Teaching is undeniably one of the most difficult professions in our country. Our staff pick this week honors an educator who bravely faces pancreatic cancer while encouraging the children at her local YWCA.

On Miss Patti’s fundraising page, her community describes her as “personally and professionally [...] the continual supply of loving and level-headed advice, tutelage, and guidance for decades.” Whether they’re challenging stubborn mindsets or fostering suppressed talents, the work of our teachers is never easy.

Based on the outpouring of support on Patti Preston’s page, it’s obvious that she’s positively influenced numerous lives in her profession. Her community in Princeton is currently rallying around her to reciprocate the encouragement she gives their children.

Our GiveForward Team is inspired by both Miss Patti’s commitment to education and her community’s response during this difficult time. Take a moment to visit Patti’s page to leave a hug or donation in honor of a teacher who’s touched your life.

A dedicated husband, father and caregiver, Stephen Hensley was diagnosed with end stage liver disease on January 1st of this year.  Told a liver transplant is his only chance of survival, Stephen’s family has gathered together to show their support to their ‘hero‘.

This is not the only illness the Hensley family is wrestling with, Stephen’s wife has Multiple Sclerosis, which means insurance coverage is stretched thin.  Despite working full time as Deputy Jailer, Stephen does not have STD or LTD insurance coverage through work.  This means that without the support from friends and family, the Hensleys will not be able to cover the medical costs and related out-of-pocket expenses.

Beyond just a support system, Stephen’s daughter, Gina says her father’s love as a caregiver and adopted father ‘essentially rescued my mom, my sister and myself’.  It is Stephen’s love and dedication over the years that prompted his family to rally the troops and show their support by starting a GiveForward page for Stephen with the intention of rescuing him right back.

With the money raised, they will cover all of the out-of-pocket medical expenses associated with this transplant and help give Stephen a second chance.  We hope you will join us in sending lots of love towards the whole Hensley family.

GiveForward is starting a new feature every week, the Staff Pick Fundraiser.  Now this doesn’t mean we have a favorite fundraiser, we love all of our fundraisers equally, but at the GiveForward office we make an effort every day to reach out and ‘hug’ a person on our site.

Once a week we come together and share the stories about the people we’ve hugged.   It is a great way for everyone to get to know more about the people using our site and spread a little good cheer at the same time.  After we share the stories we all vote for our favorite story and feature it as the “Staff Pick” for the week.

This week we are kicking it off with a fundraiser that is new to our site: “Help Support Black Family Cancer Fund”.  Jake first came to

our site when he mentioned on Twitter that he was auctioning off action figures on ebay to pay for his medical bills.  GiveForwardreached out to him to offer our services and he signed up.

Jake, a comic author, was initially diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma in 2008.  Like one of his characters, Jake managed to battle the disease, coming out a survivor after rounds of chemo.

Unfortunately, fighting cancer doesn’t end with the physical.  Like most survivors Jake was left with mounting medical bills for the care he received.  Now the Black family is getting support from their loved ones as well as the comic community to help defray these medical expenses.

This week we want to give a big shout out to the “Help Support Black Family Cancer Fund” as our Staff Pick of the week.  Sending lots of virtual high fives your way!

An unexpected visit by a beneficiary brightened up the GiveForward office last week.

Ron Porche is battling Polycystic Kidney Disease and is in need of a kidney transplant.  Currently he is listed as a transplant candidate at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, GA.  His friends and family wanted him to know he wasn’t alone as he went through the transplant process so they set up a GiveForward page for others to donate and show their support.

Last week, Ron drove up to Chicago from Georgia in order to undergo some testing for his transplant.

While he was in Chicago, he decided to stop by the GiveForward office to pick up his fundraiser check and say ‘hello’ to the GiveForward team.

After helping with the fundraiser, it was so nice to get a chance to meet Ron in person and hear about his progress.  We are sending lots of well wishes and GiveForward hugs to Ron and the whole Porche family.  Thanks for coming by and making us smile, Ron!

This weekend, the Chicago Tribune took a closer look at crowdfunding, GiveForward, and some of our World Give Day partners.

