Media Release

The new Copalana crowdfunding platform modernizes the digital giving experience in terms of cost, transparency, and community building. In collaboration with Credit Suisse, Copalana embarked to build a next-generation giving platform and provide an integrated solution for companies, non-profit organizations, and advocates in Switzerland who are committed to doing good and acting responsibly.

Horw, Luzern, 26/11/2019. Over the last two years, a small group of dedicated volunteers has worked together with the founder Paul Ryatt to develop the Copalana crowdfunding platform, designed to change the way we give to charities. Traditionally, fundraising relied on mailings or events, such as charity runs or auctions. A number of factors are driving change: digitalization across industries, millennials wanting to contribute to social and environmental change as well as companies desiring cost effective solutions for corporate and employee fundraising activities.

In November 2018, Copalana was launched – initially only for Credit Suisse employees to organize their fundraising activities via the new platform – and has since been on a rapid growth trajectory. After the soft launch, Copalana now opens for the public and welcomes projects from non-profit organizations.

Copalana features several unique and innovative capabilities for the Swiss market:

• a strict focus on charitable fundraising aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals
• high reliability thanks to professional vetting of recipients and projects
• no transaction cost thanks to pro bono partners
• full transparency about the impact of the donations
• ability to build a community between fundraising organizers, donors and non-profit organizations

To help this social entrepreneurial endeavor, Credit Suisse and a number of pro bono service providers including Amazon, SIX, Swisscard, and Capco Switzerland provided support – with either seed funding or domain-specific expertise / services.

Founder Paul Ryatt says: “We envision a world where technology plays a key role in changing the way we give. We want to build an out-of-the-box solution designed for next-generation giving by seamlessly connecting employers and employees with their non-profit partner organizations/projects. We are excited that the concept has been proven and we are able to open for engaging with other partners on the platform.”

How Copalana provides value

Employees, clients and investors put increasing focus on working for or with companies who show their commitment to the communities in which they operate. Therefore, companies need to find ways to facilitate their and their employees’ charitable giving activities in an efficient, effective and innovative manner. At the same time, many non-profit organizations struggle to raise funds with traditional methods, as they tend to be costly or lack effective targeting. In order to engage a new generation of donors, non-profits need to be able to tell their story on digital channels, communicate directly with the community and provide status updates to their supporters. Copalana provides solutions for both, linking the for-profit and the non-profit sector to reach mutual goals.

“Copalana is an important digital initiative as part of Credit Suisse’s social engagement. The platform was designed to help us engage with our employees and better support their fundraising activities while maintaining our high compliance standards. Having been part of the development process from the beginning, we are proud to be able to offer such an innovative tool to our employees,” says Felix Mundwiler, Head of Corporate Citizenship Switzerland at Credit Suisse. “We congratulate Copalana on its successful first year and look forward to now seeing the platform grow amongst other companies and charitable organizations.”