Want To Travel To Outer Room? The Urgency Network Is Creating It Achievable For Anybody

The Urgency Network is a Los Angeles-based mostly startup that partners with nonprofits to offer when in a lifetime experiences as a way of bringing increased visibility to social and environmental causes that want support. The two founders, Donald Eley and Brandon Deroche, launched the organization in July of 2013 with some huge names involved – Sir Richard Branson, Paul McCartney, Thom York and Ram Dass, to identify a couple of – likely arousing at least a smidge of envy in other entrepreneurs functioning tough to stand out from the crowd. So how did they pull it off? Most often, the prizes are sourced from the nonprofit’s donor checklist – influential men and women who previously assistance the organization financially are generally satisfied to offer additional perks as a way of helping out. But that is only component of the story.

Eley and Deroche first crossed paths in 2011 at the Hangout Music Festival in Alabama, where they connected more than a shared passion for dwell music and free booze. Both have deep histories as musicians themselves – Deroche played guitar in a band that was productive enough to consider him straight from high college to touring the U.S. and Europe, and contemplating a variety of options with main record labels. But right after six years of growing annoyed with the music sector, he ended up taking a task at Causecast – a result in advertising business that, at the time, permitted him to operate with musicians from the other side of the table. A single of the initiatives he became deeply involved with was Music for Relief’s “Download to Donate,” which leveraged exclusive tracks to raise money for relief efforts following the Haiti &amp Japan Earthquakes, and featured over 400 well-liked artists. He then left Causecast to turn out to be the Director at The Make Your self Foundation, a nonprofit started by the band Incubus.

Eley knew from a younger age that he wished to be an entrepreneur and keep away from the circumstance his father found himself in, in which he’d spent his life working in the oil sector and was abrubtly allow go soon after becoming injured on the task. At age 19 Eley started to DJ, and this ultimately led him to  touring the planet and launching a label that was accountable for putting out in excess of a hundred releases from electronic music artists. Then the web boom hit, and people stopped getting music in the exact same way. He grew to become obsessed with making a digital download retailer, and whilst doing work on this new venture crossed paths with Rob McDaniels of INgrooves, a behind-the-scenes leader in digital music distribution, marketing and advertising and publishing solutions. He worked as their Director of Industry Development for a year, and then moved to Texas the place he started out a true estate brokerage company with a friend that was later on acquired by Keller Williams, managing the branding and advertising facets of the organization.

Following Eley and Deroche’s first meeting in Alabama they reconnected back in Los Angeles, exactly where they grew to become roommates and began mapping out the details for what would later grow to be The Urgency Network. Even though the concept began with a focus on utilizing music as a device to drive social and environmental progress, they expanded their vision to incorporate a better diversity of memorable experiences. One particular thought they’ve pursued because the early days was sending a person to outer area – the reason becoming that civilian area travel is presently restricted to the super wealthy, and what far better way to show the power of their platform than to blast a person into orbit. Three years later on, in partnership with VICE Media’s Motherboard, their dream is coming accurate with the launch of Ticket To Rise – a campaign that permits you to help a trigger of your choice, and be entered to win a journey to area on XCOR’s Lynx Spacecraft (watch video right here).

What differentiates Eley and Deroche’s giving from firms like Omaze, which applies a fairly straight forward “donate to win” fundraising model for nonprofits, is that each campaign they develop is extremely personalized primarily based on their client’s particular objectives. Some of the nonprofits they operate with are interested in educating (e.g., watching awareness vids, reading through articles or blog posts, and so forth.) even though other people are driven to enhance engagement (e.g., signing petitions, participating in mass tweets, connecting by means of social media etc.). And for people looking to fundraise, The Urgency Network uses nonprofit organization Network for Good to processes monetary transactions, making certain donations are tax deductible while retaining ten% of the total sum raised to cover their operating expenditures. They’ve outsourced design and style and development to imaginative shop Ludlow Kingsley, who they see much more as a long-term partner provided the firm’s high degree of strategic input, and commitment to The Urgency Network’s vision moving forward.

As for the instant street ahead, Eley and Deroche are currently hyper-centered on the Ticket To Rise campaign, and are also in the midst of raising a Series A round of financing. This will permit them to increase their team and invest far more time and vitality in organization advancement, which involves functioning with leading-tier brand names, evolving the platform based mostly on lessons discovered, and creating much more social action campaigns linked to attention-grabbing experiences. They both admit to becoming exhausted, and when asked what keeps them going Eley says, “We’re constantly surrounded by good individuals and we know what we’re doing is functioning – so truly, it is a dream job.” To this, Deroche nods his head and smiles, proving magical partnerships can certainly start over also several drinks at a music festival in Alabama.

If you are a nonprofit interested in joining Ticket To Rise click right here.
Other inquiries can be sent to area@urgencynetwork.com.

Want To Travel To Outer Room? The Urgency Network Is Creating It Achievable For Anybody