When Dr. Julie Panchura met with Studio Absolute, her vision was to create a social and economic win-win-win by providing a platform to connect business, nonprofit organizations and volunteers. Simply stated, affiliated businesses and professionals offer discounted goods and services in exchange for volunteer work.
Dr. Panchura invited Studio Absolute to name and create a brand identity and design a website that would serve as a hub for this philanthropic community. Out of Dr. Panchura’s vision for a web-based ‘Pay It Forward’ movement, kahoot.org was born as a registered 501(c) 3 in Oregon.
Dr. Panchura had already been testing this model with success at Smile Central Oregon by offering her clients up to 50 percent off orthodontic treatment in exchange for their volunteer time with nonprofit organizations. For several of her young customers, this was their first time volunteering in the community. With kahoot.org, a wide range of quality services are available at a significantly discounted rate by simply volunteering time with a participating non-profit.
Here’s how it works:
1. Set up a volunteer profile and download vouchers.
2. Contact one of the affiliate businesses to establish the details of the offer.
3. Volunteer with a participating nonprofit in exchange for a discounted rate with the business affiliate.
4. The non-profit validates the voucher. This can then be redeemed like cash with the kahoot.org business affiliate.
For example, Studio Absolute, a Bend branding and graphic design firm, assigns a value of $20 to each volunteer hour and applies that towards the cost of website design, branding strategy and design services. The customer simply searches kahoot.org for design services in Bend, contacts the business affiliate, Studio Absolute, to establish the details of the project, then after donating their volunteer hours, Studio Absolute redeems their vouchers like cash.
“We hope to see some new faces out there volunteering and people getting connected with services they couldn’t otherwise afford. It’s also a great way for businesses to market themselves at no cost,” said Cheryl McIntosh, Brand Manager at Studio Absolute.
Dr. Panchura explains the key ingredient to the future success of kahoot.org. “We need the business community to sign up and start populating the site! With the recent launch, we have a lot of eyes on the website. It’s a great opportunity for businesses to gain exposure while strengthening their brand through non-profit alliances.”
