donations and decide together where to give.We've already helped 5K donors give over $1.5M by growing donations 67% MOM - with NO MARKETING SPEND.We're building the future of giving... and it's collaborative.We're the first open crowdgranting platform that enables donor groups to 1) pool their money in a charitable fund before deciding where to give, 2) do this on a recurring basis, 3) track their impact over time. This community-based experience is distinct from the transactional experience of crowdfunding, where donors support the goals and passions of others through a one-time campaign. Grapevine is a paradigm-shift in how we give. We're a team of serial founders and builders from Harvard Business School, Wonderschool, Google, AirBnB — who are on a mission to make purposeful giving accessible to all.Emily R. has 10 years of microfinance and nonprofit fundraising experience and spent her time at Harvard Business School consulting for Kickstarter and launching a new crowdfunding platform. Arrel is a serial startup founder & CTO who built the Andreessen-Horowitz-backed company, Wonderschool, and two other startups that were acquired.Our partners include a Gates-backed National Giving Circle initiative, and networks that cover nearly 70% of the field.Through these partnerships we are becoming THE trusted partner and go-to online infrastructure provider for giving circles across the country. Our growth has come from these partnerships, referrals, outreach, and organic growth from donors finding us online and starting their own circles on the platform. Our scalable business model is used by other big tech startupsWe are a tip-based platform like many leading platforms, e.g. GoFundMe. We accept tips from donors when they make donations. We're already speaking with universities, wealth advisors, nonprofits and more that have reached out to us about a premium version.*We will facilitate an increasing share of circle members’ individual donations over time - expanding donations and revenue per donor on the platform. Giving Circle donors give more than the average donor.Why now? The opportunity to help people make a big difference together is greater than ever.Covid-19 has created greater need in our communities than ever. It has also made it impossible for Giving Circles to meet in person to do their grantmaking, which is driving increased adoption of Grapevine's online tools and virtual meeting support.  And Giving Circles have already been growing rapidly. This grassroots movement has tripled in the past 10 years... and is expected to more than double by 2024.Source: National Giving Circle InitiativeWe project we'll move more than $1Bn dollars to charity in 2025 alone and earn $70M in revenue. We'll do this by continuing to capture the existing Giving Circle industry through partnerships, referrals, and business development. We will also expand the market through strategic partnerships with networks and communities and digital marketing.We'll reach $1Bn by making Giving Circles mainstream & viral!We’re starting by making giving circles easier to start, run, and grow through online tools. Giving Circle Leaders no longer need to spend weeks or months setting up infrastructure!And we're expanding the adoption of Giving Circles by introducing them to a broader range of donors who are eagerly adopting and spreading this new model.Here’s just a peek at a few Giving Circles on Grapevine and the impact that they’ve made.Ready to start your own? Head to Grapevine.org to start yours today!Our community loves us and calls us "revolutionary"!Now is the time... let's do this! Together.The need in our communities and the importance of online solutions for us to meaningfully gather, collaborate, and donate is greater than ever. The opportunity for us to make a massive difference is NOW. Help us lean into this moment to support communities today and lay the groundwork for the future of giving!*Team Grapevine Giving Circle Celebrating $1M Milestone - July 2020

## FAQ
1. **Are there mechanisms that will generate documents to help claim tax deductibles for certain key countries where the majority donors on grapevine platform?**
   - Hi Liling, thanks for this great question. In short, yes! Grapevine is currently focused on the U.S. market and provides charitable 501.c.3 donation receipts via email to donors immediately following their donation. We also provide an annual roll-up of all donation receipts at the end of the year, to make it easy for donors to complete their taxes. We are not a financial advisor, so we cannot advise on specific cases. However, these receipts can be used to claim U.S. chari...
2. **Hi Emily! I come from non-profits and definitely understand the problem you're trying to solve, but I'm a little concerned about the revenue generating side of it. Can you address some of the following: 1) Do you intend to go from a "tipping" model to a strict transaction fee?...**
   - Hi Zach, thanks for your questions! The revenue potential is significant and growing... we are seeing 5%+ tips on the platform and expect we can increase that to 7-8%. This corresponds to $70M+ in revenue in 2025. We also see opportunities to expand our revenue streams, including: a premium product, fiscal sponsorship, an increased share of donors' total charitable wallets. 1) We do not intend to go from a "tipping" model to a strict transaction fee, but we do charge ...
3. **Hi Emily, I am interested in investing and have a few questions and thoughts if you don’t mind. 1) Once this round is over, are you planning on raising more money through angels or VCs? Or is the amount here enough to achieve what you need? 2) Are you planning on developing an...**
   - Hi George, thanks for your great questions! Here are some quick responses:1) Yes! We will raise more money after this to achieve our goals.2) A native app is likely, although the timeline and purpose are still TBD. We're not worried about name confusion, as we are uniquely serving the giving space with this name and have legally protected that use.3) Tipping is a great model that enables us to grow quickly and make the platform more accessible. We will expand from that model as we extend into...
4. **Are you raising outside wefunder as well? How long is your runway?**
   - Hi John! Yes, we are raising additional funding outside of Wefunder this year so that we will have 12-18 mos runway.

