Introducing FreeFunder’s Founder
The heart of most companies is the story behind it that inspired the founder or founders to set in stone a belief they had. This story helps customers connect to the company and choose to trust it over others who offer the same product or service. It is what will allow the business to thrive and shine over its competitors. Usually, for this to happen, the story has to be one that other individuals can relate to and can help them find a human side to all the business talk. In FreeFunder’s case, its founder offers a story that resonates with all those who could not finance their personal projects, pay for medical bills, or improve difficult living situations. He turned his personal experience into a company that would allow people to help one another rise up.
John Symonds founded FreeFunder as a crowdfunding platform that charges $0 fees for users to set up their campaigns, share them, and raise funds needed. Unlike other crowdfunding platforms, this one donates up to $70 to your fundraiser based on Facebook shares. We decided to dive further into FreeFunder’s story and talked to Symonds himself about the company and his decision to start this journey.
Question: What is FreeFunder’s purpose?
John Symonds: FreeFunder’s purpose is to provide the most straightforward, most well-supported platform for people with emergent needs to raise funds to meet those needs quickly.
Q: What is FreeFunder’s story?
JS: FreeFunder started as a direct competitor to GoFundMe based on an elementary difference: instead of charging the 5% fee that GoFundMe did, we would charge zero. Instead of charging a platform fee, we rely on optional donations from contributors. When GoFundMe changed their model to do this same thing about a year after we started, we had little to differentiate us anymore. But I think that no industry should have only one major player. Today, FreeFunder continues to look for new ways to improve the experience for users while still being free of platform fees. Already we have added Text-To-Donate, Embeddable Fundraisers, and Live Event support. We are the only fundraising platform that actually donates to the campaigns on our platform based on the super-important act of sharing and encouraging friends to share on social media.
Q: What makes FreeFunder stand out?
JS: It’s all about the features we offer. FreeFunder donates up to $70 to each fundraiser based on Facebook shares and has a free Text-To-Donate option to make offline fundraising easier. We have opened the door to Instagram sharing, printed materials, projector displays at churches or events. And if you have a website, you can easily embed your fundraiser so that your visitor never leaves your site to view the campaign and donate.
The truth is FreeFunder was created with the user in mind. Symonds knew — from personal experience — how tough fundraisers can be, and he wanted to change that for other individuals who were dealing with time-sensitive situations. With this in mind, he created a platform that allows individuals to create campaigns and share them with the world in an easy and accessible way. On top of that, they charge no fees, donate up to $70 based on Facebook shares, added a Text-To-Donate option, and have a customer service team dedicated to solving any issues users may encounter.
Looking at FreeFunder’s story, you can immediately tell that is the heart of the company. A story that resonates with others and builds trust in a business that cares about its customers.