Good deeds are often motivated by noble causes and ideas. At the same time, these same causes are more likely to succeed when provided sufficient resources to accomplish their goals. Knowing this, the Coffee Cabal is incorporated as a business that aims to generate our own income and become self-sustaining within two to three years. We believe that operating as a business provides us greater flexibility and the ability to operate without constraints.
Consumers have limited funds available for donations.Operating independently is important to us for many reasons. First, it takes away the requirement to engage in charitable fundraising, which can be just as difficult (if not more) than creating a source of income through a business venture. Second, many foundations and organizations provide grants on limited or specific conditions, dictating how an organization may use those funds. This is not necessarily negative given that there are many reasons for conditional giving, but we feel that our mission is best served when adhering to a unified vision and philosophy.
Last but not least, the ability to be self-sufficient is important to our organization because we dont wish to rely on donations to sustain our operation. Not only do donations come from a very limited pool, but even worthy organizations often run up short when they need funding the most. We want to both avoid adding more demand on donors as well as letting resources flow to more urgent causes.
The Business of Coffee.net
Though our organization (the Coffee Cabal) is an umbrella organization that encompasses a multitude of projects, our primary business revenues is derived off our Coffee.net project and website. Coffee.net aims to generate income primarily by advertisements, though there are plans for partnerships and group leverage opportunities as well. Our target audience are both residents and businesses in the greater Seattle area, which we define to be everything South of Lynnwood, North of Renton and West of Duvall. An easier definition can also simply be the high population centers of King County.
Our goal is to raise funds outside the normal fundraising scopeCurrently, Coffee.net has a strong focus on restaurant reviews, which serves as the main draw for the site in terms of both visitors and advertisers. The reason for entering this particular market was to offer a rating and review service to the residents of the Seattle area. Eating out has become increasingly popular over the years, with indications that the emerging and retiring generations have taken a keener and more selective attitude toward their dining habits.
Coffee.net focuses only on the Seattle area, simply because that is what we know. There are certainly large restaurant review sites on the internet, many of which have already covered the Seattle area, but none of those sites are actually based in Seattle. Our (humble) opinion is that we know our city fairly well - and hopefully better than a company operating out of the valley or in the Big Apple.
At the same time, we don't look at our readers as a mere vessel for advertisements or a means to an end. We're web citizens just like you. And like you, we don't appreciate inconsiderate actions on our behalf. That's why were determined to focus on writing insightful articles and building a good site as our top priority. You should have a good reason to come to Coffee.net and we want it worth your time. That way, everybody wins: you get something valuable, our advertisers get their message out and the charities get our support. That's why first and foremost, you matter the most to us.
Why use Coffee.net and not another site?
As previously mentioned, our goal is to focus solely on the greater Seattle restaurant scene. While we could make the reasonable rallying cry to support local business, we dont think thats a good enough reason on its own merit. The real reason to come to Coffee.net is multi-faceted.
Restaurant Reviews: We want to be a resource where your input is not only appreciated, but rewarded as well. Reviewers on our site will be rewarded in ways that make it worth your while to post your opinions. We cant succeed without you, so we recognize that you are a shareholder just like us. On top of that, were also passionate about designing the best possible browsing experience that makes it easy for you to find, rate and share restaurants.
Social Mission: As a social venture organization, all of our profits are being donated to charity, as well as a percentage of our revenues. The employees of the Coffee Cabal (currently three, of which two are paid) arent overpaid and work hard. Our operation is tight so we can run with the lowest reasonable overhead possible. A low expense profile funnels the most funds possible to the charities and non-profits that we support. Details of our financial expense and income records are made available at the end of the fiscal year, as well as records of donation amounts and organizations we have contributed to.
Yourself: Heres the big surprise. By reading and posting reviews, you already indirectly help charities by helping keeping our revenues flowing. But did you know that youll be helping yourself and possibly other charities in the process? Its true. Weve devised a system called Karma Points which enable you to use points as credits toward supporting some local charities or redeeming them for gear, organic coffee or restaurant gift certificates to name a few.
Seeing how were in it for the long haul, were working on giving you even more reasons to join Coffee.net. Those are secret projects for now, but they should cause some twinkles when we get them up and running. Lastly, if you have any feedback on what you think we can improve, let us know - were always receptive to your opinion!
