M2 Media Group - Best Computer Software Website

Company: M2 Media Group, Stamford, CT
Company Description: M2 Media Group is a Stamford, CT-based marketing technology company. Co-Founded in 2004 by Michael Borchetta and Michael Frank, M2 has 48 employees in its three offices of Stamford, CT, Huron, OH and Philadelphia, PA. M2 has been the recipient of several growth awards including by the Inc. 500, Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 and the Connecticut Technology Council Top 40.
Nomination Category: Web Achievement Categories - Industry
Nomination Sub Category: Computer Software

Nomination Title: Online Software Platform for Youth Fundraising

M2 Media Group is a marketing technology company that has developed an online software platform to enable youth organizations to run product sale fundraising campaigns more easily, efficiently and profitably. In May of 2019, M2 was awarded a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (No. 10,275,807) that covers valuable aspects of its fundraising platform and methods for utilizing avatars to create engagement through the campaign set up and via a personalized ecommerce experience.

The company’s proprietary platform is used by schools, teams and youth groups across the country, including those of national youth organizations like the Girl Scouts of the USA. Last year, the company’s software product became the exclusive licensed platform for Girl Scout fall campaigns, selling magazines, nuts and chocolates. Additionally, the platform was piloted with four of their largest councils in the spring to sell Girl Scout cookies. Further, leading school fundraising organizations, like World’s Finest Chocolates and Club’s Choice utilize the platform for their online school sales nationwide. This past year, the platform sold $85 million worth of product.

The customizable avatar is a critical component of the software, leading to higher engagement of kids’ participation and increased sales for the organization. The avatars are highly inclusive and add a personal touch that creates a connection between the child and the supporter (i.e., aunt, uncle, grandparents, family friends). Once created, the personalized avatar becomes part of a group photo, virtual yearbook, a digital room where kids receive awards for certain behavior or sales levels and incorporated into a personalized storefront and various social media promotional channels. In the Girl Scouts program, the avatar is used on a personalized patch if the girl reaches a certain sales volume.

In 2019, M2 had tremendous growth servicing all 110 Girl Scout councils nationwide, comprising 2.5 million scouts. The system integrates with the organization’s backend to easily manage the reconciliation of funds, awards, shipments and messaging across thousands of troops. We have worked with the Girl Scouts to incorporate the principles of their mission into our platform where girls learn and practice the Five Skills as they setup and promote their site: goalsetting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics.

Additionally, the M2 operating system (M2OS) is mobile-optimized, so you can create custom avatars, send emails, etc., on your tablet or smartphone. As door-to-door and in-person fundraising has been hit hard during the pandemic, our online platform has been able to provide a safe environment to overcome decreased fundraising efforts.