Fundraising for homelessness startup, HandUp gets acquired by Metro Detroit nonprofit
HandUp, a San Francisco startup providing fundraising software to human service organizations,
has some big news: their platform has been acquired by South Oakland Shelter (SOS), a nonprofit
in Metro Detroit!
Starting November 1st, 2017, SOS will officially take ownership of HandUp’s technology and will
keep its online products accessible to nonprofits in the Bay Area and across the country. Donors,
nonprofits, and homeless individuals who use HandUp.org can expect the same level of service
from SOS as they receive from the HandUp team.
In 2013, HandUp launched as a public benefit corporation with the mission to use technology and
the power of human relationships to fight urban poverty. Led by CEO Rose Broome and COO
Sammie Rayner, HandUp has raised $2.4 million in donations for 100 nonprofits across the
country, helping 25,000 people meet basic needs like housing and medical care.
“This is a big milestone for us after four years of building HandUp and scaling across the country.
We’re excited our mission and technology will live on with SOS,” says Rose Broome.
While SOS will maintain HandUp’s online fundraising tools, the San Francisco-based street Gift
Card program will be put on hold. Gift Cards are physical cards worth $25 that donors give directly
to people experiencing homelessness to cover basics like food and clothing. The program will run
through the end of the year, so if you’ve recently purchased Gift Cards there’s still time to give
them out.
SOS became HandUp’s first nonprofit partner outside of San Francisco in 2014. They were
working to build their own fundraising platform when they discovered HandUp already existed.
Three years later, SOS is one of HandUp’s most active partners and has spearheaded new
initiatives using the platform. SOS secured $100,000 in grants from the McGregor Fund and The
Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan to launch the HandUp Detroit Collaborative.
With this strong base, SOS is ready to carry forward the vision of HandUp as a philanthropic
initiative with great social impact. From Ryan Hertz, SOS CEO, “HandUp’s tools have empowered
us to better fulfill our own mission: building communities that end homelessness. We are proud to
inherit and continue HandUp’s legacy as we extend our work into building digital communities.”
To learn more about the transition, visit blog.handup.org/sos-transition. To support homeless
neighbors in need, visit handup.org.