Helping brands stand out by giving
TracksGiving
To minimise costs, Ritvvij Parrikh works out of Bombay Connect, a co-working space in Bandra.
WHAT: A consultancy venture, TracksGiving aims to help businesses solve
their marketing-related problems through models that involve donating
for charity. It launched these ‘cause marketing’ services with five
e-commerce companies, in the form of pilot projects that are now nearly
complete. For instance, to help UnWrapIndia.com, a small handicrafts
company, stand out among other brands, TracksGiving created a campaign
in which the company donated one per cent of every purchase to a
Rajasthan-based non-profit organisation that provides support to rural
craftsmen. Consumers were asked to pay an additional one per cent for
the cause, and 65% of the time, they were willing to do so for the sake
of charity.
TracksGiving has now created a software product called the electronic donation box, which will match different companies with credible charities, match the company’s problem to an appropriate solution, select a creative cause marketing campaign from a pool of possible solutions and eventually help consumers track their donations right down to the beneficiaries.
WHO: A software engineer from Mumbai, Ritvvij Parrikh, 27, worked as a consultant for a telecom company for five years, in Pune, Israel and USA. In 2011, he returned to Mumbai, worked for five months with a social enterprise that helps donors find charities, and quit in September to launch TracksGiving.
TracksGiving has now created a software product called the electronic donation box, which will match different companies with credible charities, match the company’s problem to an appropriate solution, select a creative cause marketing campaign from a pool of possible solutions and eventually help consumers track their donations right down to the beneficiaries.
WHO: A software engineer from Mumbai, Ritvvij Parrikh, 27, worked as a consultant for a telecom company for five years, in Pune, Israel and USA. In 2011, he returned to Mumbai, worked for five months with a social enterprise that helps donors find charities, and quit in September to launch TracksGiving.
WHEN: Founded in October 2011 HOW: Quitting a well-paying job was a
huge financial step down that has made Parrikh turn to a simpler
lifestyle. As his firm’s sole employee, he works out of Bombay Connect, a
co-working space in Bandra. In November 2011, he found support from
UnLtd India, an organisation that helps social start-ups.
“The economy is tough now, and with everything expensive, I have had trouble getting clients and hiring employees,” says Parrikh. “But we have attracted good volunteers and mentors as well as support from an IT company.”
WHY: In 2008, Parrikh launched a part-time start-up with his friends to develop a volunteer management software for NGOs. The venture, though unsuccessful, convinced Parrikh that his real passion lay in the social sector.
“Initially, TracksGiving was meant only for tracking donations, but I soon realised that the need is even more basic. Most businesses do not even have effective giving programs,” says Parrikh.
“The economy is tough now, and with everything expensive, I have had trouble getting clients and hiring employees,” says Parrikh. “But we have attracted good volunteers and mentors as well as support from an IT company.”
WHY: In 2008, Parrikh launched a part-time start-up with his friends to develop a volunteer management software for NGOs. The venture, though unsuccessful, convinced Parrikh that his real passion lay in the social sector.
“Initially, TracksGiving was meant only for tracking donations, but I soon realised that the need is even more basic. Most businesses do not even have effective giving programs,” says Parrikh.
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