About - Givio

About us

We’re givers, like you.

In late-2019 a little group of former nonprofit insiders, techies, philanthropists, and crusaders for all-things-good went to work building an inspired new giving tool. Their goal: to build a giving application engineered entirely for givers, like you.

Why?

Because giving depends on the giver. Seems pretty obvious. Yet if you gaze across the history of giving, the process is always focused on the destination of the gift or the needs of the company building the giving application. It’s never really been about the people fueling all those missions. The result: a frustrating giving experience.

Maybe it’s why the charitable giving industry suffers a ridiculously high cart abandonment rate. Translation: nearly three-quarters of people who start to make a donation end up bailing out. Think about that. That’s a lot of money not making it to good causes. It’s also a pretty big clue that something is wrong with the process. Which is why you’re here right now, isn’t it?

We believe givers deserve better. And to that, we’re committed. Because making the process of giving as easy and fulfilling as possible benefits everyone. A better giving experience equals more giving.

The best part? Giving makes people happy. And happy people give. It’s science. It’s also a beautiful cycle. One that we’re thrilled to help facilitate. This is our mission.

Leadership

Gary CarrCEO

Gary Carr, CEO

As a child I was exposed to a variety of worthwhile nonprofit organizations: Little League, the YMCA, church, the Boy Scouts. And my relationship with these organizations probably would have remained little more than that – as fond memories and occasional destinations for my donations.

But all that changed with the birth of my first son and the doctor’s diagnosis of cerebral palsy. As any parent in similar circumstances well understands, there is a before such moments occur, and an after. After is never the same, and in my case, in more ways than I can count, it has been infinitely rewarding.

One of those ways? As a co-founder of the Cerebral Palsy Ability Center here in Northern Virginia, I quickly discovered that this is how most nonprofits get their start. A need appears and, if it’s of a sufficient magnitude, a nonprofit organization is launched to address it.

So whether it’s a Clarissa Harlowe Barton launching the American Red Cross in the wake of the Civil War or an everyday guy like me eager to help families understand and cope with a life-altering disease, nonprofits are born out of a human desire to fix, solve, heal, or cure a problem.

What I also learned was that the donations that enable nonprofits to do what they do aren’t just nice to have – they’re absolutely critical to the populations they serve. So whether that organization is feeding the hungry, saving whales, or funding research into cerebral palsy, those funds really, really matter, and not just on pay day or when we’re feeling especially generous.

Ultimately I transitioned out of the banking world that had been my professional home and dedicated my talents to serving nonprofit organizations and their many worthwhile causes.

I am genuinely proud of what we’re doing with Givio. Because as a long-time industry veteran, I know we are at last doing what should have been done a long time ago: build giving around the giver. How cool is that?

My ‘when’

Abhi PatwardhanCTO

Abhi Patwardhan, CTO

Born and raised in India, I was taught about the law of karma – that our actions beget results. At school, I learned about the Golden Rule – do unto others as you’d have them done unto you. And as a technologist schooled in the empirical sciences, I recognize the immutable law of cause and effect.

What all of these mean to me – and what I have actually observed to be true – is that life is about more than creating a family or building a nice home or earning a comfortable living. It means life is an ongoing gift that we must not only acknowledge but also live in service to – to give back.

For me, that has translated into the creation of a nonprofit organization dedicated to introducing classical Indian music to a wider audience here in the U.S. and, in particular, the Washington metropolitan area I call home. What differentiates Indian classical music from its European counterpart is that it is almost entirely extemporaneous – no sheet music or set pieces. It is up to the interpretation of the artists and the energy they are experiencing amongst themselves and from the audience.

The process of creating a nonprofit, of hosting the artists who come here, of literally building the stage and implementing the sound and lighting systems, of marketing to new audiences and managing subscriptions and fulfillments, has given me a first-hand understanding of the immense challenges facing the nonprofit community.

But it also taught me a lot about the nature of giving. Which is why what we’re doing with Givio is so very important. Because we know, for example, that the majority of givers abandon the donation process before it is completed, we also know that incredible sums of money aren’t making it to worthy causes.

