How did a family bike ride to the beach turn into a nonprofit that has raised millions of dollars for Autism Speaks and other partners? When Philip Schmitz sets his mind to doing good, it’s hard to stop him. That first bike ride in 2015 turned into Biketothebeach.org, a nationwide nonprofit that continues to support individuals and families affected by autism. While in college at the University of Maryland, Phil worked for an online advocacy company and helped them build the first “contact your congressperson” tool in 1998. As a student, he also created BIS Global, a B2B hosting/CRM/e-commerce/e-marketing platform that served hundreds of customers in, among others, the nonprofit space. Phil became intrigued by the charities he encountered and their lofty missions and focused on the technology these organizations were using. To his surprise, the siloed, antiquated platforms available to nonprofits were holding them back and providing nearly insurmountable roadblocks to the success of these organizations. Phil combined his business experience, his technology background, and his commitment to helping charities change the world to form CharityEngine in 2014. His revolutionary approach looked at software from the nonprofit’s point of view: what problems could software solve? Since its inception, CharityEngine has focused on bringing technology and innovation to clients to drive nonprofit growth. The platform has evolved to include donor and sustainer management, digital marketing and marketing automation, fundraising and advocacy, and payment processing. The software is scalable and continues to adjust to meet the changing needs of nonprofits. CharityEngine helps clients, including Wounded Warrior Project and MD Anderson Cancer Center, achieve unprecedented success through the strategic use of technology. The company’s mission is “Powering the Good to be Great,” and the desire to provide a transformational fundraising platform is the heart and soul of both Phil and CharityEngine. When Phil isn’t working, he spends time with his wife and three daughters.
By