Ithaca’s GiveGab raises $1.5 million in funding

ITHACA — GiveGab, a social network for volunteers, announced that it has raised $1.5 million in its first round of outside financing.

The volunteer-management software provider, based at 130 East State St. in Ithaca, said it will use the funding to expand its website capabilities and business-development efforts. That includes the launch of premium offerings and enhanced volunteer-management reporting, according to a news release GiveGab issued Wednesday.

The financing was led by Cayuga Venture Fund of Ithaca , and also included New York City–based Great Oaks Venture Capital, Rand Capital SBIC of Buffalo, and Excell Partners of Rochester.

GiveGab says its service is used by schools, nonprofits, and businesses that encourage people to volunteer in their communities. The company says it connects volunteers and nonprofit groups. The GiveGab site matches volunteers’ skills with volunteer opportunities, tracks volunteers’ working hours, and helps users compose volunteering résumés. Volunteer managers at nonprofits, universities, businesses, and clubs can also utilize GiveGab to operate programs and recruit new volunteers, according to the company.

“What LinkedIn has done for an individual’s professional career, GiveGab can do for their volunteering efforts. We are excited to be part of GiveGab’s success,” Ben Lin, managing partner at Great Oaks Venture Capital, said in the news release.

Charlie Mulligan is the CEO and co-founder of GiveGab. Before helping start the business, Mulligan worked as a board member for NEPA Community Health Care in Pennsylvania from 2008 to 2011 and as a marketing consultant for Corning Life Sciences in 2010. He also worked at the advertising publishing company Mulligan Printing Corp. as vice president of sales and marketing from 1999 to 2010. Mulligan holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Penn State University and a MBA from Cornell University.

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