By simply owning small humans that are ultra-dependent and oftentimes unruly, moms have an incredibly tough job. But after you pile on all the little things — soccer practices, ballet recitals, doctors appointments, etc. — being a parent becomes damn near impossible.
But to that end, a company called VolunteerSpot has just raised $1.5 million in Series A funding from ff Venture Capital here in New York, with participation from various angels in the Central TX Angel Network, Nebraska Angel Network, Angel List, and Baylor Angel Network.
The service lets volunteers of any type, whether it be a group of soccer moms, organizations, or simply a group of friends, organize their volunteer hours online without any extra hassle. So it works a bit like this:
Let’s say there’s a mom (we’ll call her Nancy), who needs help organizing the weekly summer playdates among a group of friendly kids. Once she’s signed in to the service, she can arrange a calendar for the various tasks and volunteer activities required, like bringing snacks, bringing games, or organizing and supervising a game of hide-and-go-seek. From there, the other moms in the group can simply choose their task, click the sign-up button, and be done with it.
The site lets you set up a profile with contact info, should someone need to get a hold of you, along with a record of everything you’ve volunteered for and everything you’re committed to.
But this extends outside of your original network. Once you’re on the site, you have the ability to tap into other volunteer opportunities with a subscription. The service is free to cash-strapped groups like teachers and students, but if you pay $4.99 for the “I Can Help” subscription, you’ll be able to check out various volunteering activities and make a commitment.
Other groups like sports teams, non-profits, and corporate programs are encouraged to contribute by purchasing one of the subscriptions, ranging from $4.99 for an individual to $19.99 for more than 100 volunteers on the network.
VolunteerSpot also offers a freemium payment model for users looking for added functionality and features.