Plumfund in the News

Plumfund Makes Giving Feel Good

Unique crowd gifting™ website reduces fees and launches new giving feels good campaign

SEBASTOPOL, Calif., May 7, 2015—Plumfund, a unique crowd gifting™ platform created by the founders of Honeyfund (a TIME 50 best website) is thrilled to announce the elimination of their platform fee as part of a new Giving Feels Good campaign. Unlike other crowdfunding sites, Plumfund's modern gift fundraising site is based on ten years of experience in online gifting and allows individuals to give and receive for causes and special occasions, like birthdays, graduations and more, free of charge. Whether individuals are raising funds for a celebration or a hardship, Sara and Josh Margulis, the founders of Honeyfund and Plumfund, understand the nuances of gift etiquette and the significance of making giving feel good.

Plumfund is committed not only to an unparalleled user experience and zero service fees, but also to offering the best rates for standard credit card processing fees thanks to a longstanding relationship with payment partners, WePay and PayPal. Today, Plumfund is pleased to announce the permanent elimination of their 2% fee, and a reduced credit card fee of just 2.8% + $0.30 (US), so that individuals can give more to the causes they care about. "When we looked around at our industry, we saw high fees, fundraising restrictions, and words like 'fund me' and 'go go,'" explains Sara Margulis, Plumfund Cofounder and CEO. "That felt wrong when celebrating a friend or loved one or raising money for something you believe in. So, we made a commitment to offer our service free of charge and use our crowd gifting experience to enhance the good feelings that come along with unrestricted giving."

Part of the inspiration for the Giving Feels Good campaign was the entire team's dedication to growing the giving spirit and making the world a better place. With the help of a recent investment from ABC's Shark Tank investor Kevin O'Leary, they are also launching Plumfund Gives, an internal challenge to find ways to continuously give back in everything the company does. One of the team members recently started a Plumfund campaign that has raised more than six thousand dollars for a man caring for animals left in the radioactive zone of Fukushima, Japan.

For more announcements about Plumfund Gives and to learn more about the company, please visit our website or contact press@plumfund.com.

About Honeyfund.com, Inc.:

Founded in 2006, Honeyfund started by helping newlyweds receive a gift that they will never forget: a once-in-a-lifetime, dream honeymoon. With no fees for gift givers or registered couples, the site now powers all kinds of experience registries and savings funds, and has become the #1 wedding crowd-giftingTM platform for just about anything and has raised over $262 million to-date! Honeyfund was such a success that users began asking if they could use the platform to raise funds for other occasions and celebrations and thus, Plumfund was born. Together with Plumfund, these two platforms offer the easiest way to raise money for gifts or anything else – for free – making giving feel good, just as it should!

About Kevin O'Leary:

Kevin O'Leary is an entrepreneur and financier, best known for his role as an investor on ABC's Shark Tank. He leads a group of financial companies as chairman of O'Leary Financial Group. He is also the founder of O'Leary Fine Wines and the bestselling author of Cold Hard Truth on Men, Women and Money. Previously, O'Leary founded and was president of SoftKey (later called The Learning Company), a global educational software company, and negotiated its $4 billion acquisition by Mattel. For more information, visit www.olearyfinancial.com and follow @kevinolearytv.

Founders of Honeyfund and Plumfund strike a Deal on Shark Tank

November 5, 2014—Sebastopol, CA—Just in time for holiday gifting and wedding engagement season, Honeyfund (www.honeyfund.com,) the popular honeymoon registry, recently closed a deal with Kevin O'Leary of ABC's hit reality show 'Shark Tank,' to expand its gift-funding business.

After multiple offers from three sharks, Honeyfund and Plumfund owners Sara and Josh Margulis chose a $400,000 deal from Kevin O'Leary (aka 'Mr. Wonderful') to grow their gift-funding websites for honeymoons, birthdays, anniversaries, projects and other life events. Without taking a stake in the company, O'Leary requested one third of net transaction revenues until he recoups his $400,000 three times.

"We are excited to use this investment to launch Fondo de Miel, the Spanish version of Honeyfund, and to further customize and expand what is already the easiest way to raise money for gifts," said Sara Margulis, Honeyfund Cofounder and CEO. "Working with 'Mr. Wonderful' is a dream-come-true, as he brings expertise in online transactions and opens new doors with potential partners," she added.

"Honeyfund and Plumfund make raising money for all kinds of gifts fun and easy. They have tremendous growth potential as we expand their gift funding offerings and global reach," said Kevin O'Leary, Founder of O'Leary Financial.

Founding Honeyfund in 2006, the Margulises are crowd funding pioneers. Their idea was born from their own need when planning their Fiji honeymoon. Honeyfund is now the top alternative wedding registry where friends and family help pay for a honeymoon or any savings goals, and can indicate specific gifts including meals, special outings, hotels, airfare and even a down payment on a home. To date, Honeyfund has transacted approximately $239 million in gifts.

In May of 2013, the Margulises launched a second site, Plumfund (www.plumfund.com.) for other gift-giving events such as birthdays, holiday gifting, baby showers and projects. Both sites offer free gift funding options for users as well as customization and upgrades.

The Margulises were initially invited to apply for the show by a Shark Tank staff member who had used Honeyfund and was a fan of the site.

About Honeyfund and Plumfund

Honeyfund is the world's most popular honeymoon registry. Together with Plumfund, they offer the easiest way to raise money for gifts or anything else – for free. To learn more, please visit www.honeyfund.com and www.plumfund.com.

About Kevin O'Leary

Kevin O'Leary is an entrepreneur and financier, best known for his role as an investor on ABC's Shark Tank. He leads a group of financial companies as chairman of O'Leary Financial Group. He is also the founder of O'Leary Fine Wines and the bestselling author of Cold Hard Truth on Men, Women and Money. Previously, O'Leary founded and was president of SoftKey (later called The Learning Company), a global educational software company, and negotiated its $4 billion acquisition by Mattel. For more information, visit www.olearyfinancial.com and follow @kevinolearytv .

Media: Photography is available at www.ABCMediaNet.com.

Honeyfund Contact: press@plumfund.com 

'Shark Tank' Hosts Compete for the Kickstarter of Honeymoons

October 27, 2014—Graham Winfrey of Inc.com recaps the appearance of Plumfund's founders on ABC's hit reality show 'Shark Tank," saying "Sara and Josh Margulis had the sharks eating out of their hands..." Read the full story here.

Honeyfund.com, Inc. launches free crowdfunding at Plumfund.com

May 25, 2013—Honeyfund.com, Inc., one of TIME.com's 50 Best Websites of 2012, has launched the first free crowdfunding site at Plumfund.com. Plumfund offers free crowdfunding, cash gifting, and fundraising—the first site of its kind. Users can raise money for anything, including projects, startups, schools, charities, community groups and individual gift ocassions. The site processes "pledges" 100% free of charge where contributors pay offline, directly to the campaign organizer. Online payments are available via WePay or PayPal for just 4.9% + $0.30. Anyone can setup a free campaign. Visit Plumfund.com to learn more.

Media Contact:

press@plumfund.com 

Plumfund

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