Volu seeks to help nonprofits better manage volunteers

SYRACUSE — Chris McCarthy, CEO of Volu, Inc., is on a nationwide road trip spreading the word and seeking feedback about the company that he and his business partner are working to build at the Syracuse Tech Garden.

McCarthy and COO Anthony (AJ) Richichi launched Volu, Inc., a business that’s building a volunteer-management platform, in January.

“What we’re really trying to do is not reinvent the volunteering process, but use technology to make it more efficient and make volunteer coordinators’ jobs … easier,” says McCarthy.

Both McCarthy and Richichi spoke with CNYBJ on April 29 at the Syracuse Tech Garden.

Both men co-own the firm, but McCarthy is the majority owner. They declined to disclose their respective ownership shares. 

Volu currently has seven part-time employees, including the owners.

Richichi also operates Chronicle Me (CMe) in the same venue, and McCarthy has served as the chief technology officer for that firm since June 2014.

ChronicleMe is a social network that allows users to post anonymously and only receive positive feedback from other users.

They were both working on Chronicle Me when they started pursuing the idea for Volu.

“[Volu] still today is [a] nights and weekends project,” says Richichi.

Road trip

McCarthy started his 100-day road trip with his dog on May 1 in Albany, then traveled up to Maine. 

From there, the trip includes visits to cities along the East Coast and Florida. The trip then shifts to the west with stops in New Orleans and communities in Texas and Colorado. 

His drive will continue to Southern California with visits in communities along the Pacific Coast.

“We’re going to meet with nonprofit organizations and attend volunteer events,” says McCarthy. 

The trip is not a “sales” trip, he notes.

“We’re really looking to get feedback and find out how we can best serve these organizations and build the best possible product,” McCarthy says.

Financing

Volu on April 11 won $5,000 through Syracuse University’s (SU) Raymond von Dran IDEA competition, which “will cover most of the cost of the trip,” says McCarthy.

IDEA is short for Innovation and Disruptive Entrepreneurship Accelerator, according to SU’s IDEA website.

McCarthy says he is also an “avid” backpacker and camper, so Volu will “keep costs low” by avoiding hotels and motels.

The Volu idea has also generated funding from other contests.

Volu recently won a first-prize award of $10,000 in the New York Business Plan Competition. 

“We would like to put most of that toward hiring additional developers to build the platform, but in the case that … it rains more than I expected [during the trip]… that’ll be our rainy-day fund,” he adds.

CenterState CEO on May 11 announced Volu is among the first group of companies admitted to the Germinator business competition. Volu begins the contest with a $10,000 investment.

When asked about the startup’s fundraising effort, McCarthy contended that it’s “going really, really well.”

“We do not anticipate having to secure additional funding for at least the next six months to a year,” he added.

He declined to name any specific investors or companies that are supporting Volu’s effort.

Origin

Nonprofit organizations that McCarthy and Richichi had worked with a local civic-engagement task force approached the pair as they were having a “hard time” managing their volunteers, says McCarthy.

“[The nonprofits] knew that we had experience working with web technology and mobile applications,” says McCarthy.

They did some research and didn’t find any platforms that focused on the problem. The business partners also talked with area nonprofits and “discovered where 

the real need was,” says McCarthy.

“These organizations spend a lot of time and administrative overhead trying to get a hold of volunteers, trying to recruit volunteers, follow-up with volunteers, and eventually record the hours that they end up volunteering,” he adds.

They also spoke with Marianne Ferris, director of leadership development at the United Way of Central New York, who gave them a list of United Ways across the country that she recommended they contact.

“We’ve probably met with over 20 organizations so far,” says Richichi, speaking on April 29.

Most are located in Central New York, but he’s also spoken with people familiar with nonprofits operating in Baltimore, McCarthy adds.

Volu is useable as of now in its online form, says McCarthy, noting that decision was “calculated” because it’s a business-to-business model. 

They figure people will use it at their desks and the volunteer coordinators who will use it the most are older and may not use mobile phones as much as younger people.

Volu wants to have a mobile platform in six months to a year, which will “streamline” the most frequently used tasks.

About the owners

McCarthy grew up in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania (near Philadelphia) and graduated from Syracuse University (SU) in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.

He started working at Upstate Medical University, including a job analyzing images of the brain, he says. He’s currently pursuing a master’s degree in information management and data sciences from SU.

McCarthy started working with Chronicle Me last summer.

Richichi, a Skaneateles native, graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire. While a student there, Richichi worked in the office of U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R–N.H.) and also secured funding that helped him launch Chronicle Me. Richichi didn’t pursue a college education, he says.        

