Foffee Fundraising wants you to caffeinate your cause

July 13, 2019

Dayton brothers Alex and Derek Van Der Sluijs are coffee connoisseurs — and they’re using that beverage to disrupt the fundraising space.

Foffee Fundraising is a new platform that allows organizations and schools to blend and brand a line of coffee to their organization’s logo, mascot, etc. So rather than sending elementary school students out into their neighborhood to sell candy bars, students & their families can share the link to purchase the coffee, and Foffee takes care of shipping the final product — roasted fresh at the completion of the fundraising campaign — right to the supporter’s doorstep.

Alex & Derek recently pitched their new platform at our June 2019 edition of Dayton Tech Guide’s Early Risers.

“We try to create the easiest fundraiser people can do,” Alex said.

The cofounders are particularly interested in reaching elementary and high schools. According to the stats, 94 percent of elementary schools rely on fundraising for supplemental income, Alex said.

Challenges with current fundraising models are that products sold — ranging from candy bars to oranges to mulch to merch — often aren’t something that people really want, he said. The door-to-door sales method can be dangerous for the students, and out-of-town family can’t always support the fundraiser if they have to be present in person to purchase something, he added.

Enter coffee — a drink consumed by 86 percent of adults in America.

“We’re fundraising through the most consumed drink in America,” Alex said.

The idea for Foffee was born in a Hawaiian brewery after Alex found himself chatting with a gentleman who branded salsa for schools and organizations.

“My brother owned a coffee truck in Columbus,” he recalled. “This lightbulb just went off.”

The brothers are seeking connections to school administrators and nonprofit leaders. They’re also looking for connections to software developers. They’re interested in upgrading the platform to include leaderboards for the various organizations fundraising, and the ability to run a “drip” campaign where supporters could re-order coffee throughout the year and continue to donate to the organization, even after the fundraising campaign ends.

“Just being in a position to help people is cool, Alex said. “I’m a coach as well, and anytime you have a platform to help, whether that be raising money, mentoring, helping with a nonprofit, helping a school raise money for something they need, anytime you’re in position to do that, life is good.”

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