What ioby does

ioby (In Our Backyards, Inc.) was a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operated a civic crowdfunding platform enabling neighborhood leaders, organizers, and grassroots groups to raise tax-deductible donations for community-led projects. Founded in 2009 and headquartered at 275 Park Avenue in Brooklyn, New York, the organization served a nationwide US audience of project creators and donors, with 65% of projects in 2022 led by Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) organizers. Over its operating life ioby supported more than 3,800 projects, raised over $21 million cumulatively for local initiatives, and trained more than 35,000 leaders, with annual operating activity including 4,850 hours of coaching and support in 2022.

The core product was a self-serve web-based crowdfunding marketplace at ioby.org, augmented by three service modules: one-on-one coaching delivered by strategists, a fiscal sponsorship program allowing individuals and unincorporated groups to receive tax-deductible donations via ioby's 501(c)(3) status (8% fee for limited fiscal sponsorship), and a match funding program partnering with external funders to double, triple, or quadruple qualifying donations. Supporting resources included the Leader Toolkit, Making It Rain fundraising guide, Recipes For Change, and an Active Transit Toolkit. The platform exposed no public API or SDK, had no native mobile app, and integrated with workplace giving, donor-advised fund, and political giving intermediaries including Benevity, YourCause, Bright Funds, Global Giving, Fidelity Giving Marketplace, Fidelity Charitable, Renaissance Charitable, Givinga, CyberGrants, ActBlue, and United Way.

ioby's business model relied on an 8% administration fee on limited fiscal-sponsored donations and on optional unrestricted gifts supporting backbone operations such as technology maintenance, strategist salaries, and executive oversight. Standard project donations flowed 100% to projects, a structural distinction from commercial crowdfunding platforms. Distribution was entirely self-serve through ioby.org supplemented by content marketing, email newsletters, and earned media coverage. The organization was governed by a Board of Directors led by Apollo Gonzales (Chair) with executive leadership under CEO Nupur Chaudhury and founder Erin Barnes; it held an Obama Foundation honor and was featured in Bloomberg, Fast Company, and NPR. ioby announced it had closed its doors in 2024, with no successor entity identified.

Name

ioby

Legal name

In Our Backyards, Inc.

Website

https://ioby.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ioby was a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a civic crowdfunding platform that enabled neighborhood leaders to raise tax-deductible donations for community projects, supplemented by coaching, fiscal sponsorship, and match funding services before closing in 2024.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Crowdfunding Platform

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Creator Fundraising & Crowdfunding Platforms (Recurring/Project-Based) (MPACAFAJ)

Keywords

• Community crowdfunding
• Civic crowdfunding platform
• Fiscal sponsorship services
• Neighborhood fundraising
• Nonprofit donation platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Donations to Projects: 100% of donations made through ioby.org go directly to fund charitable projects unless the donor adds an optional additional amount for ioby's operational purposes. For fiscal-sponsored projects, 8% of donations support ioby's fiscal management.
2. Core Support Donations: Tax-deductible donations to ioby directly support backbone operations including technology maintenance, strategists working with leaders, and executive oversight
3. Fiscal Sponsorship Administration: 8% of donations to limited fiscal-sponsored projects support ioby's fiscal management of these funds

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ioby operates an online civic crowdfunding marketplace that enables neighborhood leaders and grassroots groups to create campaigns and raise tax-deductible donations from local supporters for community-led projects. The platform is paired with one-on-one coaching, fiscal sponsorship for unincorporated groups, and match funding that multiplies donations.

Product overview

ioby is a nonprofit civic crowdfunding platform that helps neighborhood leaders crowdfund resources for community-led projects. The core offering is the ioby Crowdfunding Platform, supplemented by support services including one-on-one coaching (Coaching Services), fiscal sponsorship enabling unincorporated groups to accept tax-deductible donations, and match funding programs that multiply donations. The platform also provides educational resources including the Leader Toolkit, Making It Rain guide, Recipes For Change guide, and Active Transit Toolkit. ioby has closed its doors but previously operated as a comprehensive suite of crowdfunding tools with wraparound services for grassroots community change.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ioby Crowdfunding Platform An online civic crowdfunding marketplace that enables neighborhood leaders and grassroots groups to create campaigns and raise funds from local supporters for community-led projects, with tax-deductible donation capability.
• Coaching Services One-on-one coaching and support provided by assigned strategists to every project leader, covering fundraising questions, campaign optimization, and team support to help campaigns reach their goals at any size (from $500 to $50,000+).
• Fiscal Sponsorship Enables individuals or unincorporated groups to accept tax-deductible donations through ioby's 501(c)(3) status; offered as full fiscal sponsorship or limited fiscal sponsorship (with an 8% administrative fee).
• Match Funding Program Partnership program in which funders from across the United States double, triple, or even quadruple donations made to project pages by connecting institutional funders with community projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,800+ projects supported
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• BenevityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEmployee giving platform where ioby is listed as a charity option for workplace giving programs
• YourCauseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEmployee giving platform where ioby is listed as a charity option for workplace giving programs
• Bright FundsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEmployee giving platform where ioby is listed as a charity option for workplace giving programs
• Global GivingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWorkplace giving platform partner
• Fidelity Giving MarketplaceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEmployee giving platform where ioby is listed as a charity option
• GivingaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEmployee giving platform partner
• CyberGrantsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEmployee giving platform partner for workplace giving
• ActBlueminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPolitical giving platform where ioby can receive donations
• United WayminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWorkplace giving partner allowing donors to direct contributions to ioby through United Way campaigns

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kickstarter: Project-based reward crowdfunding platform. Comparable as a peer in the project-campaign crowdfunding category, though Kickstarter focuses on creative/product launches while ioby focused on civic/community projects.
• GoFundMe: Largest personal-cause and charitable crowdfunding platform. Directly comparable donation marketplace model with network-effect scale that ioby's civic niche could not match.
• Indiegogo: Project-based crowdfunding platform competing in the same category as ioby, with broader international reach and both rewards-based and charitable campaign support.
• GlobalGiving: Nonprofit crowdfunding marketplace for community development projects internationally. Closest direct peer given its focus on vetted, project-based charitable crowdfunding with coaching/support services.
• Mightycause: Fundraising platform purpose-built for nonprofits and community causes with crowdfunding, event, and peer-to-peer features. Comparable as a community-focused nonprofit fundraising marketplace.
• DonorsChoose: Crowdfunding platform connecting public-school teachers with donors for classroom projects. Comparable model of vetted, project-based donations for community/educational impact with coaching-style support.
• Fractured Atlas: Leading fiscal sponsorship organization serving artists and unincorporated groups. Directly comparable fiscal-sponsorship service for groups needing 501(c)(3) status — a core ioby service.
• Fundly: Crowdfunding platform supporting both personal causes and nonprofit fundraising. Comparable marketplace model serving community/charitable campaigns at smaller scale.

Emerging players

• Patreon: Recurring creator-support platform. Partial overlap with ioby's recurring-donation mechanics but oriented toward creators rather than civic/community projects.

Broad incumbents

• Kiva: Established crowdfunding platform for microloans to underserved communities globally. Comparable mission-driven community crowdfunding, but with a lending (rather than donation) model and much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ioby
• Facebookfacebook.com/ioby.org
• Instagraminstagram.com/inourbackyards
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ioby

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ioby