Our goal has been to solve that problem by ensuring that the entire giving process is built by and for the giver. The happier the giver, the more likely they are to complete the donation, and the better off everyone – the giver, the nonprofit, and their service population – is.

My ‘how’

Cindy McLaughlinCMO

Cindy McLaughlin, CMO

For as long as I can remember I’ve had a soft spot for the underdog – or undercat, underpig, underkid, you name it. Saving ants from magnifying glasses, caterpillars from forgotten jars, or the new kid from the playground bully – I felt compelled to help those that needed a hand.

Whenever my kid brain would daydream about my future life, I pictured saving the orangutans of Borneo, chasing down whalers in the South Sea or building my own animal sanctuary. I’d pore over my National Geographics and donate my lawnmowing money to ‘adopt’ endangered animals. Each month, I’d pin my new certificate on my bedroom wall, brimming with excitement because I’d done something to help the undergorilla, underelephant, and underseaturtle.

But by the time I reached young adulthood, instead of heading off to chase down big game poachers, I was discovering the immense potential of storytelling as a means of helping those conservationist heroes of mine. What I was too young to grasp as a child, was the power and pathos of the stories themselves. Those stories weren’t just grabbing my attention and the tiny donations that came with it – they were capturing the hearts and minds of countless others out there just like me.

My goal became putting my skills to work on behalf of worthy causes and campaigns — and the front-line heroes giving their all for the world’s underdogs. Through platforms like magazines and websites, social media campaigns and videos, I could still do my part to help, but perhaps in a different way from what I’d imagined as a child.

Today, that recognition has continued to evolve. Now I see that the stories that connect donors and volunteers to the causes they care about, need an extra boost: namely, a giving instrument that eliminates all the obstacles and clutter that historically have gotten in the way. When someone wants to give, when the impulse to help the underdog arises, the giver doesn’t want to search for the accepted payment method, fill out long forms or surrender their privacy – they just want to give, to make a difference then and there.

Which is why I’m so incredibly excited about Givio. We’re all about the givers. And the underdogs they want to help.

My ‘why’

Satinderpal SinghChairman

Satinderpal Singh, Chairman

My story begins and ends with my faith and trust in the teachings of Sikhism. For as long as I can remember, I was taught that life is about service to others. The more we dedicate ourselves to serving those less fortunate than ourselves, the more that all of humanity benefits.

What’s important here, and I sometimes think what is missing too often in our modern world, is that you don’t do these things for a personal return. Giving should not be about ego.

I was taught early and often that it is my responsibility, as a human being, to be a good person — to help others. In doing so, there is an energy, a force that prompts each of us to rise from bed each day, that pumps the blood through our veins, that compels us to continue, and that ultimately ensures everything falls into its natural place.

My goal each and every day is to work very, very hard so that I can share any successes that I receive. The result of all those efforts? A team of very talented people and I have built a successful design-build business in our nation’s capitol. Our team has excelled at meeting the needs of numerous federal agencies and commercial customers for 18 years and counting. In fact, we’ve been recognized as one of the top 20 small businesses of 2019.

That commitment to hard work and giving back even extends to our competitors, some of whom have become longtime friends and partners. Together, we practice “paying it forward”, assisting small or disadvantaged businesses such as Native Nations, who have been working hard to generate growth opportunities and sustainable solutions for their people. Always, the purpose is to help where and when you can. And there is no better feeling than seeing these relationships blossom and grow.

The more I share, the more than impulse to share grows. I’ve seen this in myself and many, many others. It’s contagious, in a good way. Recently one of the nonprofit organizations I’ve long supported – Pathway Homes – graciously honored me with its Corporate Citizen Award for 2020. And while I certainly appreciated it, the real reward was recognizing that it was only possibly because of those early teachings.

Givio is a perfect example of this approach to life and how I see my role in such efforts. An innovative idea to revolutionize philanthropy arises. I am able / blessed to be able to connect the dots – the right people and resources – to turn that vision into a reality. How many lives ultimately will be touched by it? I have no idea. My job is simply to keep working hard and to be of service to others. The rest will take care of itself.

My ‘what’

Get the Givio app today, and start doing some good!

Get the Givio app today, and start doing some good!

1900 Campus Commons Drive, Ste 100
Reston, VA 20191