CrowdRise, Ed Norton's Charitable Social Network, Raises $23 Million

While his films have gone on to garner millions at the box office, Fight Club actor Edward Norton just scored a knockout punch of his own in the startup sphere.

CrowdRise, a website founded by Norton and three colleagues, which fuses social networking with charitable activism, has pocketed $23 million in its third round of fundraising.

The round was led by Fred Wilson and Union Square Ventures, which is notable as Wilson was an initial backer of crowdsourcing forerunner Kickstarter, reports TechCrunch.

Initially developed as a platform to raise money when Norton himself pledged to run the New York City Marathon in 2009 for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, CrowdRise’s seed round in 2011 attracted star investors such as Chris Sacca and Jack Dorsey.

Related: Why Fraudsters Won't Sink Equity Crowdfunding

In signing up, users create a profile page to raise money for either themselves or for charity. After setting fiscal goals, the site encourages members to reach out to potential donors via email, Facebook and Twitter, as well as to dole out fundraising incentives -- “dye your hair blue,” for instance.

For Subscribers

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

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Also aimed to rally contributions -- and as a wink at the ‘Like’ culture ubiquitous on Facebook today -- is the company’s slogan, IYDGBNOWLY, which stands for “If you don’t give back, no one will like you.”

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

As part of its social component, users traffic in CIPs, or CrowdRise Impact Points. For every $1 that they raise or donate, members receive 10 CIPS, which they can then redeem for CrowdRise-branded merchandise (50,000 points for a hoodie) or even a feature spot on the site’s homepage (150,000 points.)

The for-profit company charges fees of one percent for users raising money for personal use (medical expenses or volunteer trips, for example), and fees of between three and five percent for users raising money for charity.

Related: How to Make Giving a Part of Your Company Culture