56 Backers 
$4600 pledged of $20,000 goal 
15 Days Left
Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. William Butler Yates
Dear Backer,
Our mission begins with a simple question: What if we could reduce the barriers that exist between classrooms and the community? We believe that it would transform how, what, when and where we learn. And we believe the time to do this is now, and the chance to do it is here! Welcome to EDvite, an online app that connects learners to the infinite learning opportunities in their community!
Why do we need EDvite?
When you think about our current education system, do you ever feel like we need less testing and a lot more inspiring? If so, you're not alone! There are thousands of organizations, businesses, institutions, and individuals who want to inspire students with great learning opportunities but do not have a way of communicating directly with teachers and learners. There are just as many teachers and parents who want to provide inspiring, real-world learning experiences for students, but do not have the time to reach out to different organizations. EDvite makes it easy for these groups to connect!
How do we do it?
We have been developing an app since early 2014 that utilizes google maps and other tools to make it easy--and fun--to locate educational resources in your community. Ranging from museum exhibits to community gardens, and from mentor programs to coding academies, our educator-editors have organized resources in a manner that is intuitive and efficient for users to find what they want. Our app allows teachers and parents to sort by location (city, region and state), topic, grade level and even delivery style (in-class or on-site).
We have already been working on the app for nearly a year--and it is awesome! Your support will ensure that we continue to evolve using the very the latest standards and design. We need to finalize the first version, test, and launch---hopefully by early 2015. As a backer you will have a chance to shape this by gaining sneak peeks and by voting on features and design.
EDvite is all about identifying great learning experiences in communities across the country. We have a team of exceptional leaders that have volunteered to organize and curate resources into easy-to-find categories. Now we need your support to expand these efforts and uncover or create all new experiences. We will use your funds to pay a stipend to teachers and parents as associate editors of specific categories, cities, and regions. Based on our initial work, we have calculated that for every $2500 we raise we can populate the site with almost 1000 EDvites (educational opportunities)! Imagine what we could accomplish if we exceed our goal!
The transformative potential of EDvite can only be achieved if we get the word out! We need your help to reach not only learners and educators, but also businesses, parent groups and organizations across the country. Your support will ensure that we have the means to communicate with everyone.
Your support will ensure we have the funds necessary to manage increased server traffic through the highly flexible and scalable Amazon Web Services (AWS).
We're teaming up with Videoaks Productions to chronicle the last 3 weeks of the campaign on YouTube, and we hope to broadcast on Teachercast. This will give folks a behind-the-scenes view of what it's like to manage the Kicstarter EDvite campaign.
We have a press release going out this week, a teacher podcast offer, and a blog sponsorship on Jan 3rd and 10th. Will keep you posted!
EDvite has been accepted to joing the TecGarage incubator in beautiful downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. We look forward to working with the great team there starting this January!
Yes! EDvite has been in development since early 2014. Our framework is developed and we have have begun populating the site with the best resources across the country. All backers will receive advanced skeak peeks and a chance to vote on design and functionality.
We expect to begin testing in January and launch sometime in early 2015.
EDvite is a registered benefit corporation (b-corp). Benefit corporations operate to create a general public benefit, which is defined as a material positive impact on society and the environment. Please visit here for more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benefit_corporation
"You can Make a Difference!"
Back EDvite minimum pledge is $1
Pledge $1 or more 
6 backersBig thanks from us :)
Pledge $5 or more 12 backersBig thanks from us :) + an opportunity to vote on features and design before launch.
Pledge $25 or more 9 backersAll of the above + thank you card from founders.
Pledge $50 or more 11 backersPicture in founders mosaic to be displayed in about page + personal thank you postcard from founders + an opportunity to vote on features and design before launch.
Pledge $100 or more 2 backerAll of the above + we will place "This EDvite made possible by YOUR NAME or TWITTER handle" on an edvite of your choice.
Pledge $250 or more 2 backerFor backing us at this level you will get to select the top community learning resource in a given CATEGORY - You can select any EDvite category (i.e. STEM) and you will determine the recipient of the award (i.e. the organization offering the learning experience) + Invitation and recognition at any event we host during our first two years.
Pledge $500 or more 1 pre-backersFor backing at this level you will sponsor a direct stipend to an educator in a city of your choice. Using your funds, this educator will help populate the site with learning opportunities in that city! PLUS, we will give you credit on our site as a benefactor for that city + Invitation and recognition at any event we host during our first two years.
Pledge $1000 or more 2 backerFor backing at this level you will sponsor a direct stipend to an educator in a category of your choice. Using your funds, this educator will help populate the site with learning opportunities in that category. PLUS, we will give you credit on our site as a benefactor for that category + Invitation and recognition at any event we host during our first two years.
Pledge $2500 or more At this level we will designate your organization as a site sponsor and place your logo at the footer of the website for the first two years + Invitation and recognition at any event we host during our first two years.
A veteran urban educator, Walter is currently a Dean Fellow at Boston University where he conducts research on community-based K12 partnerships. Since 2000, he has developed several education-based web portals and served as the director of a statewide education nonprofit connecting teachers, universities and business partners. He is a former Education Pioneer and a graduate of Columbia University (ED.M.), the Ohio State University (M.Ed.) and the University of Florida (B.A.).
A proud descendant of a farming family in Hills, Minnesota, Alicia is a former Peace Corp Volunteer and a veteran educator of New York City, Tampa Bay, and Boston. As EDvite's co-founder her focus is on identifying inspiring opportunities and supporting community organizations and experts who want to reach learners through creative programs. She is a graduate of Columbia University (M.Ed.), the City University of New York-Baruch (ED.M), and the University of Nebraska (B.S.).
Andrew possesses a rare combination of coding genius, business acumen, and commitment to social impact. He is a talented programmer with experience developing on multiple open source platforms, integrating application programming interfaces (API), and graphic design. His focus is on making the EDvite user experience fun and intuitive. He holds a B.A. in Business Management and Mathematics from Fitchburg State University.
EDvite is blessed to have a network of experienced community and educational leaders across the country that are ready and willing to help EDvite achieve its mission. From locating and identifying great resources to helping local businesses think of new ways of engaging with classrooms, our network is ready to make learning come alive.
