Web designer creates non-profit sponsorship site

By Mary Thurwachter While working as the webmaster for the Jewish Federation in Boca Raton, Rosston Meyer noticed how big name donors were recognized with their names on conference rooms and buildings. He wanted to find a way for people who weren’t affluent to be recognized for their support. It took a few years after leaving that job for Meyer to launch Sponsorist.com, a networking website for people and organizations searching for the perfect sponsor. Sponsorist, which offers free listings to non-profits, gives people the chance to browse through the website, link with sponsors and select a percentage that will automatically go to a charity of the listing user’s choice. Now that there is a virtual marketplace for sponsors, charities, and all things non-profit, people are given the chance to buy sponsors (at a reasonable rate) for practically anything, he said. Since launching late last year, the site has been featured on CNNMoney.com and in The Wall Street Journal. His site was named one of the top “Killer Start Ups” of 2011 by killerstartups.com. Working with a sales team, Meyer, who operates his business from home, is building the site’s presence in Florida by seeking events to be listed and then matching sponsors with those events. “We are also integrating new features into the site by year’s end including better sharing on social networks, embeddable widgets and geolocation,” he said. “Feedback has been good,” he said. “This is one of the best times ever to start a tech company.” Meyer’s full-time job is designing and developing websites. He has built sites for the Boca Center, Atlas Party Rental and several restaurants in Miami Beach. Born in Chicago, Meyer was a toddler when his family moved to Wellington. He was an English major in college and taught himself much of what he knows about computers. Education: Bachelor of Arts in English from University of Florida. Age: 32. Personal: Single. Lives in West Palm Beach. Hobbies: Playing guitar, art, biking. Career highlight: Being featured on CNN and in The Wall Street Journal. Favorite quote: “How accidental our existences are, really, and how full of influence by circumstance.” – Louis I. Kahn Click here to view the original article on PalmBeachPost.com  

Web designer creates non-profit sponsorship site

I wrote a guest post on the Miami Herald’s Starting Gate blog about some of the challenges that entrepreneurs not living in Miami face. Thank you to the other Broward and Palm Beach based entrepreneurs that commented on the article. View the original post here.

View from a Road Warrior: Building a tri-county tech community

Rentals Unlimited is New England’s premier event rental resource. With 6 locations in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, Rentals Unlimited has been the go-to company for event planners in the Boston area since 2004. Rosstamicah Design worked with the Rentals team to redesign their entire website, featuring a wish list system that lets event organizers create a quote request from over 5000 event rental products. The site is built with the Joomla content management systems and also features sections for the team, locations, news and press for the company.

Sponsorist was featured as one of BizBash.com’s  ‘5 New Digital Services That Connect Events and Sponsors‘ http://www.bizbash.com/sponsorist/gallery/103374 “Sponsorship is a critical issue for planners and brands. Whether the event is a community festival or a global technology conference, sponsors add dollars to the bottom line for the organizer. For the brands, event sponsorship can create strategic marketing opportunities to reach a target demographic. Here’s a look at five services working to simplify and improve the business of sponsorship sales. 3. Founder Rosston Meyer describes Sponsorist as being similar to Kickstarter: The platform makes it easy for anyone—individuals or businesses of any size—to sponsor events, nonprofits, schools, and sports teams. He launched the site in November 2011 and currently has more than 100 listings of events and groups looking for funding. Planners can create a listing for free, which includes the event’s date, location, description, and sponsorship opportunities. Meyer reviews each one before making it live.