Good Housekeeping
10 Best Gift Cards for When You Just Can't Decide
At Gift of College, we’ve cracked the code on substantially reducing student loan debt by helping Americans with both debt paydown and saving for college by empowering individuals and families to include extended family members, friends, and employers into their education funding strategies.
Our products and services reach millions of consumers through 3 main channels:
We help each person we touch (whether a gift-giver, a gift receiver, an employer, or an employee) take a bite out of existing and future student loan debt.
The Problem
Let’s start with a general picture of the student loan landscape and the lack of awareness of one of the most impactful strategies to avoid this debt-- 529 college savings plans. The most recent data indicates:
The Solution
1. A Workplace Revolution:
We have integrated with ADP, the largest payroll provider in the United States, as well as with other payroll platforms, to offer employers impactful solutions that assist with:
It’s a win-win for employers and employees!
2. From Wall Street to Walmart
Our retail distribution channels extend from Walmart.com to Target, from Save Mart to H-E-B, and to other popular retailers across every corner of the U.S.
3. Online Crowdfunding and Gift Card Sales
Through our easy-to-use crowdfunding platform and through our sale of electronic and physical gift cards, we make it easy and simple for an aunt, uncle, grandparent, and employer to contribute to a student loan or 529 account for any occasion, or just because.
4. Shopping Rewards Platform
Through our shopping rewards platform, we make sure that everyday spending can result in earning rewards to pay down student loan debt or save in a 529 plan.
The Market
Our addressable market is sizeable in both the employer and individual channels:
60 million children do not have 529 accounts, and among the 14 million children lucky enough to have 529 accounts, many still require additional contributions to make higher education economically feasible —the average 529 account balance only covers a fraction of the total cost of a degree (Source)
Our Traction
Our traction to date has been strong, and with the addition of the employer channel, is getting even stronger.
Launched an integrated solution with the world’s largest payroll provider from whom one in six employees receives their paychecks
And…we are just getting started!
What We Do
We do this by:
Our platform raises awareness of 529 plans and improves employee recruiting, retention, and engagement by encouraging employers to assist their employees in student loan contributions and savings
According to ISS Market Intelligence, employees who save for college through payroll deduction save 75% more than those who save for college through automatic contributions from their checking or savings accounts.
The Business Model
Our multifaceted revenue model allows us to access both B2B and B2C markets, diversifying our business while maximizing reach and savings opportunities for our users.
How We Are Different
Our “Secret Sauce” is:
We are donating a percentage of our revenue to support disability organizations and children’s savings account programs that utilize 529 plans to uplift their constituents
The Vision
Our core vision is to continue our current momentum helping Americans avoid student loan debt. We will do this by:
OUR LEADERSHIP
It was the individual vision of Founder and CEO, Wayne Weber, that created Gift of College. It is Wayne’s ability to inspire and attract extremely talented peers to join the team that has subsequently helped him to lock arms with others to grow the company.
A key hire, Patricia Roberts, Chief Operating Officer, brings to the team over 20 years of experience in helping tens of thousands of families prepare for the cost of higher education through her leadership in nearly every aspect of the 529 college savings arena.
Dr. Kristine Sickels, Chief Marketing Officer, is a marketing academic with a 20+ year career in consumer marketing.
Rob Creaser, Chief Financial and Chief Compliance Officer, is an extremely experienced start-up and fintech compliance officer who has the depth of knowledge needed to create and support compliant products and services in highly regulated arenas. For the past two years, Rob has worked for StartEngine Primary LLC, a registered broker-dealer, and FINRA/SIPC member. He currently is the Chief Compliance Officer of StartEngine Primary LLC. Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) is a separately regulated business and is not part of StartEngine Primary LLC’s operations. StartEngine Primary LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of StartEngine Crowdfunding Inc., which is also the parent company of StartEngine Capital LLC, the funding portal conducting this Regulation Crowdfunding Offering. StartEngine Primary LLC and StartEngine Capital LLC are sister companies.
Jaime Casap, Strategic Advisor, was Google’s Chief Education Evangelist for over 14 years.
Why Invest
The student loan crisis is one of the defining economic issues of our time, and as it continues to balloon it will only have a greater impact on the rest of the economy, and the financial lives of tens of millions of people.
This is an unprecedented opportunity to join a rewarding mission that happens to be profitable. It’s a chance to do well by doing good.
