Pop-up ads on your mobile device can be just plain annoying and could feel like an invasion of personal space. While more companies are vying for your attention with “Look at me!” graphics, one startup is trying to incentivize you to reconsider the close button and engage with ads to do good.
Adora is a socially conscious mobile advertising platform and charity app where users have the power to earn money for their non-profit simply by engaging with the interactive ads, deals and news sent to their lockscreen on Androids and notifications on Apple products.
Founders Kyle Thomas, Mark Feriante, Ben Faanunu and David Brinkerhoff came together to do some good for the world through the number one thing in the hands of consumers – the smartphone.
In an interview with co-founder Kyle Thomas, he states that Adora will start off with 20 percent of profits going to charities with the goal of 50 percent as they scale. Currently Adora has over 40 charities signed up and 100 advertisers.
To begin generating dollars for a charity, the user develops a profile that includes their interests and preferences for products and services. With each additional piece of information, the percentage of donation capacity increases.
As for the information collected, Thomas explains that while data points sent to the advertiser are “nameless and faceless,” another important use of the data is to help advertisers target and retarget the ads and understand the effectiveness based on consumer feedback.
“There are two parts to Adora.” Thomas said. “First we want our users to like the ads, offers and deals we deliver so the more info we have the more they will enjoy the experience. Then there is the value to advertisers, the more targeted we can be the more valuable an ad is and the more we (the users & Adora) can donate to charity.”
So if you are couching it for a day, why not make money for your charity. Thomas said the amount of dollars a charity can receive really depends on the engagement of the user- the more you engage with the ads, the more money earned for your charity. Adora also encourages the charity to promote the use of the app as an additional fundraising pipeline.
“The (donation) amount has been set at a level we know we can deliver based on user activity – how often a user interacts with their phone. The more content we deliver the more funding a user can generate for their cause.”
As for tax benefits, Thomas said Adora will realize the credit for the donations, but intends to keep on giving well above their limit.
“Given how much we will be donating, the tax benefits will be maxed out long before we stop giving,” Thomas said. “We are looking into how we can pass those tax benefits back to the advertisers. When a user chooses to donate out-of-pocket we will pass 100 percent of that tax credit back to them, we will also cover all transaction and transfer fees.”
If you’ve used the Amazon Smile program, the sign up for charities is very similar, Thomas explains. Users can choose from a pre-selected list or add their own and Adora will reach out to see if the non-profit wants to participate. Once the charity is on board, the payment structure depends on money raised.
“We send payments monthly and the charity promotes the app to their users so they can get even more funding from referral fees. We will cut checks to the charity quarterly and only once the amount exceeds $100,” Thomas said.
Currently they are targeting Millennials that basically live on their phones and looking to get behind the mission in exchange for a few thumbs ups or downs. The app is available for download on iTunes and Google Play.
Thomas said Adora’s long-term goal is to also be a hyper local ad platform that enables small businesses to advertise along side of larger brands and promote local charities along the way.
“Right now our message is to consumers: get on, choose your charity, tell us about you. Clearly, the more consumers we sign up, the more attractive the app to early advertisers. This is what we do know: everyone loves the idea. It’s a big win for everyone,” Thomas said.
Learn more about Adora here.
Graphics from getadora.com
The article has been updated from its original posting to reflect the removal of the Indiegogo campaign
Thanks for the great write up Tishin!