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MBA Student Launches a Commerce-For-Charity Website
Eastern University News
Published: June 9th, 2008
St. Davids, PA, June 12, 2008: Nate Hoffer knows how to use his entrepreneurial skills for a good cause. The 27-year-old MBA student at Eastern University (www.eastern.edu/sms) has developed a Web site devoted to raising funds for causes whose purposes align with the Christian faith. On his site, www.LoveToGive.net, a consumer can pick the products to purchase and select the cause that is to receive the donation amount. All products have a 10-20% donation amount attached to them.
LoveToGive.net has over 100,000 Christian and fair trade products available for purchase. With each order you place on LoveToGive.net, at least 10% (the average being 15%) of your order will go to a cause that the consumer chooses. The cause may be a church, local Christian ministry, or any other eligible organization. In addition, the site provides a way for people to donate from the convenience of their own home, while supporting an important cause.
The site, and its continuing success, is a direct result of Hoffer's passion and dedication to service and charity. "I wanted to create a site designed to be a free and easy fundraising tool for Christian causes by allowing their supporters to donate through purchasing from the Internet," Hoffer said. "Overall, we believe our role as a company is to invest in endeavors that pay eternal dividends. I wanted to start a business where I could invite others to experience the joy of giving in an easy and convenient manner, with the goal being to provide revenue for the causes."
Hoffer's business experience at Eastern has helped him in his independent Christian journey. Since enrolling in the MBA program, Hoffer's business knowledge has increased tremendously, enabling him to create a sound and profitable company.
"Entering the MBA program at Eastern and learning how to start this company is one of the best things that has ever happened to me," Hoffer said. "The actual knowledge I have obtained so far at Eastern has been priceless. Everything I have learned through the MBA program, I have applied directly to my company. I feel so much more equipped to run a business and handle the operations thanks to Eastern."
Nate and his wife, Rebekah, are co-founders of LoveToGive.net and are both graduates of Eastern Mennonite University. His Eastern University experience, however, is unlike any he's had before.
"The program at Eastern is based on Christian values, and I have integrated those teachings and that kind of mentality into my business," Hoffer said. "Eastern University has really been key to the site's success. Social entrepreneurship is crucial, and it's good to be learning at an institution that values the same mentality that I do and that I try to live out. It's been a perfect partnership between myself, my company and Eastern University."
If you are a church, nonprofit organization, or other cause needing funds (i.e. family adoption fund, mission trip, family in need, etc.) you may apply to become an eligible cause. Once approved, LoveToGive.net will help you get the word out to your supporters that each time they shop on the site at least 10% of their order will be given to your cause. Registered causes will be given their own page where they can communicate with their supporters through a blog. If your registered cause is a place of business (i.e. church or Christian organization) you can post job openings and volunteer needs as well. For more information, call 1-866-951-GIVE or e-mail nate@lovetogive.net.
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He aims for those who LoveToGive
New Web site donates significant half of each sale's profit to charity.
Lancaster New Era
Published: Apr 28, 2008
11:44 EST
Ephrata
By TIM MEKEEL, Staff
Nate Hoffer believes it's the thought that counts, not the amount.
Though some people are reluctant to make small donations to charities, feeling such gifts are irrelevant, Hoffer sees it differently.
So he has set up a Web site where people can buy Christian and fair-trade merchandise, and automatically give a modest sum to the cause of their choice in the process.
"A lot of people have a complex about whether or not their contribution will be valued...," said Hoffer.
"But giving is more an attitude of the heart. We believe if we allow people to give just two or three dollars on a purchase they're making, it's enough to feel good about.
"The actual dollar amount isn't as important as the act of giving," he said.
Hoffer, 27, of Ephrata, said LoveToGive offers more than 100,000 products, including books, devotionals, Bibles, CDs, DVDs, gifts, clothing, woodworking pieces and other crafts, including fair-trade merchandise.
Fair-trade merchandise refers to products made by Third World artisans who work in good conditions and are paid a fair price for their wares.
LoveToGive passes along half of its profit on each item sold to the charity of the buyer's choosing, as long as the charity has a Christian purpose and has registered with the Web site.
"We're allowing people to donate to causes they care about just by buying things they were going to buy anyway," explained Hoffer.
Half of LoveToGive's profit equates to 15 percent of the purchase price on average and a minimum of 10 percent, he said.
"Our sort of motto is 'purpose before profit.' We firmly believe in defining your purpose and the profit will be there.
"We feel that by giving away so much of our profit, that will create a lot of buzz and attract more people to our Web site and create a loyal customer base," he said.
Eligible recipients include churches, pregnancy centers, homeless shelters, mission trips and disabled-worker programs, among other causes with Christian purposes.
"We don't require the cause to submit a statement of faith. We just want to know that what they're doing lines up with the Christian faith," said Hoffer.
Causes can register with LoveToGive for free. They also can have a blog on the Web site and post volunteer needs and job openings, again at no charge.
Purchases made on LoveToGive result in donations three times larger than purchases made via other sites, he said. At the same time, charities can use LoveToGive to communicate with the public and vice versa.
"It's more than a place to shop. It's a place to connect," said Hoffer.
Hoffer, who's running the Web site from his West Main Street home, is a graduate of McCaskey High School and Eastern Mennonite University. He's pursuing an MBA from Eastern University.
He previously worked for three years at Loving and Caring Inc., which creates parenting and adoption workbooks and brochures for clients of pregnancy centers. He was its operations manager, then most recently its interim executive director.
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Fair Trade
Gift Certificates
