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| http://bit.ly/bUynVu (pic credit) Nick Troiano is from Milford, PA and is attending Georgetown University. This 21-year-old entrepreneur and his friend Chris Golden started MyImpact.org to help volunteers record, share and track their impact on Twitter. |
Is myImpact important?
Yes! There is a large body of research that indicates a platform like myImpact can help with volunteer recruitment and retention. Our goal is to use new technology and social media to engage more Americans in citizen service, increase the effectiveness of service programs and demonstrate that service is a solution to systemic national problems.
Where did the idea come from?
A fellow student, Chris Golden, and I were selected to be among 100 young leaders at the ServiceNation summit in 2008. We left inspired by where the service movement was headed and we wanted to somehow contribute. The starting point was that young people in the Millennial Generation are doing extraordinary things around the country, and if there were a way to publicize their efforts, we could engage more young people in that type of good work. So we started with an original concept called Millennials In Service, which we proposed to be a news magazine and web site.
After a few months of stewing on that, we arrived at a new concept, still based on the same idea. Two sites inspired this new and final concept: TweetWhatYouEat.com and TweetWhatYouSpend.com which uses Twitter to track calories or spending – when we saw this, we immediately thought, why can’t we do the same for social impact, such as volunteer hours? If those sites were able to change behavior by making people more conscious of their eating or spending habits, can’t we do the same when it comes to serving others?
How did you take your idea and make it a workable site, and how long did that process take?
From the first time my partner and I sat down to the day we launched myImpact.org, we spent over a year and a half working on the concept. We were fortunate to get the early support of Mobilize.org which really helped incubate the idea, including providing crucial seed money. It really took off when we won the Pepsi Refresh Project contest in early 2010 in which we received a $25,000 grant.
What was the biggest challenge in that process?
The biggest challenge was and remains reaching a credibility threshold so that we can receive investments form high dollar donors and foundations. Another big challenge was writing our business/strategic plan – it was a grueling, but ultimately worthwhile process.
How has your site changed since its launch?
We have been developing and implementing various upgrades, including the ability for events and organizations to maintain their own profiles and aggregate the impact of their volunteers.
Does myImpact make any money?
Not yet. We’re currently in a phase where we are trying to prove the concept, so the focus right now is not making money. Hopefully, with another round of investment, we will relaunch in 2011, including a revenue model that will get us to a point of sustainability.
Was MyImpact your first entrepreneurial attempt?
I ran a small business during the weekends and summers while in high school – it was a hot dog truck that I operated at the local ball field and flea market. And I started a non-profit organization, the Pike County Youth Coalition (PCYC), my senior year of high school and remained involved through college. One of the most successful projects of PCYC was developing a Web site that live streams local school board meetings and uses social media tools to engage the public in school issues.
Has your experience with myImpact been different than your other start-ups?
The biggest challenge to my previous endeavors has been sustainability. I think a business or non-profit only reaches true success when it can live on without its founders. In that respect, myImpact is much further along than my previous attempts to get something off the ground, but it is not quite there yet.
My partner handles all day–to–day activities of myImpact. About a month after our launch, I became less involved in the operational aspects, and began concentrating on overall strategy as a member of our organization’s board. I have always been an ideas guy – I like to catalyze things into happening and move on to the next thing. I love the excitement, creativity and freedom in the start-up phase.
In what way do you feel you make an impact?
In direct terms, I think that remains to be seen. myImpact is still in a young, fragile stage. If it succeeds, I think it can really make a difference for non-profits and volunteer organizations. In an indirect sense, I think I’ve shown a lot of people my age that you’re never too young to start something and make a difference.
Do you have any advice for people wanting to positively impact their own or another's community?
You don’t have to start something new to make a difference. There are so many organizations that need talented people to join them and improve their work.
If you have an idea to start something new, don’t wait for someone to give you permission. If your heart is in it, just do it. Just make sure you have the right support network in place.
Regardless of if you join an existing effort or join something new, really think strategically about the problem you’re trying to solve and the fundamental causes of it. Too often, energy and resources attack the symptoms and not the root problems.
Do you have any advice for other people trying to create movements or businesses online?
Technology is a means, not an end. Clay Shirky makes the analogy that if someone invented the best shovel in the world, it wouldn’t mean people would start going out digging more holes. New tools online should improve what people are already trying to do.
The best advice I ever got when starting myImpact was to imagine what the Web site would do and look like if its users never had to regularly visit it. The key is not creating something new – there are already too many sites and resources demanding our attention. They key is how to effectively plug in to what people are already doing online in and their lives.
Want to get in touch with Nick? Find him on Twitter @NickTroiano or visit myImpact.org
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