--- title: "Why I Built RoundUp: Founder’s Perspective on Nonprofit Tech" description: RoundUp founder Jed Carlson explains how recurring revenue models and donation technology inspired a new approach to nonprofit funding. image: https://blog.roundup.org/hubfs/nonprofit.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://blog.roundup.org/why-i-built-roundup-a-founders-perspective-on-nonprofit-tech#main-content) ![Group 3 Copy](https://blog.roundup.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Group%203%20Copy.png?width=4438&height=616&name=Group%203%20Copy.png) ![Sign pointing non profits in the right direction](https://blog.roundup.org/hs-fs/hubfs/nonprofit.jpg?width=1200&height=799&name=nonprofit.jpg) Mission & Purpose # Why I Built RoundUp: Founder’s Perspective on Nonprofit Tech ![Jed Carlson](https://blog.roundup.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Jed%20Carlson%20headshot%202014.jpg?width=48&height=48&name=Jed%20Carlson%20headshot%202014.jpg) Jed Carlson October 1, 2025 ***RoundUp.org is a fintech platform, and approved financial partner of Visa/Mastercard, that enables automatic micro-donations by rounding up everyday purchases to generate recurring revenue for nonprofit organizations.*** *This approach represents a new category of **donation technology** within the broader **nonprofit tech** ecosystem.* ## *What is Donation Technology?  Donation technology refers to software platforms and digital financial tools that make charitable giving easier and more automated. These systems enable features like recurring donations, micro-donations, and embedded giving within everyday transactions.*   Before starting RoundUp.org, I spent years building companies in the software industry. One principle appeared repeatedly. **Businesses with recurring revenue were more stable.** Predictable income allowed companies to invest in growth, hire employees responsibly, and build long-term strategies. Eventually I began asking a question: **Why doesn’t philanthropy work the same way?** ## The Nonprofit Funding Challenge Nonprofits perform some of the most important work in our society. They support medical research, feed families, educate children, and protect communities. Yet many nonprofit organizations depend heavily on unpredictable fundraising campaigns. Meanwhile, traditional sources of funding — including government programs, corporate giving, and foundations — face increasing pressure. ## Applying Technology to Giving Donation technology makes it possible to rethink this model. Instead of asking donors to commit to large recurring donations, micro-donations allow people to contribute small amounts automatically. Each transaction might generate only a few cents. But millions of transactions can create steady support for nonprofits. ## A Personal Perspective During my own battle with cancer, I saw firsthand how important nonprofit organizations are. Patient support groups, research foundations, and community organizations play an essential role during difficult moments. Those experiences reinforced something for me: Nonprofits are not optional. They are essential infrastructure in society. ## The Vision Behind RoundUp RoundUp.org was created to make generosity effortless. Consumers can designate a nonprofit they care about and allow everyday purchases to generate small automatic donations. It’s a simple idea. But simplicity can be powerful. When generosity becomes automatic, participation increases — and nonprofits gain the stable funding they need to focus on their mission.   About: RoundUp.org is a fintech platform, and approved Financial Partner of Visa and Mastercard, that enables automatic micro-donations by rounding up everyday purchases to generate recurring revenue for nonprofit organizations. ## Share this post [mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fblog.roundup.org%2Fwhy-i-built-roundup-a-founders-perspective-on-nonprofit-tech](mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fblog.roundup.org%2Fwhy-i-built-roundup-a-founders-perspective-on-nonprofit-tech) ## Keep reading ### [![roundup.org: donor with small change](https://blog.roundup.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Charlotte%20RU%20Day%20photo.jpg?width=3000&height=2000&name=Charlotte%20RU%20Day%20photo.jpg) Recurring donations Mission & Purpose MicroDonations RoundUp.org Is Turning Spare Change Into Steady Support for Local Refugee Nonprofits](https://blog.roundup.org/roundup.org-is-turning-spare-change-into-steady-support-for-local-refugee-nonprofits) ### [![Turn your corporate card into a "giving " card](https://blog.roundup.org/hs-fs/hubfs/ChatGPT%20Image%20Mar%206%2c%202026%2c%2010_57_38%20AM.png?width=1536&height=1024&name=ChatGPT%20Image%20Mar%206%2c%202026%2c%2010_57_38%20AM.png) Embedded Giving MicroDonations Impress your employees and stakeholders RoundUp.org | Turn Every Company Purchase Into Support for a Nonprofit](https://blog.roundup.org/turn-every-company-purchase-into-support-for-a-nonprofit) --- ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Jed Carlson", "url" : "https://blog.roundup.org/author/jed-carlson" }, "dateModified" : "2026-03-09T14:43:10.582Z", "datePublished" : "2025-10-01T13:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "Why I Built RoundUp: Founder’s Perspective on Nonprofit Tech", "image" : [ "https://blog.roundup.org/hubfs/nonprofit.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.roundup.org/why-i-built-roundup-a-founders-perspective-on-nonprofit-tech", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.roundup.org/hubfs/RoundUp%20Logo%20Tagline.png" } } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://blog.roundup.org/#website", "@type" : "WebSite", "name" : "RoundUp.org Blog", "publisher" : { "@id" : "https://roundup.org#org" }, "url" : "https://blog.roundup.org/" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://roundup.org#org", "@type" : "Organization", "description" : "RoundUp.org is a fintech platform that enables automatic micro-donations by rounding up everyday purchases to generate recurring revenue for nonprofit organizations.", "knowsAbout" : [ "donation technology", "nonprofit technology", "micro-donations", "recurring donations", "corporate giving" ], "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://roundup.org/logo-web.png" }, "name" : "RoundUp.org", "url" : "https://roundup.org" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://blog.roundup.org/#collection", "@type" : "CollectionPage", "description" : "Insights on donation technology, nonprofit tech, micro-donations, and recurring giving.", "name" : "RoundUp.org Blog", "url" : "https://blog.roundup.org/" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement" : [ { "@type" : "ListItem", "item" : "https://roundup.org/", "name" : "RoundUp.org", "position" : 1 }, { "@type" : "ListItem", "item" : "https://blog.roundup.org/", "name" : "Blog", "position" : 2 } ] } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Jed Carlson" }, "datePublished" : "2026-03-04", "description" : "RoundUp founder Jed Carlson explains how recurring revenue models and donation technology inspired a new approach to nonprofit funding.", "headline" : "Why I Built RoundUp", "keywords" : [ "nonprofit tech", "donation technology", "recurring donations", "micro donations", "nonprofit funding models" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.roundup.org/why-i-built-roundup", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://roundup.org/logo-web.png" }, "name" : "RoundUp.org" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "SpeakableSpecification", "xpath" : [ "/html/head/title", "/html/body//h1", "/html/body//p[1]" ] } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "DefinedTerm", "description" : "A method of charitable giving where purchases are rounded up to the next dollar and the spare change is donated to nonprofit organizations.", "inDefinedTermSet" : "https://roundup.org", "name" : "Round-up donations" } ```