CivicRush Introduces Online "Civic Dating" to Match People with Charities on #GivingTuesday

LEXINGTON, Ky., Nov. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- CivicRush, the civic social network, launched a new "Civic Dating" search engine today, on #GivingTuesday, that uses dating-site technology to match users with causes and organizations that best match their civic priorities. The new online platform is free for users.  

Successful dating sites match individuals based on personal preferences and interests that can lead to long-lasting, meaningful relationships. CivicRush uses a similar concept to match people with the causes they would most likely support. Built on an intelligent platform that improves the matching process the more people use it, CivicRush facilitates an intelligent match based on core beliefs, interests, skills, and schedule.

"One of the most common questions when it comes to charitable activities is, 'How can I get involved?' Many people want to help during the holidays, either through financial support or volunteering, but they often don't know where to start," said Ed Bouryng, president and CEO of CivicRush. "Today, on #GivingTuesday, CivicRush helps answer that question by intelligently connecting supporters and volunteers with the charitable organizations. By harnessing the power and popularity of social networking, CivicRush helps users discover good causes and make real contributions of time, energy and money to enact change."

CivicRush is free and open to anyone. The site was successfully launched in October in Lexington, Ky., where Mayor Jim Gray got behind the effort as a way to encourage citizens to get involved in their local community. The CivicRush matching engine is a primary component of CitizenLex.org, a new media platform that uses citizens to crowd source new solutions and ideas for the city. CitizenLex was named a Top 20 finalist in the 2012 Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge, a competition created to inspire American cities to generate innovative ideas that solve major challenges and improve city life. Winners will be announced in spring 2013.

"CivicRush is playing a key role in helping us build a Great American City through innovation and citizenship," Gray said. "There is incredible organizing power in social networking, and Lexington is proud to be home to a civic social network that is using that power to encourage and empower people to get involved in their communities."

Major features of the site include:

• Matchmaking technology that pairs volunteers with opportunities based on core beliefs, interests, skills, locations, and schedules.
• Donation platform that allows individuals to give money, goods or services to any 501(c)(3) charity or good cause, anywhere in the U.S.
• A tax-deductible virtual currency (Civ) that allows users to easily contribute across platforms using a common denominator.
• Centralized giving and year-end tax reporting for donors.
• Civic social networking is a powerful enabler to increase civic involvement in the community. CivicRush, the civic social network, empowers users to become force multipliers by quickly telling others about the activities they're involved in, recruiting friends and amplifying their impact. CivicRush integrates seamlessly with other platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+.
• CivicRush scores users' engagement to provide a measure of their overall civic involvement. A Civic Score is earned by individuals, companies, cities and more to show their overall civic footprint. Each user's Civic Resume becomes an independently verified catalog of good deeds. It is especially valuable for those entering the job market or applying for college, and can be used by businesses that encourage civic engagement through corporate social responsibility programs.
• For non-profit organizations, CivicRush works to engage supporters through the civic social network, increasing followers and supporting development efforts by facilitating donations of time, goods, services and financial support.
• For businesses, governments and educational institutions, CivicRush helps employers give employees ultimate giving choice to any 501(c)(3) charity with automatic payroll deductions; provides an independent accounting of civic and social contributions; and facilitates internal charitable giving programs with its tax-deductible Civ currency.

Here's what others are saying about CivicRush:

"Community support is one of the key ingredients that make Volunteers of America of Kentucky so successful. Having access to a tool like CivicRush helps us connect directly with people who want to help some of our community's most vulnerable citizens —including families and children experiencing homelessness, veterans experiencing homelessness and addiction, adults in substance abuse treatment and their children, and individuals with developmental disabilities.  We are truly excited to have access to this innovative new service."  - President and CEO of Volunteers of America of Kentucky - Jane W. Burks

"Susan G. Komen in Lexington is excited to be a founding partner with CivicRush.  The opportunity that CivicRush presents to us to engage donors and volunteers within a social network brings giving into the 21st century.  We now have a simple way to assign volunteers to our needs at events and we can attract new volunteers to support our cause, which is important for growth in our cause.  We get this for free, which as any ED knows, is the best price for a 501(c)(3) organization.   We are also partnering with CivicRush to support our end of year fundraising campaign.  They make giving so easy for donors, and they issue the tax receipt – making my life a little easier."  - Executive Director, Jennifer Bricking

Sign up at https://civicrush.com. Connect with CivicRush on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/CivicRush) and Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/CivicRush).

About CivicRush

CivicRush is a web-based social networking site that empowers users to get involved in their communities by connecting them with charities and volunteer opportunities. CivicRush works to engage volunteers and donors to contribute time, energy and financial support to good causes and empowers them to act as force multipliers by recruiting friends to their causes through their social networking platforms.

SOURCE CivicRush