Jason Rosado left a successful career in banking to make charitable giving as easy and impulsive as the act of “Liking” on Facebook. The founder of Givkwik, a mission-driven start up based out of Impact Hub Bay Area in San Francisco, combines technology and philanthropy in an online platform to empower anyone to make an impact.

On Wall Street, Jason focused on building banking solutions for a cash-less society, but he felt conflicted. He saw how spare change helped his community to make ends meet, but what happens when there is no more change? Rosado wanted to take the same infrastructure that banks use to increase purchasing power, but aimed to increase people’s philanthropic power to make it easier to give.

“I want anyone to feel like they can be philanthropic anytime, anywhere. For me, philanthropy isn’t just for the people in the Penthouse, it’s inspiring the people on the ground floor to make an impact. Givkwik helps companies get their employers and customers engaged in philanthropy. For donors, we connect them with companies and a community. For causes, we help promote their mission, attract new donors and expand their impact.”

Impact Hub Bay Area: Where the Magic Happens

Rosado came out to San Francisco after Givkwik was selected to be a part of the Hub Ventures Accelerator that supports new start ups grounded in social impact.

“Hub Ventures invested in the big idea of Givkwik early on. Working out of the Impact Hub Bay Area is a perfect space to grow a company like ours, and the community has been critical to forging partnerships and building credibility in the impact space,” remarked Jason.

 

Speaking of partnerships, Rosado says that “Givkwik’s recent partnership with ImpactAssets came to fruition as a result of our meeting at the Impact Hub Bay Area.”

“ImpactAssets will manage the Givkwik Fund, a special donor advised fund, and Givkwik will be the platform for people to participate in deciding where philanthropic dollars should go. We’re excited to make twice the Impact by working together and engaging more people in meaningful, charitable giving.”

On Making An Impact

For Rosado, impact means “the feeling that you’ve done something to make a difference in your community and the people around you.”

Making an impact means being committed and to keep pushing. “For me, the impact has yet to come because I’m not satisfied until we reach our goal to drive as many grants to non-profits as possible, to engage the young, low income community in charitable giving, and expand what philanthropy means.”

Making an impact means taking every day and every speed bump in stride. “I feel like I fail everyday, but I can’t let that stop me. If you are putting yourself out there, you’re failing, but it’s about learning and taking a different approach next time.”

Making an impact takes time and drive. “I’d like to move faster, but you have to have patient and perseverance, and be ready to seize opportunity when it comes your way. I want our company and its impact to be bigger, but building an investable company is tough and takes time.”

But even Impact makers have to rest every now and than…

Rosado says that, “sleeping and watching the Sopranos on HBO GO” are his least impactful activities, as mostly his days are geared toward making Givkwik a success.

An inspiration to those seeking to make an impact, Jason demonstrates the commitment and tenacity necessary to turn the status quo into an engine for more charity dough.

Jason’s Advice

At the end of the day, whether you are a social entrepreneur or not, an investor is an investor and ROI matters so you have to focused on building a sustainable business model and that can be time-consuming.

To learn more about Givkwik’s work, go to: https://givkwik.com.

More about Jason: Growing up in a working class Latino family in the the Bronx, Jason credits a program called Prep for Prep with changing the trajectory of his life. As a result of the non-profit, Jason had access to the best education in New York City and later, went on to attend Wesleyan University and earn a Masters in Interactive Telecommunication from New York University.