Manāna

What Manāna does

Manāna is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization founded in 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia by then-high-schooler Saachi Datta. The organization's stated mission is to create happy memories and joyful occasions for underprivileged, refugee, and sick children by hosting birthday parties, giving gifts, and organizing other celebrations; it is informed by the Developmental Assets Framework, Principles of Social Emotional Learning, and Youth Thriving Indicators. All operations are student-led, with the team described as 5 paid personnel and 9 student team members, augmented by a volunteer network operating through university and high school branches. The organization has expanded from Atlanta (2014) to Philadelphia (2018, University of Pennsylvania) to Seattle (2020, University of Washington), reaching 300+ children across three states.

Manāna delivers two core programmatic offerings. The first is in-person birthday celebrations — birthday parties with goodie bags, gifts, decorations, and cakes — coordinated through partnerships with established local nonprofit and institutional intermediaries including the Global Village Project, the Agape Center of Atlanta, Ronald McDonald House Philadelphia, Puentes de Salud, West Philadelphia Elementary Schools, Youth Eastside Services, and Solid Ground. The second offering is the Hope@Home / Manāna Virtual Cards initiative, launched in 2020 in response to COVID-19, which delivers personalized video messages of hope and virtual birthday messages to children of frontline healthcare workers via a partnership with Penn Medicine. There is no proprietary technology platform; delivery is event-based in-person supplemented by a basic virtual card / video messaging workflow.

The business model is non-commercial. Manāna does not sell products or services. Revenue is generated entirely through individual monetary donations (collected via PayPal on the website), in-kind donations, corporate and individual sponsorships, and fundraising events such as the August 2020 Virtual Charity Golf Tournament, which raised $4,100 from participants and corporate sponsors including PGA Tour, Yards Brewing, and Seagraves Marketing. Go-to-market is community-led: branch leaders at universities and high schools identify beneficiary children in partnership with local service organizations, and awareness is driven through word-of-mouth, social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), newsletter email, and earned media coverage in student publications.

Name

Manāna

Legal name

Manāna, Inc.

Website

https://mananacelebrates.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Manāna is a student-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit that hosts birthday celebrations and gift-giving events for underprivileged, refugee, and sick children through university and high school branches in Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Seattle, and operates the Hope@Home virtual card initiative for healthcare workers' families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Nonprofit Celebration Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

akta.pro primary industry

Birthday Party Services (HSACACAA)

Keywords

• Children birthday celebrations
• Nonprofit volunteer services
• Youth celebration programs
• Refugee child support
• Virtual hope cards

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Monetary Donations: Individual donors contribute funds used directly for celebrations, including goodie bags, gifts, decorations, and cakes. Every donation dollar goes to increasing the number of children celebrated.
2. Event Fundraising: Virtual charity events such as the Virtual Golf Tournament raise funds. The August 2020 tournament raised $4,100 from participants and sponsors.
3. In-Kind Donations: Donations of items and supplies for celebrations, as well as volunteering time.
4. Sponsorships: Corporate and individual sponsors fund specific celebrations or events.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Manāna is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that hosts birthday parties and joyful celebrations for underprivileged, refugee, and sick children, providing goodie bags, gifts, decorations, and cakes. The organization also operates the Hope@Home Virtual Cards initiative launched during COVID-19, delivering personalized video messages of hope and virtual birthday messages to children of frontline healthcare workers.