The Trib spoke with GiveForward, 33needs, EduLender, and IndieGoGo to get an inside look at how crowdfunding is changing the face of philanthropy….

Funding from the masses: Startups try to harness social networks to raise money

At first blush, crowd-funding may sound like just another attempt to raise money online by getting as many visitors as possible to donate to a cause.

But a growing number of startups see the landscape differently. They see the potential that social networks have to raise money in ways that align with how younger generations practice philanthropy.

Click here for full article.

GiveForward co-founder Ethan Austin sat down with Robbie Abed of The Startup Foundry to talk a little about GiveForward’s mission and how far we’ve come in a short amount of time.

From 1 visitor a day to raising $4m for charity, Give Forward’s feel good story
by Robbie Abed on Feb 17, 2011 • 3:45 pm View Comments

I had the great opportunity to speak with Ethan Austin, co-founder of GiveForward (http://www.giveforward.org). Give Forward is a Chicago based startup that helps people raise money for their medical expenses. Ethan speaks about how they once had only 1 visitor on new years day, to being able to get funding a year later. The excerpt of the interview is below:

In one or two sentences, explain what GiveForward does.
GiveForward is a crowdfunding platform for medical expenses. In a nutshell, we make it incredibly easy for friends and family raise money for things like chemotherepy treatments or organ transplants when their loved one gets sick.

How long has Give Forward been around?
We launched in 2008.

Was Give Forward bootstrapped or funded?
We bootstrapped for the first two-and-a-half years but recently got funding.

Explain what the first 0-6 months were like for Give Forward. How did you get it off the ground?
Wow! To say the first six months were rough would be a massive understatment. We launched the site in August of 2008 and on January 1st, 2009 we had one visitor on GiveForward that day — literally ONE visitor! For the most part, our attempts at gaining traction involved coercing our friends and family to start fundraising pages. I enlisted about 25 of my college buddies and their girlfriends to run 5 miles through Central Park for the cause of their choice in in an event we dubbed “run for a reason” . I think we helped raise about $13,000 from the event, which probably accounted for like half of the donations on the site the first six months. It was kind of ridiculous back then.

We really didn’t start to see any traction on the site until about nine months in when two Chicago sisters from Depaul used GiveForward to raise $30,000 for a kidney transplant. After that, we received some media coverage and things started to pick up a bit.

[Editors note:] Give Forward has already raised $3,527,462 for medical expenses and other important causes. Talk about a startup making an impact on the world![/Editors note:]

How did you acquire funding. Was a prototype built before funding?
Last summer, we got accepted into a Chicago startup accelerator called Excelerate Labs, which turned out to be a game changer for us. Through Excelerate, we were able to demo at the House of Blues in front of 500 investors from around the county. My partner, Desiree, gave a pretty awesome presentation which really opened the doors for us. From there, Tim Krauskopf, one of the mentors at Excelerate helped us round up some investors. We also used Angel List, which I highly recommend, to secure the final part of our round.

How big is the team?
We have a team of seven right now plus a few really awesome interns.

Being a Chicago startup, do you find it harder to succeed then if you were in silicon valley as an example
Not at all. I know it’s a cliche, but the Chicago startup community is really coming into its own right now. Groupon has obviously helped to bring a ton of attention to Chicago, but things like Excelerate Labs, MidVentures Tech Week, and Social Dev Camp are changing the landscape in Chicago and helping to build a strong community here. Granted, funding is always going to be an issue and there is no Sand Hill Road in Chicago, but with tools like Angel List democratizing the VC industry, the need to be in Silicon Valley isn’t nearly as great as it used to be.

What is your biggest challenge now?
Educating people and getting the word out. That’s always been the hardest part. When a loved one is going through a serious health issue like cancer, their friends and family usually feel pretty helpless and don’t know what they can do to help. Our goal is make sure they are aware of our service. Once people find out about GiveForward, they always love it. We just need to let more people know about it.

Thanks to Ethan for the interview. All the best to GiveForward. For more startup news, follow us on twitter @startupfoundry.

You can also follow the author on twitter @robbieab.

BuzzRaid.com is a website that reviews startups and websites.  Recently, they posted a review about GiveForward that provides an objective look at our company and the services we provide.