## Team
- Emily Rasmussen (Co-founder & CEO)
- Arrel Gray (CTO)
- Emily Schaefer (Content & Community Manager)
- Mark Jessan Hutchison-Quillian (Co-founder & Senior Advisor)
- Chloe Moon (Technical Advisor)

## Recent posts
- 2022 Year in Review & 2023 Look Ahead (2023-02-05T15:08:07Z)
- Check out our 2021 Year in Review! (2022-02-01T07:20:38Z)
- It's Our Birthday! Start Your Giving Circle This Month and Get $300! (2021-04-02T19:39:46Z)
- 2020 in Review (2021-02-19T17:04:53Z)
- Check us out in The New York Times! (2020-11-25T14:00:20Z)
- Last chance! Invest or confirm your investment by 11:59PM ET TONIGHT! (2020-11-17T00:45:44Z)
- Big news... Our Wefunder syndicate closes in just one week! (2020-11-10T21:13:46Z)
- We're making it easier for groups to grow! (2020-09-30T13:46:48Z)
- Check out Grapevine's feature on Kingscrowd, a ratings platform for online private markets! (2020-09-14T14:37:16Z)
- It's been a busy summer... check out these great new features! (2020-09-09T00:41:57Z)
- Check us out on this week's Make Space for Growth Podcast! (2020-08-28T00:14:34Z)
- Check out our interview with Paul Sawaya (YC alum & Co-Founder of Human Interest) (2020-08-13T14:18:54Z)
- We hit our goal & we keep growing! (2020-08-12T22:09:04Z)
- Help us close $7K to get to our $50K goal! (2020-08-01T00:52:38Z)
- Thanks for a great kick-off! (2020-07-29T04:11:12Z)

## Q&A
- Q: Hi Emily, I am interested in investing and have a few questions and thoughts if you don’t mind. 1) Once this round is over, are you planning on raising more money through angels or VCs? Or is the amount here enough to achieve what you need? 2) Are you planning on developing an app as this would make the service more and more accessible? (Note that there are a few apps named Grapevine so I am also wondering about future confusion etc.) 3) I am concerned about monetization. The monetization is dependent on tipping for the most part and though users are tipping, this isn’t a guaranteed transaction every single time - thus it’s possible that people would skip tipping, no? Investors and future equity holders would want a guaranteed income. 4) Fundamentally, Grapevine is different than other giving platforms, but a platform like Omaze has a unique USP that is making them money on top of raising money for charities. I believe this is something worth noting. 5) What is your 5 to 10 year vision? Are you aiming to go public, M&A, etc? Where do you see Grapevine heading. These are some initial thoughts I have. Thanks! George
  - A: Hi George, thanks for your great questions! Here are some quick responses:1) Yes! We will raise more money after this to achieve our goals.2) A native app is likely, although the timeline and purpose are still TBD. We're not worried about name confusion, as we are uniquely serving the giving space with this name and have legally protected that use.3) Tipping is a great model that enables us to grow quickly and make the platform more accessible. We will expand from that model as we extend into new markets and products. For example, we've already started charging giving circles for some premium services. 4) Great, thanks for surfacing!5) Our goal as a company is to get you and everyone you know to participate in a Giving Circle, or two or three! We will facilitate $1Bn in donations in 2025 and will continue to grow from there. There are many strategic acquirers in our industry that have purchased online giving platforms with new tools and communities for hundreds of millions of dollars. Ultimately, our focus is on building and quickly scaling a great business, which will create attractive exit opportunities. 
- Q: Are you raising outside wefunder as well? How long is your runway?
  - A: Hi John! Yes, we are raising additional funding outside of Wefunder this year so that we will have 12-18 mos runway.
- Q: Hi Emily! I come from non-profits and definitely understand the problem you're trying to solve, but I'm a little concerned about the revenue generating side of it. Can you address some of the following: 1) Do you intend to go from a "tipping" model to a strict transaction fee? 2) What's the average donation size of a giving circle? 3) How often are giving circles donating money? 4) When you do intend to start marketing, and what your customer acquisition strategy? 5) What do you expect your customer acquisition cost to be? 6) Do you have any plans to replicate the model for other 501(c) groups?
  - A: Hi Zach, thanks for your questions! The revenue potential is significant and growing... we are seeing 5%+ tips on the platform and expect we can increase that to 7-8%. This corresponds to $70M+ in revenue in 2025. We also see opportunities to expand our revenue streams, including: a premium product, fiscal sponsorship, an increased share of donors' total charitable wallets. 1) We do not intend to go from a "tipping" model to a strict transaction fee, but we do charge transaction fees (3%) for companies (co's aren't great tippers) and other off-platform donations like checks (tipping is not possible off-platform). 2) On average, Giving Circles donate $100,000 per year. 3) Giving Circles typically give money on a quarterly or annual donation cycle, but we are seeing an increasing number of monthly cycles too. We're also seeing an increase in Rapid Response Funds where Giving Circles raise money for immediate needs (e.g. Covid relief) in addition to their normal grantmaking cycles.4) Our current customer acquisition strategy is focused on existing Giving Circles that we're onboarding through biz dev and partnerships with major Giving Circle networks and eco-system players like the new Gates-backed national Giving Circle initiative. We intend to start broader marketing to further grow the space and our users after this fundraise.  5) We expect CAC to be quite low given the high social engagement around cause-related content and communities.6) Yes! Nonprofits are reaching out to us on a daily basis to engage with Giving Circles and to host their existing or new Giving Circles on the platform.
- Q: Are there mechanisms that will generate documents to help claim tax deductibles for certain key countries where the majority donors on grapevine platform?
  - A: Hi Liling, thanks for this great question. In short, yes! Grapevine is currently focused on the U.S. market and provides charitable 501.c.3 donation receipts via email to donors immediately following their donation. We also provide an annual roll-up of all donation receipts at the end of the year, to make it easy for donors to complete their taxes. We are not a financial advisor, so we cannot advise on specific cases. However, these receipts can be used to claim U.S. charitable tax deductions to the fullest extent of the law. We plan to expand beyond the U.S. market and will provide similar receipting for charitable tax deductions in those countries as well.