Happy July

We have some really exciting news to announce within the week, so check back often!

P.S.  Here’s a hint…it involves this guy:

Hot off the presses

Hey everyone, we just announced a pretty exciting partnership and initiative…read the press release below for the full story.  Another announcement is coming this weekend, so check back often!

Skoop! Partners with The Old Spaghetti Factory and WHI to Raise Funds for Africa Water is Life

Skoop! Inc. and The Old Spaghetti Factory kick off an innovative text message fundraiser with World Hope International (WHI) to support their Africa Water is Life project.

June 5, 2009 — World Hope International and the Indianapolis community are taking advantage of the groundbreaking Mobile Fundraising Platform recently launched by Skoop! Inc.

The Mobile Fundraising Platform allows non-profit organizations to raise funds through innovative and fun text message “campaigns”.  To join a campaign, supporters of the organization simply send a text message with the campaign’s ”keyword” to a special short phone number – or “short code”.   Once a supporter has joined a campaign, a mobile coupon from the participating merchant or sponsor will be sent via text message to the supporter’s mobile phone.

To join the World Hope International campaign, supporters must text the word “WATER” to Skoop!’s short code, 75667, allowing them to receive great deals and offers from participating sponsors in the Africa Water is Life campaign. All proceeds go to spreading awareness and raising funds to drill wells in Africa. These wells will save lives by providing clean water.

Leading off the fundraising sponsorships is The Old Spaghetti Factory, a popular restaurant in Indianapolis.  After joining the WHI campaign, supporters will immediately receive a text message coupon sent to their mobile phone.  To redeem the coupon, the text message must be presented at the restaurant.  After presenting the coupon, supporters will receive a free cheese bread appetizer and 10% of the table’s bill will be donated to World Hope International’s Africa Water is Life project.

Skoop!’s innovative Mobile Fundraising Platform takes advantage of the explosive growth of text messaging and its increasing use as a way of distributing coupons.   Skoop! and The Old Spaghetti Factory are delighted to use this powerful technology to help WHI reach its fundraising goals.

Skoop! Inc. was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Deer Park, NY with offices in Indianapolis.  Skoop! is at the forefront of the mobile messaging space, providing its industry leading, web-based services to businesses, non-profits, and organizations of all sizes and types.

Headquartered in Alexandria, VA, World Hope International is a faith based relief and development organization alleviating suffering and injustice through education, enterprise and community health. World Hope International is currently bringing hope and healing to over 25 countries worldwide.

The Old Spaghetti Factory, headquartered in Portland, OR is an international restaurant company serving more than 8 million customers annually. Founded in 1969, The Old Spaghetti Factory’s continued success is the result of its unwavering devotion to customer value.

So much to do, so little time

Welcome back!  It’s been a while since we posted an update here, but only because Skoop! has been busier than ever these past few weeks, working overtime on new projects, traveling around and spreading the word at a bunch of great events, and – of course – signing up brand new clients, from schools and restaurants to singer-songwriters and museums.  We’ve even launched our corporate website, www.skoopsolutions.com.  It’s been a crazy (but fun!) month.  Read on for some of the highlights.

Starting in early May, Skoop! began testing its groundbreaking Fundraising Platform, which gives nonprofit organizations the ability to raise funds by sending text message-based coupons from neighborhood merchants to the nonprofit’s opted-in membership.

These merchants – local restaurants, salons, bookstores, pizzerias, etc. – pay the nonprofit for the ability to deliver an exclusive deal to the nonprofit’s membership.  With the Fundraising Platform, a member doesn’t have to donate anything to support their organization…they just have to sign up!  It’s a win-win-win: the nonprofit raises money, the membership receives exclusive deals from their favorite local merchants, and the merchants get new customers.  Cool, huh?

It has been received warmly by the schools, churches, and community/civic organizations that have signed up so far.  One of our favorite Fundraising Platform users is Glenwood Arts, an awesome new community arts center on the North Shore of Long Island.  We were at their fun-filled opening gala on May 9th to help sign up new members.

Check out clips from the night below and visit their website to learn how to sign up to their Skoop! campaign.

Skoop! also made an appearance at the HIA Business Trade Show & Conference on May 21st, and provided text message alert services for the show.  We had a great time networking and meeting some really solid, like-minded companies.

Representing the Skoop! brand at the show

Mr. Skoop! received a lot of well-deserved attention

Like the title above says, there’s so much to do and so little time.  We have many more exciting things to share here, but we’ll save them for another time and another post (very soon!).  There are some really big things ahead, so stay tuned.

Until then, keep leaving us comments, signing up to Skoop! campaigns, and visiting us on Facebook.  See you soon!

Welcome to our new blog!

After many months of brainstorming, development, and testing, we’re very excited to announce the launch of our new service, GetSkoop.com  If you haven’t yet become a member, we’ll try to describe it in a few words:

GetSkoop.com is a fun and easy way for you to interact with all of your favorite local businesses and organizations.

As a GetSkoop.com member you can search for local restaurants, bars, clubs, stores, businesses, and organizations—anything really!—and subscribe to receive deals, coupons, and alerts sent straight to your mobile phone.  So, let’s say that you login to your GetSkoop.com portal and subscribe to the “campaign” of a local bar that you love in Philadelphia.  From that point on, you’ll start getting deals and updates every once in a while from the bar sent via text message to your phone. If they send out a deal (“2 for 1 appetizers, 10:00-11:30 tonight only”), just show the text message to the wait staff or bartender when you pay.

The types of messages will vary wildly depending on the type of merchant. A local club might send out a message: “Remember to come check out DJ XYZ tonight, half off admission at the door with this message.” A florist with some extra roses leftover on Valentine’s Day might send out: “All roses 60% off until closing time – first come first serve.”

We feel that you shouldn’t have to search the web for a concert date when the theater can give you a personal update.  And why look in the newspaper for a restaurant coupon when the owner can send you one straight to your phone, with no clipping involved?  Well, you shouldn’t.  And here’s the best part…GetSkoop.com is free for all members!

We’ve so far launched in the Indianapolis and Philadelphia areas, but we’re in the middle of a big operation to sign up tons of businesses in other regions, including (but not limited to) Oregon, New Hampshire, and Long Island.  Much more information on this to come.

So, why a blog?  Well, we have a few important reasons for starting a blog.  First, we hope to make it a sort of “informal mouthpiece” for the company.  Any big news or announcements will all be made here.  Press releases are great and all, but let’s face it: have you ever read a press release?  No?  Well, that’s because they tend to be boring, are loaded with bland corporate-talk, and aren’t interactive.  You can’t have a conversation with the CEO on a press release.  A blog is a much better way to reach our main audience: you.  Which brings us to the main reason.

We want this blog to become a critical component of the ongoing conversation within the Skoop! community.  Along with our Facebook Page, GetSkoop.com members and merchants (and everyone else!) will be able to use this forum to ask questions, bounce good ideas off of us, and comment on posts.  The more discussion the better.  Lively debate will only help make GetSkoop.com a better service for everyone.

Stay tuned…and sign up!