Feel free to check out the site here or read the review below for more information on what they consider our strengths and details on how they believe we can continue to work to expand on the services we provide.

A big thanks to BuzzRaid for taking the time to evaluate GiveForward.

GiveForward – Fundraising for Out-Of-Pocket Medical Expenses

GiveForward located at giveforward.com is a startup that is focused on making it easy for people to have fundraisers to cover out-of-pocket medical expenses as well as pets medical expenses and other causes. The company has claimed to help raise over $3.5 million so far (since 08?) for families with out-of-pocket medical expenses.

The company has investments from Tim Krauskopf, Ed Chandler, New World Ventures, David Cohen, Social Leverage and Excelerate Labs. GiveForward is located in Chicago, Illinois.

Why It Could Be Big:
There are plenty of people out there who are having trouble with outrageous medical expenses for life-saving surgeries that may not be covered by their insurance. If GiveForward can help people with these expenses during tough times it can help a large number of families and become a stable business at the same time. At this point they charge a 7% fee which may seem a little high but does include the credit card fees of 2.5%+ as well as SSL encryption and more. The amount they take is less than most traditional charities and having stable revenue will let the company expand with more options instead of having to scrape by and end up closing like many in this space have.

GiveForward looks to have a good plan in place to verify campaigns which would be one of my main concerns when donating money. They verify personal information as well as talk to references and do their own research. There is typically no fool-proof model to completely stop fraud but the process they have in place should weed out almost all. Overall GiveForward could be big if they can continue to make it a simple process to start and manage fundraisers while adding in social aspects to help it spread through Twitter and Facebook.

We are very excited to announce GiveForward has raised $500,000 in its first round of funding.

After meeting some fantastic people during our participation in Excelerate, we were able to do some creative fundraising and are now ready to expand on the services we currently provide.  With this backing we will now be able to grow our team and bring on additional fundraising coaches so we can continue to provide the best service possible to our fundraisers.

Feel free to check out the story featured in the Chicago Tribune, TechCrunch and FastCompany:

Chicago startup GiveForward raises $500K

By Wailin Wong
Posted today at 8:45 a.m.

GiveForward, a Chicago-based startup that helps people raise money for out-of-pocket medical expenses, has raised $500,000 in its first round of funding.

Desiree Vargas Wrigley and Ethan Austin started GiveForward in 2008 and had looked for some funding at that time, but “what we kept hearing from investors is: ‘You should be a non-profit,’” Vargas Wrigley said. She and Austin funded the company themselves, with Vargas Wrigley waiting tables at Cafe Ba Ba Reeba in Lincoln Park in the meantime.

The GiveForward platform allows people to create personalized fundraising pages and share their cause through social media such as Facebook and Twitter. GiveForward collects the donations, which can be done through credit or debit cards, and passes them along to the beneficiary after deducting 7 percent for processing fees. The company said its users have raised $3.5 million since the company’s inception and about 10,000 users have joined the site, with almost half of them signing up in the last six months.

In 2010, GiveForward was one of 10 companies chosen for the inaugural class of Excelerate, a Chicago-based program that awards funding to startups and provides mentorship from experienced investors and entrepreneurs. Through the Excelerate program, Vargas Wrigley and Austin connected with Tim Krauskopf, a serial entrepreneur and former Motorola Inc. executive who had co-founded Spyglass Inc., the software firm that developed the basis for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser.

Krauskopf gave the GiveForward team advice and cultivated a group of investors behind the scenes. He became the lead investor for the company’s fundraising round, which also includes several angel investors and New World Ventures, the Chicago venture capital firm that invests on behalf of the Pritzker family.

“There are a lot of fantastic new tech ventures coming out of Chicago right now and GiveForward is one of the best,” Krauskopf said in a statement. “It is a truly viral service that leverages social networking for a real, productive purpose.”

The $500,000 will allow GiveForward to expand its staff. Austin and Vargas Wrigley drew their first paychecks in January and recently hired a marketing employee and an in-house developer. Vargas Wrigley said the startup plans to hire another five to seven people this year, with most of them serving as fundraising coaches that work one-on-one with the site’s users.

