Omaze

Omaze is an online fundraising platform offering campaigns and merchandise in support of charitable causes.[1] The company was founded by Ryan Cummins and Matthew Pohlson in July 2012,[2][3][4] is privately owned, and is based in Los Angeles, California. The company has raised over $60 million[5] for over 200 charities,[6] including UNICEF,[7] After-School All-Stars,[8] Julia's House,[9] Product Red,[10] and Make-A-Wish Foundation.[11]

Omaze
FormationSeptember 2012 (2012-09)
FounderRyan Cummins & Matthew Pohlson
PurposeCharity Fundraising
HeadquartersCulver City, California, U.S.
Key people
Matthew Pohlson (CEO), Ryan Cummins (Vice Chairman)
Websiteomaze.com

Experiences

Omaze will typically launch a campaign that offers a grand prize or experience with a promotional video endorsed by a celebrity. Anyone can enter to win the grand prize for a $10 donation. Omaze also offers T-shirts and autographed merchandise for sale that also counts as additional entries for the grand prize.[5]

Omaze released their first sweepstakes in July 2012, with the winner becoming a judge on Cupcake Wars and all entries supported Team Rubicon.[12]

In December 2015, Omaze partnered with Star Wars where people donated $10 to be entered to win the opportunity to visit the closed set of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The experience raised more than $4.26 million to benefit UNICEF.[13] The experience launch video was a 2016 Webby Award Honoree.[14]

Omaze has offered promotional experiences endorsed by the following brands and celebrities:

Model

Omaze is a privately owned, for-profit company which has two models to raise funds for charities. When you contribute $10 for the chance to win a celebrity experience (set visit, dinner date, tickets to a premiere, etc.), $6 is donated to charity, $2.50 on average goes towards marketing expenses and credit card fees, and Omaze nets the remaining $1.50. A $10 contribution for the chance to win a prize-based experience (like a car, vacation or tuition) breaks down as follows: $1.50 is donated to charity; $7 typically goes to sourcing and shipping the prize, covering the winner's taxes, marketing the experience, and processing credit card fees; and $1.50 goes to Omaze. These experiences require substantially more resources to secure the prize and help spread the word.[37]

Criticism

Omaze's business model has been criticized on the grounds that "The celebrity culture and consumerism totally overrides the issue" at hand,[38] and that - while having been admittedly successful in raising large funds for organizations in need - it tends to "divorce" charity from its cause.[39]

References
  1. Cummins, Ryan (2015-12-16). "How my organization is helping Star Wars become a force for change". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-07-17.
  2. Jansen, Monika (August 22, 2011). "Win Once-in-a-Lifetime Experiences that Raise Money for Charity at Omaze". Tech.Co. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  3. Milzoff, Rebecca (February 14, 2013). "Celebrity Charity Auctions: Six Winners' Stories". Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  4. Shontell, Alyson (July 23, 2012). "Omaze Raises $1 Million So Regular People Can Experience Once-In-A-Lifetime Opportunities For $5". Business Insider. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  5. "Can a Two-Minute Celebrity Video Save the World?". The Ringer. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  6. "The $10 Cure for Hollywood's Gala Auction Fatigue". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  7. Cummins, Ryan (2015-12-16). "How my organisation is helping Star Wars become a force for change". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
  8. "Arnold Schwarzenegger Wants You To Blow Sh*t Up For Charity". Tubefilter. 2015-05-15. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
  9. "Robert Downey Jr raffle raises £1m for Julia's House hospice". BBC News. 2015-04-07. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
  10. "U2 Offer Private Concert, Make Song Title Puns for Charity". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
  11. "Stan Lee Tribute Event Announced". Marvel. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
  12. "Omaze Contest: Be A Backstage Judge On Cupcake Wars!". Omaze Contest. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  13. Cummins, Ryan (2015-12-16). "How my organisation is helping Star Wars become a force for change". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  14. "2016 | The Webby Awards". webbyawards.com. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  15. "Have Arnold Schwarzenegger Be Your Life Coach". Omaze.
  16. "Sing a Duet on Stage with Shania Twain". Omaze. Archived from the original on 2018-02-02.
  17. "'Star Trek Beyond' Partners With Omaze for New Charity Campaign (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  18. "David Lynch Foundation and Katy Perry Launch Omaze Campaign". BlackBook. 2017-06-19. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  19. "Robert Downey Jr. Charity Contest Offers Trip to 'Avengers' Set". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  20. "Watch Idris Elba Get Hilarious Dating Advice From Kids". Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  21. "Chris Evans Wants to Play Escape-the-Room with You (for Charity!)". Nerdist. 2016-12-02. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  22. "Watch Miley Cyrus, Alicia Keys Photobomb 'Voice' Fans". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  23. "Matt Damon Spy-Pranks People for Charity". Nerdist. 2016-06-29. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  24. "Matt Damon and Ben Affleck argue over who's better friends with Tom Brady for charity". For The Win. 2016-09-29. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  25. "Channing Tatum goes undercover as Elvis Presley in elevator prank". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  26. "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Omaze contest". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  27. "Game of Thrones Teams with Omaze and RED for Charity Set Visit". Comicbook.com. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  28. "Get Lunch with the Rooster Teeth Family & Be VIP at RTX". Omaze. Retrieved 2018-04-01.
  29. "John Legend Is Now Singing at Dog Weddings". Time. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  30. "Jennifer Lawrence Needs a Drinking Buddy—and It Could Be You". E!. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  31. "Post Malone goes 'undercover' in a record store prank". Twitter. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
  32. "Meet Benedict Cumberbatch & Attend the Avengers®: Endgame Premiere". Omaze. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  33. "Be Emilia Clarke's Hand of the Queen at the Final Game of Thrones Premiere". Omaze. Retrieved 2019-05-14.
  34. "Be Chris Hemsworth's VIP Guest at the Men in Black®: International Premiere". Omaze. Retrieved 2019-05-14.
  35. CaseyNeistat (2019-05-30), Top of the Line Tesla 3 + $20,000.00, retrieved 2019-07-17
  36. "Brian Austin Green on Instagram: "Want to save the Amazon and win a new Tesla Model S Performance with $20,000 at the same time? I'm excited to co-host the @PUBGMOBILE…"". Instagram.
  37. "What is Omaze? About Us & How We Help People In Need". Omaze. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
  38. "Red Nose Day 2019: How Does It Work, And Why Is It Being Criticized?". NPR. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
  39. Bereznak, Alyssa (2017-10-25). "Can a Two-Minute Celebrity Video Save the World?". The Ringer. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
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