Gudsy - About

Our story

From Community Challenge to Social Innovation

Abrar Qureshi, Founder

For over two decades, I've been involved in technology innovation. My experience includes serving as a Presidential Innovation Fellow with the GSA and working in significant software engineering roles at both Fortune 500 companies and startups. I am passionate about building human-centered solutions that drive positive personal and social outcomes.

My journey into the social good space began with a pivotal firsthand experience, over a decade ago. When my stepson's middle school robotics team qualified for nationals, our small school needed to raise about $6,000 quickly, to cover the costs of attending the event. Digital fundraising wasn't feasible for us at that time, so we turned to traditional methods—selling donuts, hosting spirit nights, and organizing community events. This challenge sparked my interest in the social impact ecosystem, leading to a decade of keen interest studying the difficulties nonprofits face in outreach and community building.

The pivotal moment came during one fundraiser where our team spent an entire Saturday grilling and selling food, only to raise $300. I realized these dedicated volunteers could have earned twice that amount working minimum wage jobs and simply donating their earnings. While we were fortunate—a local tech company ultimately sponsored this trip—this experience highlighted how worthy causes often remain undiscovered from potential supporters who would gladly help if they knew about them.

My subsequent research into the social good sector revealed alarming statistics: high donor and volunteer attrition rates (35-45%) and a persistent 1:3 ratio for overall fundraising/outreach costs that has shown little improvement over the last decade. Although a lot has changed since then, the ecosystem continues to be mostly fragmented and unsustainable for the long run.

A pivotal insight from my research is that on one side motivated donors and volunteers have to spend significant time and effort to discover worthy causes, while nonprofits struggle the same or even more to find such supporters. The solution, in my view, lies in eliminating as many of these barriers as possible to significantly reduce the time, cost, and effort for these two key groups to connect, creating a flywheel of social good.

Combining my passion for meaningful impact with my expertise in human-centered solutions, I'm strongly positioned to pioneer innovative approaches that disrupt this cycle and establish a robust and viable ecosystem for continuous social good.

The Problem We're Solving

Despite technological advances, the social good ecosystem remains fragmented, creating inefficiencies that impact both donors/volunteers and the nonprofits they want to help:

For Donors & Volunteers

• Difficulty discovering causes aligned with one's preferences
• Time-consuming research across multiple sources of information
• Limited visibility into how one's contributions make an impact
• The burden of navigating a fragmented giving ecosystem

For Nonprofits

• Resource-intensive outreach with high opportunity costs
• High supporter attrition rates (35-45% annually)
• Limited technical resources for digital transformation
• Difficulty demonstrating impact to maintain engagement

The Gudsy™ Solution

Gudsy—pronounced "good-see" and blending "good" and "gutsy"— is a robust platform that, just like a GPS, seamlessly connects donors/volunteers with the nonprofits, sharing common goals.

Simplify Discovery

Find causes aligned with your values in one place

Streamline Giving

Donate or volunteer with minimal friction

Showcase Impact

See exactly how your contributions make a difference

Foster Continuity

Build lasting connections between supporters and nonprofits

Our Roadmap

Spring 2025

MVP Launch

Core functionality for individuals (free platform) and nonprofits (customizable digital presence)

Q3 2025

Workplace Giving

Enable workplaces to chart shared pathways for giving back and transforming communities

Q1 2026

Brand Partnerships

Connect purpose-driven brands with aligned causes for greater social impact

Join the Movement

Gudsy represents a fundamental shift in how we approach social good—from fragmented interactions to a cohesive ecosystem that benefits everyone involved.

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