I had the opportunity to sit down with Brandeis alumnus, Eitan Joseph ’22, to talk about his new platform, Giveasy, which he created in part with a team of two others: Isaac Gorelik of Stanford ’24 and Jack Moldenhauer of Tufts ’22. Together, the trio is working to reimagine what social media can look like, one rooted in real-world good, powered by technology, and built to make philanthropy visible and accessible to all.
In an era where social media often draws criticism for being shallow, divisive or addictive, these three friends set out to build something radically different: a social platform grounded in community, giving and impact. Their creation, Giveasy, launched in early 2025, is already reshaping how individuals, nonprofits and communities connect, and by making “doing good” the price of having a voice.
The idea came from a moment of loss and frustration. In late 2023, a mutual friend of the founders lost a sibling to a rare disease. The family, grieving but determined to create change, started a fundraiser to benefit a nonprofit conducting research in that area. But even those closest to them only found out about the campaign after it had passed. The experience struck the team as a failure of visibility and of current platforms to amplify stories that matter. “How is it possible that even people in his immediate circle didn’t know?” Joseph recalled. “The answer, really, is that these stories of philanthropy and giving just go unnoticed because they’re competing in a social media space right now that is so full of other stuff.”
That experience planted the seed for Giveasy. The founders wanted to build a space where stories of service and impact weren’t buried, but the content itself. Rather than create a feel-good corner of the internet, the team made a bold decision: on Giveasy, users can’t post unless they’ve taken action. Every post must be tied to a verifiable good deed: donating to a nonprofit, volunteering time or offering a skill-based service. In other words, the right to speak comes only after doing something meaningful.
The idea, the team explains, is not to demonize social media but to reclaim its power. “We don’t think social media is a bad thing,” Joseph said. “Actually, we think it’s an amazing tool. But the time people spend online should feel good, not like a waste. Giveasy is designed to make users feel proud of their time on the platform because everything they see, and everything they post, is rooted in impact.”
Impact is already happening. In its first week alone, users donated over $1,000 to participating nonprofits and logged more than 20 hours of verified volunteer work. The site, which launched first as a web app, is growing rapidly and plans to expand to mobile in the near future. “We started with a web app to make sure the experience resonated across both mobile and desktop,” Joseph explained.
While the social feed is Giveasy’s most visible feature, it’s only one part of the platform. Behind the scenes, Giveasy has developed a full operations suite for nonprofits, which Joseph describes as a powerful alternative to the costly, fragmented systems many organizations rely on. The team spoke directly with nonprofits to identify their top five operational pain points and built solutions for each: crowdfunding, volunteer management, website hosting, donor engagement and content sharing.
“For now, we’re offering the entire suite for free,” Joseph said. “Eventually, there may be a low-cost subscription model. But the goal is to do what nonprofits currently pay five different providers to do, but on one platform and at a much lower cost. Whether you’re a massive nonprofit or a local food bank, you should have access to industry-grade tools,” he said. “We want to level the playing field.”
One of the biggest challenges Giveasy has faced so far isn’t technical, it’s operational. “Nonprofits are extremely busy,” Joseph said. “Even if we have something that could save them time in the long run, just onboarding today feels like one more task on a never-ending list. Think of a soup kitchen, it’s a daily operation, constant work. Getting them to sit down and try something new can be a big ask.”
Still, he’s optimistic. And one thing that gives him hope is the transparency built into the platform. Every good deed on Giveasy is public. That design choice was deliberate, and, at first, controversial. “We got feedback, especially from older users, saying they wanted their donations to be private,” he explained. “But when we asked why, they didn’t really have a clear answer. There’s this cultural sense that giving should be modest or hidden. But we want to change that. You should be proud of your impact.” Publicly sharing good deeds, the team believes, will normalize philanthropy and inspire more people to get involved.
The platform’s name reflects that ethos. Giveasy started as a code-named project called “Prosocial,” exemplifying its vision of sparking community-minded action. But after polling friends and family, and realizing the name needed to be more intuitive, they landed on “Giveasy,” a name that captures the mission of making it easier to do good. “It’s simple, and it says what we want to do, make giving easier,” says Joseph.
The founding team is small with just Joseph, Gorelik, Moldenhauer and a few interns, but they’re growing. They’ve already opened internship opportunities for students interested in business development or technical roles. “If you’re involved with a nonprofit, get them on the platform,” Joseph urged. “Even just creating a profile can help build that atomic network effect, where more people see, engage and join.”
Joseph left a comfortable job at BlackRock to pursue Giveasy full time. He encourages students interested in merging tech and social impact to consider taking similar risks, especially now. “There’s this window between 2023 and 2027,” he said. “AI tools have been democratized. You and I have access to some of the most powerful research tools in the world. But the big companies, they’re still figuring out how to integrate them because of compliance and security. That gives startups like ours a massive edge.”
That edge, he believes, won’t last forever. As big tech catches up and incorporates A.I. tools at scale, the window for small teams to compete may close. “If you’re passionate about building something meaningful, now is the time to do it,” he said. “You don’t need to go straight into industry. Take the risk. Find your team. Start building.”
Looking ahead, the Giveasy team sees their platform evolving into much more than just a digital community for good. Their vision is to become the go-to source for anyone seeking to get involved with nonprofits, whether donating, volunteering or researching where to make the biggest impact. The platform will soon feature tools to evaluate nonprofit effectiveness, helping users direct their time and money to the organizations doing the most with what they have.
“We want to be the place where people come not just to give, but to give smart,” Joseph said. “And in doing that, we hope to push nonprofits to keep improving, learning from each other and ultimately helping more people.” It’s a big ambition for a small team, but with a rapidly growing user base, powerful mission and a model built for impact, Giveasy might just change how the world gives, one post at a time.
If you’re interested in a Summer 2025 internship with Giveasy, their application window is still open. If you want to apply, send your resume to jack@giveasy.co with the subject titled “Summer Intern – [Your Name].”