GiveForward also plans to work more closely with hospitals and private clinics so doctors and nurses can recommend GiveForward to the families of patients that might be struggling financially or could benefit from the support of an online community, Vargas Wrigley said.

Vargas Wrigley said her startup’s success in getting funding speaks to how “the funding climate is changing in Chicago.”

“Companies really can be mission-driven or social ventures and still produce return,” she said.

GiveForward Raises $500K To Be The Kickstarter For Medical Expenses

By Leena Rao
Posted today at 2:40 p.m.

GiveForward, an online fundraising tool for medical expenses, has raised $500,000 in funding from Tim Krauskopf, New World Ventures, David Cohen, Ed Chandler, Social Leverage and Excelerate Labs.

GiveForward, which was incubated in Chicago’s Excelerate Labs, wants to become the Kickstarter for medical expenses. The platform allows anyone to create customizable fundraising pages where friends and family from across the world can donate online.

To make money, GiveForward deducts 7 percent of all donations. Since 2008, 10,000 users have joined GiveForward with the startup helping families raise nearly $3.5 million for their loved ones’ out-of-pocket medical expenses. GiveForward also gives users tips on fundraising, allows them to socialize their pages on Facebook and Twitter and more.

Did you know that April is Organ Transplant Month!  Neither did we…but now that we do, we’re doing our best to spread the word.  17 patients die each day awaiting a transplant because the organ they need is not available and currently there are over 79,000 U.S. patients awaiting a transplant.  But, a single organ or tissue donor can help save the lives of as many as 50 people!  If you are not already an organ donor, please consider signing up today by clicking here. 

On GiveForward, there are many fundraisers for people who have already received, or are hoping to receive, organ transplants.  Here is just a small sampling:

Musician Gabriel Mountain was diagnosed with a genetic disorder (IGA Nephropathy) that left him with only 15% usage of his kidneys.  Gabriel is currently on dialysis and will eventually need a new kidney.  He is raising money to cover the “astronomical” medical expenses he has incurred as a result of his disease.  For more about Gabriel’s story or to donate, please click here.   

Mary Beth started a fundraiser for her husband Chris who needs a kidney transplant.  He is currently awaiting his second kidney after the first one he received failed after 4 years.  Chris is on dialysis while he awaits his much needed kidney.  The money raised will go towards medications, insurance premiums, and any other unexpected expenses while Chris is out of work for 6 weeks after the transplant.  To read more about Chris or to donate to his fundraiser, please click here. 

Joseph is a baby boy who, after being diagnosed with a disorder known as Malignant Infantile Osteoporosis, needed a bone marrow transplant.  He received the transplant just 4 days after his 1st birthday, but is required to stay in the hospital for over 3 months.  Amy set up a fundraiser to help his family with the medical bills they will have as a result of the transplant and hospital stay.  To read more about Joseph or to donate to his fundraiser, click here. 

A two time survivor of liver cancer, Keith McGregor was recently diagnosed with the disease again and now needs a liver transplant to save his life.  This time his cancer is inoperable and a transplant is the only hope.  His wife Tabatha started a fundraiser for him in hopes of raising money for all the expenses involved in his treatment, such as chemotherapy and medications.  To read more about Keith or to donate to his fundraiser, please click here. 

Karen is raising money for her father who has had multiple bypass surgeries and now needs a new heart and kidney.  Karen seeks to raise funds to lessen the financial burden all the medical expenses have has on her family.  For more about her father, Butch, or to donate, please visit their page here. 

Josie is an 11 year old girl who was diagnosed with a liver disease, Biliary Atresia, at just six weeks old.  Now Josie needs a liver transplant and doctors say the success rate would be higher with a living donor.  Her father hopes to match Josie and donate part of his liver to her, but because the living donor procedure is more complicated than usual, their family’s insurance does not cover all the costs.  To read more about Josie or to donate money to her medical expenses, please click here.

Regardless of your ability to make a financial contribution to these fundraisers, you can help the people mentioned above simply by registering to be an organ donor and encouraging others to, also, by tweeting, emailing, and putting the link in your status messages.