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Giving the gift of financial well-being at the holidays
Company | : | Gift of College, Inc. |
Corporate Address | : | 24005 Ventura Boulevard, Calabasas, CA 91302 |
Offering Minimum | : | $10,000.00 |
Offering Maximum | : | $1,070,000.00 |
Minimum Investment Amount(per investor) | : | $250.00 |
Offering Type | : | Equity |
Security Name | : | Class A Common Voting |
Minimum Number of Shares Offered | : | 2,000 |
Maximum Number of Shares Offered | : | 214,000 |
Price per Share | : | $5.00 |
Pre-Money Valuation | : | $24,000,000.00 |
Voting Rights of Securities Sold in this Offering
Voting Proxy. Each Subscriber shall appoint the Chief Executive Officer of the Company (the “CEO”), or his or her successor, as the Subscriber’s true and lawful proxy and attorney, with the power to act alone and with full power of substitution, to, consistent with this instrument and on behalf of the Subscriber, (i) vote all Securities, (ii) give and receive notices and communications, (iii) execute any instrument or document that the CEO determines is necessary or appropriate in the exercise of its authority under this instrument, and (iv) take all actions necessary or appropriate in the judgment of the CEO for the accomplishment of the foregoing. The proxy and power granted by the Subscriber pursuant to this Section are coupled with an interest. Such proxy and power will be irrevocable. The proxy and power, so long as the Subscriber is an individual, will survive the death, incompetency and disability of the Subscriber and, so long as the Subscriber is an entity, will survive the merger or reorganization of the Subscriber or any other entity holding the Securities. However, the Proxy will terminate upon the closing of a firm-commitment underwritten public offering pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933 covering the offer and sale of Common Stock or the effectiveness of a registration statement under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 covering the Common Stock.
*Maximum Number of Shares Offered subject to adjustment for bonus shares. See Bonus info below.
Investment Incentives and Bonuses*
Time-Based:
Friends and Family Early Birds
Invest within the first 48 hours and receive an additional 15% bonus shares.
Super Early Bird Bonus
Invest in the first 7 days and receive an additional 10% bonus shares.
Early Bird Bonus
Invest in the first 14 days and receive an additional 5% bonus shares.
Amount-Based:
$500 | Tier 1
Invest $500 and receive a $25 Gift of College Gift Card.
$1,000 | Tier 2
Invest $1,000 and receive a $75 Gift of College Gift Card.
$2,500 | Tier 3
Invest $2,500 and receive a $100 Gift of College Gift Card.
$5,000 | Tier 4
Invest $5,000 and receive a $100 Gift of College Gift Card and 5% bonus shares.
$10,000 | Tier 5
Invest $10,000 and receive a $100 Gift of College Gift Card and 10% bonus shares.
*All perks occur when the offering is completed.
The 10% Bonus for StartEngine Shareholders
Gift of College, Inc. will offer 10% additional bonus shares for all investments that are committed by investors that are eligible for the StartEngine Crowdfunding Inc. OWNer's bonus.
This means eligible StartEngine shareholders will receive a 10% bonus for any shares they purchase in this offering. For example, if you buy 100 shares of Class A Common Stock at $5.00 / share, you will receive 110 shares of Class A Common Stock, meaning you'll own 110 shares for $500. Fractional shares will not be distributed and share bonuses will be determined by rounding down to the nearest whole share.
This 10% Bonus is only valid during the investors eligibility period. Investors eligible for this bonus will also have priority if they are on a waitlist to invest and the company surpasses its maximum funding goal. They will have the first opportunity to invest should room in the offering become available if prior investments are cancelled or fail.
Investors will only receive a single bonus, which will be the highest bonus rate they are eligible for.
A crowdfunding investment involves risk. You should not invest any funds in this offering unless you can afford to lose your entire investment. In making an investment decision, investors must rely on their own examination of the issuer and the terms of the offering, including the merits and risks involved. These securities have not been recommended or approved by any federal or state securities commission or regulatory authority. Furthermore, these authorities have not passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this document. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission does not pass upon the merits of any securities offered or the terms of the offering, nor does it pass upon the accuracy or completeness of any offering document or literature. These securities are offered under an exemption from registration; however, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has not made an independent determination that these securities are exempt from registration.
[The following is an automated notice from the StartEngine team].
Hello!
As you might know, Gift of College has exceeded its minimum funding goal. When a company reaches its minimum on StartEngine, it's about to begin withdrawing funds. If you invested in Gift of College be on the lookout for an email that describes more about the disbursement process.
