AltruHelp, a social media platform, toolbox and online community to support volunteering and corporate social responsibility, has announced a collaboration with the Mary Ann Shaw Center for Public and Community Service (CPCS) and the Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University. The partnership will provide students with an opportunity to experience the real world of social entrepreneurship and support the growth of AltruHelp.
AltruHelp is a skills-based volunteer platform that uses social media and networking to increase the philanthropic impact of corporations, nonprofits and individuals. Co-founders Mathew Paisner ’07 and Michael Saris ’07, both alumni of SU’s Whitman School, will be guest lecturers in Whitman faculty member Tom Lumpkin’s course on social entrepreneurship in action, speaking about their experiences as socially conscious startup founders. A team of students from the class will organize a campus marketing strategy for the AltruHelp “social experiment,” looking to prove people enjoy helping others and that altruistic action can motivate social impact on both an individual and enterprise level.
“AltruHelp is based on a simple idea—that people like helping other people. Matthew and Michael have used that idea to launch a cool new venture that is already having a social impact by putting the skill and practices of social entrepreneurship to work for a good cause,” says Lumpkin, the Chris J. Witting Chair in Entrepreneurship at Whitman.
“It is tremendously exciting to see the impact that the Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises Program is having on our students now that they are out in the real world. Today’s college students are more involved in their community and more committed to social responsibility than ever before,” says Pamela Heintz, associate vice president and director of CPCS. “By working with AltruHelp, we will be helping to develop a campuswide model for social entrepreneurship partnering, one that we hope will be replicated on other campuses.”
“The rush people feel when they selflessly help one another is unbeatable! Our mission is simple: to prove humans enjoy helping others and inspire more altruism,” says Paisner, AltruHelp co-founder and CEO. “We see our partnership with Syracuse University as a tremendous step to inspiring altruism across multiple college campuses.”
AltruHelp has roots in multiple schools. It was born in an M.B.A. class at Babson College and is growing with help and support from students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
About AltruHelp:
AltruHelp (Altruism+U+Help) is a social media platform, toolbox and online community to support volunteering and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Professionals and students amplify their philanthropic accomplishments with AltruHelp’s Social Impact Profiles™ while building an Action-based Social-Network™ to expand their impact. The AltruHelp online toolbox enables corporations to streamline the efficiency of CSR initiatives and better manage their results. Benefits are seen in talent acquisition, brand equity and sales. The tool suite also provides nonprofits with a proactive vehicle for skill-based volunteer recruitment, management and fundraising. AltruHelp is currently participating in the MassChallenge, a global entrepreneurship competition and business incubator. For more information, visit AltruHelp.com, follow AltruHelp on Twitter, or contact Paisner at Mathew@altruhelp.com or 315-254-8118.
