EventPally.com
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Innovation: Web tool that helps organizers collect funds for group events
www.eventpally.com
EventPally, a Milwaukee-based startup, is easing event organizers’ lives with a new web-based tool that allows them to seamlessly collect event fees from attendees while holding each attendee accountable for his or her payment.
The tool, conceived by local entrepreneur Patrick O’Brien, caters to public and personal group events of all sizes – from bachelor or bachelorette parties to concerts.
O’Brien, founder and chief executive officer, developed EventPally to streamline the way individuals pay organizers of group events, so organizers aren’t shorted and groups of family and friends can avoid conflict in finalizing event costs.
“I truly believe that we’re the vehicle people need when it comes to money collection,” O’Brien said, citing EventPally as a tool that is convenient, saves time and keeps relationships from being strained over financial ordeals.
“There is a huge emotion that’s tied to money,” O’Brien said.
A one-stop shop
With five core platforms, EventPally presents a “one-stop shop” for event organizers, according to its founder.
One platform entails an RSVP capability through which event organizers, after creating an event on the site, can circulate email invites to prospective attendees. O’Brien compares the platform to Evite.com.
A second platform embedded in the site offers a “price per person” option so a user can set a fixed price for each attendee.
Another payment platform gives users a “split even” option, similar to crowdfunding, O’Brien said. Through the split even platform, an event organizer can post a total event cost that is divided evenly among attendees as they respond to the invite. As individuals agree to attend, decline, or drop out of the event, the cost is recalculated accordingly.
And while credit card information is recorded and authorized for payment, attendees’ cards are not charged until the event organizer confirms all attendees are committed and then signals for charges to be made.
A fourth platform of EventPally caters to fundraising events more than social events, allowing any user trying to collect funds for a cause to do so efficiently. Organizers can send invites out, post their fundraising initiative as a public event to reach more people, and share their fundraising mission with a link on Facebook.
The final platform, which EventPally is currently preparing to add to its toolbox, will outfit the site with a ticketing feature. Through this platform, event organizers will be able to sell tickets directly to event attendees as they might on a website like Eventbrite.com, O’Brien said.
A messaging feature offered by EventPally allows event-goers to communicate about their plans directly through the site, and a separate sharing feature enables any public event to be linked on social media outlets.
Pursuit of growth
When an event organizer first uses EventPally, he or she creates a free account, creates the event and sends an email invite to guests. When guests receive their email invites, they can view the event on EventPally by creating their own free accounts.
EventPally, which means “event friendly,” earns revenue through a fee it charges users for its money collection services. The web tool charges 2.5 percent on any funds collected as well as a credit card processing fee of 2.9 percent, plus 30 cents per card.
Fees are administered only to the event host, who can either cover them alone or spread them among event-goers.
Fundraising platform users only have to pay credit card fees, so that they can maximize donation dollars applied to their cause.
O’Brien, who has bootstrapped his startup, and his team of three are currently exploring other payment models as well as the possibility of creating an EventPally mobile app in the future.
But the startup’s major priority moving forward is attracting more visitors to the site and recruiting more businesses to take advantage of the tool.
To date, EventPally has a base of about 500 individual users, most of whom reside in Milwaukee, O’Brien said. Partnering with businesses will be key in the growth of the startup.
While businesses can benefit from EventPally’s host of capabilities for their own events, the startup also hopes to access businesses’ customers and clients as it spreads awareness of its offerings, O’Brien said.
EventPally has already struck up relationships with Milwaukee Pedal Tavern LLC and Nashville Pedal Tavern LLC, which both offer pub crawl experiences on a 16-person bicycle-powered vehicle. When an individual books a Pedal Tavern ride with either company, a link to EventPally is included in the confirmation email, so the organizer can easily set up a group payment system.
“To us, it makes the most sense to begin working with businesses,” O’Brien said.
