For a young nonprofit, raising $25,250 in 30 days is pretty decent sum. And Coded by Kids, the Philly-based organization that teaches kids how to code, did exactly that.
Though it fell short from the original (and perhaps daring) goal of $53,130, which would have funded an expansion to 12 new sites like rec centers and schools, the money raised will help five new programs to be rolled out across Philadelphia, reports our sister site Generocity.
WE DID IT #PHILLY!! $25K FOR YOUTH CODING PROGRAMS, Y'ALL ARE AWESOME!!!!
— Coded by Kids (@codedbykids) November 4, 2016
Besides the usual community support on social media, one way the tech community rallied around Coded by Kids’ push for funds was through donation-matching.
First up, Cloudamize CEO Bob Moul:
hey @sylvestermobley! I will match every contribution made today up to $1k. Deal? Just lmk. cc @joshk https://t.co/ZsAcSmjMvO
— Bob Moul (@bobmoul) October 17, 2016
By the next day, it was Comcast’s Danielle Cohn:
PHL kids need to know how to code! I'll match the next $1k today! cc @bobmoul @sylvestermobley https://t.co/0PEalawtE5
— Danielle Cohn 🚀 (@daniellecohn) October 18, 2016
Though sizable donations also came by way of tech scene staples like Josh Kopelman, Rick Nucci, Yasmine Mustafa and Robert Cheetham, the matched donations generated significant buzz on social media and were a solid boost for the fundraising effort.
Seemingly, the battlecry of the matched donation went a longer way than big checks on their own (at least in this case). Can this become a more popular M.O. for other nonprofits? If so, high-profile individuals can look forward to more match requests in their email inboxes.
And what about the seven unfunded sites? Will they just remain shattered dreams? According to Generocity, the org is currently exploring other funding opportunities to make those sites happen by next year.
Before you go...
Please consider supporting Technical.ly to keep our independent journalism strong. Unlike most business-focused media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational support.
3 ways to support our work:- Contribute to the Journalism Fund. Charitable giving ensures our information remains free and accessible for residents to discover workforce programs and entrepreneurship pathways. This includes philanthropic grants and individual tax-deductible donations from readers like you.
- Use our Preferred Partners. Our directory of vetted providers offers high-quality recommendations for services our readers need, and each referral supports our journalism.
- Use our services. If you need entrepreneurs and tech leaders to buy your services, are seeking technologists to hire or want more professionals to know about your ecosystem, Technical.ly has the biggest and most engaged audience in the mid-Atlantic. We help companies tell their stories and answer big questions to meet and serve our community.
Join our growing Slack community
Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!