Propeller Impact is the professional fundraising arm of Propeller, a public benefit corporation and platform that turns cultural influence into action. By collaborating with musicians, celebrities, and major events, they drive fans to support causes by taking meaningful actions – everything from volunteering and fundraising to registering to vote. With hundreds of campaigns and a loyal Gen Z and millennial following, Propeller makes impact part of everyday life.
Donations are a key part of the model, especially through sweepstakes that offer fans the chance to win unforgettable experiences, like attending a VIP soundcheck with Noah Kahan. These initiatives raise significant funds for causes that matter deeply to artists and fans alike.
Propeller had a bold goal: turn attention into impact, and do it at scale. But to make charitable sweepstakes sustainable for Propeller Impact, they needed to solve two core challenges: disbursing donations to a wide network of nonprofits, and structuring campaigns in a way that wouldn’t slow their growth.
They needed a partner that could simplify compliance, reduce overhead, relieve the limitations put on expense ratios for professional fundraisers, and offer the flexibility to support any eligible nonprofit, including those tied to high-profile artists and campaigns.
Propeller Impact turned to Change for a turnkey solution that could handle both donation disbursements and complex compliance requirements. With Change’s support, Propeller Impact launched a high-impact sweepstakes on Propeller with singer-songwriter Noah Kahan, benefitting The Busyhead Project – a cause deeply personal to Kahan, dedicated to youth mental health in partnership with the Vermont Community Foundation.
Thanks to Change’s professional fundraiser platform which includes an easy dashboard to track different campaigns and partners, a donations API, and a relationship with Our Change Foundation (Change’s donor-advised fund partner), Propeller Impact was able to offer a seamless donation experience. Every dollar Propeller Impact collected is sent first to Our Change Foundation, then re-granted to the Vermont Community Foundation. This flow of funds makes the operational burden much lighter for the team. The campaign with Noah Kahan raised over $50,000 for The Busyhead Project, while allowing the company to retain the flexibility and growth trajectory they needed.
Most importantly, Change’s structure allows Propeller Impact to choose from over 1.3 million pre-vetted nonprofits, making it easy to align campaigns with the values of artists, partners, and fans. With Change handling compliance and disbursements behind the scenes, Propeller is free to focus on creating campaigns that drive cultural and social impact.
Propeller Impact continues to launch more exciting experiences and campaigns, with a strong operational foundation in place. Their next wave of sweepstakes will continue to connect fans to causes through unforgettable prizes.