SYRACUSE — Chris McCarthy, CEO of Volu, Inc., is on a nationwide road trip spreading the word and seeking feedback about the company that he and his business partner are working to build at the Syracuse Tech Garden.

McCarthy and COO Anthony (AJ) Richichi launched Volu, Inc., a business that’s building a volunteer-management platform, in January.

“What we’re really trying to do is not reinvent the volunteering process, but use technology to make it more efficient and make volunteer coordinators’ jobs … easier,” says McCarthy.

Both McCarthy and Richichi spoke with CNYBJ on April 29 at the Syracuse Tech Garden.

Both men co-own the firm, but McCarthy is the majority owner. They declined to disclose their respective ownership shares. 

Volu currently has seven part-time employees, including the owners.

Richichi also operates Chronicle Me (CMe) in the same venue, and McCarthy has served as the chief technology officer for that firm since June 2014.

ChronicleMe is a social network that allows users to post anonymously and only receive positive feedback from other users.

They were both working on Chronicle Me when they started pursuing the idea for Volu.

“[Volu] still today is [a] nights and weekends project,” says Richichi.

Road trip

McCarthy started his 100-day road trip with his dog on May 1 in Albany, then traveled up to Maine. 

From there, the trip includes visits to cities along the East Coast and Florida. The trip then shifts to the west with stops in New Orleans and communities in Texas and Colorado. 

His drive will continue to Southern California with visits in communities along the Pacific Coast.

“We’re going to meet with nonprofit organizations and attend volunteer events,” says McCarthy. 

The trip is not a “sales” trip, he notes.

“We’re really looking to get feedback and find out how we can best serve these organizations and build the best possible product,” McCarthy says.

Financing

Volu on April 11 won $5,000 through Syracuse University’s (SU) Raymond von Dran IDEA competition, which “will cover most of the cost of the trip,” says McCarthy.

IDEA is short for Innovation and Disruptive Entrepreneurship Accelerator, according to SU’s IDEA website.

McCarthy says he is also an “avid” backpacker and camper, so Volu will “keep costs low” by avoiding hotels and motels.

The Volu idea has also generated funding from other contests.

Volu recently won a first-prize award of $10,000 in the New York Business Plan Competition. 

“We would like to put most of that toward hiring additional developers to build the platform, but in the case that … it rains more than I expected [during the trip]… that’ll be our rainy-day fund,” he adds.

CenterState CEO on May 11 announced Volu is among the first group of companies admitted to the Germinator business competition. Volu begins the contest with a $10,000 investment.

When asked about the startup’s fundraising effort, McCarthy contended that it’s “going really, really well.”

“We do not anticipate having to secure additional funding for at least the next six months to a year,” he added.

He declined to name any specific investors or companies that are supporting Volu’s effort.

Origin

Nonprofit organizations that McCarthy and Richichi had worked with a local civic-engagement task force approached the pair as they were having a “hard time” managing their volunteers, says McCarthy.

“[The nonprofits] knew that we had experience working with web technology and mobile applications,” says McCarthy.

They did some research and didn’t find any platforms that focused on the problem. The business partners also talked with area nonprofits and “discovered where 

the real need was,” says McCarthy.

“These organizations spend a lot of time and administrative overhead trying to get a hold of volunteers, trying to recruit volunteers, follow-up with volunteers, and eventually record the hours that they end up volunteering,” he adds.

They also spoke with Marianne Ferris, director of leadership development at the United Way of Central New York, who gave them a list of United Ways across the country that she recommended they contact.

“We’ve probably met with over 20 organizations so far,” says Richichi, speaking on April 29.

Most are located in Central New York, but he’s also spoken with people familiar with nonprofits operating in Baltimore, McCarthy adds.

Volu is useable as of now in its online form, says McCarthy, noting that decision was “calculated” because it’s a business-to-business model. 

They figure people will use it at their desks and the volunteer coordinators who will use it the most are older and may not use mobile phones as much as younger people.

Volu wants to have a mobile platform in six months to a year, which will “streamline” the most frequently used tasks.

About the owners

McCarthy grew up in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania (near Philadelphia) and graduated from Syracuse University (SU) in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.

He started working at Upstate Medical University, including a job analyzing images of the brain, he says. He’s currently pursuing a master’s degree in information management and data sciences from SU.

McCarthy started working with Chronicle Me last summer.

Richichi, a Skaneateles native, graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire. While a student there, Richichi worked in the office of U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R–N.H.) and also secured funding that helped him launch Chronicle Me. Richichi didn’t pursue a college education, he says.