This campaign will continue to accept investments until its indicated closing date.
Thanks for funding the future.
-StartEngine
GiftCards.com shares its 2020 round-up of anything-but-ordinary gift cards—and our Gift of College card made the list!
5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became CEO
Get a behind-the-scenes look at Gift of College and CEO Wayne Weber's vision for a debt-free future in Authority Magazine.
Gift of College is excited to have been selected to be part of the Health and Wealth bundle from ADP Marketplace, providing a new way for employers to engage their workforce. And in our initial launch we added over a dozen new companies to our growing list of clients.
Learn more at adp.com/TakeCareofYourpeople
ADP Marketplace is a digital HR storefront that allows clients to create a highly customized, fully integrated HR ecosystem, with ADP® and third-party solutions. With hundreds of HR apps available, ADP Marketplace is the first and largest digital storefront for HR buyers today.
"Studies and trends have found that younger generations value experiences over material possessions. Kids don’t need fancy gifts; they need something that means something and adds real value to their lives." Proud to be featured in this excellent article from Forbes!
Forbes Press: Why You Should Give the Gift of College This Holiday Season
This holiday season 529 Education Gifting Programs like GiftofCollege.com are meeting the needs of families and friends looking to ecommerce channels for holiday gifts from the comfort of their homes. Having grown in availability and popularity over the last several years, online gifting tools, crowdfunding platforms, and e-gift cards make higher education savings as convenient as online shopping for material gifts, according to members of the *College Savings Foundation.
We are proud to be featured by the College Savings Foundation:
*The College Savings Foundation (CSF) is a Washington, D.C.- based not-for-profit organization helping American families achieve their education savings goals.
Innovetive Petcare, a veterinary management company of 21 animal practices across six states gives its employees a sense of security towards their education. Launching last March, every new mother and father employed by Innovetive Petcare receives a Gift of College gift card with an initial contribution to start their own 529 college savings plan.
“Innovetive Petcare wanted to partner with Gift of College to blaze the trail for other employers in the veterinary industry and create a movement to alleviate the student loan epidemic and lessen the emotional, professional, and financial stressors faced by veterinarians,” said Malia Rivera, Vice President of Innovetive Petcare. “By partnering with Gift of College, Innovetive Petcare employees can create automatic payroll deductions, they can easily pay down their student loans and contribute to their 529 college savings account.”
[The following is an automated notice from the StartEngine team].
Hello! Recently, a change was made to the Gift of College offering. Here's an excerpt describing the specifics of the change:
Gift of College removed Dan Schatt as board member
When live offerings undergo changes like these on StartEngine, the SEC requires that certain investments be reconfirmed. If your investment requires reconfirmation, you will be contacted by StartEngine via email with further instructions.
Have you explored our new app, Cashback for College?
Shop with Cashback for College and receive cashback to save or pay for college when you purchase gift cards at popular merchants like Walmart, CVS, Home Depot, Bed Bath & Beyond, Sephora, Foot Locker, and many more.
Earnings can be directed into any 529 college savings plan, student loan or 529 ABLE account via GiftofCollege.com.
“Our mission is to help families take control of their financial futures by making it easy to contribute to a college savings plan account or pay down student debt,” said Wayne Weber, CEO and founder, Gift of College. “Finding small and simple savings solutions that are already a part of everyday life can add up in a big way. When it comes to saving for college, every dollar counts.”
Available for both iOS and Android.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cashback-for-college/id1474130975
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.riseapps.cardcash.giftofcollege&hl=en_US
Gift of College believes everyone deserves an education and a future without student loan debt and that families don’t need to go it alone. Since 2008 Gift of College has helped thousands of individuals just like you save millions for advanced education and pay down their student loan debt faster. We are inspired by stories of how Gift of College has helped individuals and families plan for a better future.
MEET THE LIMAS --- a family of 5 who started using Gift of College in 2014 when their first two children were little. They’ve consistently received contributions from their family as gifts for holidays and other special occasions. When planning birthday and other celebrations, they always remember to include the shareable GiftofCollege.com profile link in invitations. Every year the kids receive almost $500 college savings contributions each from friends and extended family.
Gift of College is honored to help families just like the Limas, but they aren’t the only ones. Each one of you has a story of determination to create a future without student loan debt. It’s inspiring.
Hear what the Limas have to say about Gift of College:
Thank you for reviewing our company and for your questions.
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