FarmRaiser, inc

01 / WHAT IT BUILT

What the company did

FarmRaiser was a healthy school-fundraising startup founded by Mark Abbott. It replaced traditional junk-food fundraisers (wrapping paper, cookie dough) with campaigns where students sold fresh, local products — from nearby farmers and artisan food producers, usually within 30 miles — while learning about sustainability and local food. Schools chose their products, campaigns were run through a technology platform that automated most setup and maintenance, and the company guaranteed schools at least 45% profit. It started in Michigan and Washington state, with plans to expand to the DC metro area in 2015.

03 / EVENT HISTORY

Events in the structured record

1. 2013
   Founded

   Mark Abbott founded FarmRaiser after spending about a year testing the approach, building a platform to manage school fundraising campaigns with local farmers and food artisans.

2. 2014
   Operating

   FarmRaiser was operating fundraising campaigns in Michigan and Washington state, working with partners like Slow Food USA and the Whole Kids Foundation; founder Abbott said the biggest challenge was finding schools willing to try healthy fundraising — pitching schools was expensive and time-consuming.