Product overview

Manāna is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization offering celebration services for underprivileged, refugee, and sick children. The organization operates two primary offerings: in-person Birthday Celebrations (hosting birthday parties with gifts, goodie bags, decorations, and cakes) and the Hope@Home Virtual Cards initiative (providing personalized video messages of hope and virtual birthday messages during COVID-19). All services are delivered through student volunteer branches in Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Seattle, in partnership with local organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Birthday Celebrations
• Hope@Home: Manāna Virtual Cards
• Gift Giving Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ children celebrated to date
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Penn MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Healthcare system partner for Hope@Home initiative. Manāna sends virtual birthday messages and messages of hope to children of frontline healthcare workers battling the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The Global Village ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAtlanta-based partner serving refugee girls. Manāna hosts birthday parties and celebrations for girls in the program, helping them feel valued and empowered through joyful occasions.
• The Agape Center of AtlantacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInspires, empowers and supports underserved children and families to discover, embrace and achieve their full potential. Manāna partners to bring celebration experiences to children served.
• Ronald McDonald House PhiladelphiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports seriously ill children and their families by helping them stay together in a community of comfort and hope. Manāna brings birthday celebrations and joyful occasions to these families.
• Puentes de SaludcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPromotes health and wellness of Philadelphia's growing Latinx immigrant population. Manāna partners to provide celebration experiences for children in the community.
• West Philadelphia Elementary SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity-Assisted Community Schools program. Manāna works with elementary schools to support their efforts of educating and celebrating children.
• Youth Eastside Services (YES)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading behavioral health services provider in East King County for children and youth ages birth to 22 and their families. Manāna brings celebration experiences.
• Solid GroundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorks to end poverty and undo racism and other oppressions that are root causes of poverty. Manāna partners to celebrate children in their programs.
• 48in48minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNonprofit website builder organization that hosted a virtual event creating 48 free nonprofit websites in 48 hours. 48in48 and IBM helped create Manāna's website during the IBM Virtual Event.
• The GivingPoint InstituteminorOthersManāna initially grew to become a nonprofit under the umbrella of the GivingPoint Institute before becoming a full-fledged independent 501(c)(3).

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Starlight Children's Foundation: Established nonprofit delivering programs, toys, and entertainment to hospitalized children. Comparable to Manāna's Ronald McDonald House partner use case of celebrating sick children, but Starlight operates nationally with paid staff and a broader hospital-program portfolio.
• Make-A-Wish Foundation: Large incumbent nonprofit granting wishes to children with critical illnesses. Overlaps with Manāna's mission of bringing joy to sick and disadvantaged children and shares a donor demographic, though it operates at a vastly larger national scale and a broader mission scope.

Emerging players

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: Major U.S. youth-mentoring nonprofit whose focus on long-term positive youth outcomes parallels Manāna's developmental-assets framework. Operates at vastly larger scale through affiliate chapters, modeling how Manāna's branch system could grow.
• Camp Sunshine: Retreats for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. Comparable beneficiary population (sick children) and emotional-resilience mission to Manāna, but with a different service modality (residential programs).
• Give Kids the World Village: Nonprofit providing weeklong wish-fulfillment stays to critically ill children and their families. Overlaps with Manāna's "creating joyful childhood experiences" mission for sick children, though delivered through hospitality rather than birthday events.

Others

• Ronald McDonald House Charities: Existing Manāna strategic partner that serves seriously ill children and their families through housing and in-hospital programming. Comparable mission focus on sick children rather than direct birthday-celebration services, included as an ecosystem participant and donor/scale benchmark.
• Children's Miracle Network Hospitals: Coalition raising funds for children's hospitals, comparable to Manāna's healthcare-aligned programming (e.g., Hope@Home with Penn Medicine). Included as an ecosystem/sector peer rather than a direct service competitor.

Direct peers

• Birthday Wishes: National nonprofit whose mission is to provide birthday celebrations for homeless children — the closest direct functional peer to Manāna. Both organizations host birthday parties for vulnerable children through volunteer chapters and partner agencies, making mission, beneficiary profile, and delivery model directly comparable.
• Project Sunshine: Volunteer-driven nonprofit providing programming and celebrations to children with medical difficulties in hospitals. Closely mirrors Manāna's service to sick children via volunteer engagement, with comparable age range, hospital partner model, and beneficiary population.
• Icing on the Cake: U.S. nonprofit that throws birthday parties for homeless and underprivileged children, partnering with shelters and community organizations. Closely comparable to Manāna in target population, volunteer-driven model, and use of birthday celebrations as the primary service offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/manana.celebrates
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mananacelebrates
• Instagraminstagram.com/manana_celebrates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

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 Manāna