Scot Chisholm

Scot Chisholm
Born(1981-06-15)June 15, 1981
EducationUMass Amherst
University of Manchester
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur, Investor, Industrial Engineer
Known forClassy, GoFundMe, Northstar Operating System, Highland, Haskill Creek, Save Farmland
SpouseCarolyn Garner Chisholm
Children2 sons
Websitehttps://scotchisholm.com/

Scot Chisholm (born June 15, 1981) is an American entrepreneur who founded the software company Classy - a San Diego-based Benefit corporation that creates fundraising tools for nonprofit organizations. Chisholm was named one of Glassdoor's 'Highest Rated CEOs' in 2017 for small and medium-sized businesses, and served as CEO until 2021.[1] In 2022, Classy was acquired by GoFundMe.[2] As of 2024, the companies had raised over $30 billion for individual and nonprofit causes.[3][4]

Chisholm is the creator of the Northstar Operating System, a business operating system (BOS) used by startups and small businesses.

Chisholm also founded Highland, a community for startup founders, Haskill Creek,[5] a modern drug store chain, and Save Farmland, a nonprofit that protects farmland and ranch land.[6] He is the co-owner of Albion Soccer Club, a youth soccer franchise in the United States, with partner Noah Gins.[7]

Early life

Chisholm was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts to Debra and Paul Chisholm. After attending Hingham High School, he graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 2004 with a degree in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research with a Mechanical Engineering concentration.[8][9] During his time at college, Chisholm met Pat Walsh, who would later become one of the co-founders of Classy.[10]

Career

Early career

After attending college, Chisholm moved to San Diego, CA and joined management consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton. He served as a senior consultant on the Economic and Business Analysis Team from 2004 through 2007, and helped create the Lean Six Sigma practice at the firm.[11]

Classy

In 2006, Chisholm founded Classy with Pat Walsh, which originally started as a charity pub crawl to raise money for cancer research.[12][13] The event was called the Stay Classy Pacific Beach Pub Crawl, inspired by the movie Anchorman with Will Ferrell.[14] Over the next several years, Chisholm and friends hosted many fundraising events to raise money for local nonprofit organizations in the San Diego area.[15]

In 2011, Chisholm and team launched the Classy software platform to all nonprofit organizations in the United States. Early customers included Team Rubicon, Shriners Hospitals for Children and The Salvation Army. Classy was also the donation platform for Kony 2012, an American documentary film produced by Invisible Children, Inc.

In 2016 Classy was named to "The World's Most Innovative Companies in Social Good" by Fast Company, and to the "100 Brilliant Companies" list by Entrepreneur Magazine. In January 2021, Classy announced that nonprofits were raising over $1 billion on the platform annually.[16]

Chisholm helped Classy raise over $200M from investors including Bullpen Capital, Salesforce Ventures, Mithril Capital, JMI Capital and Norwest Venture Partners.[17][18][19][20][21]

In January 2022, Classy was acquired by GoFundMe and Chisholm became an advisor of the company.[22]

Haskill Creek

In 2021, Chisholm launched Haskill Creek with his wife, Carrie, and high school friend Craig McViney.[23] The concept started as a modern apothecary carrying herbal products and cannabis, but later spun out as a holistic health retailer competing with CVS & Walgreens.[24] Haskill Creek now offers wellness products ranging from premium supplements to organic beauty supplies. Its first stores are located in Montana.[25]

Save Farmland

In 2021 the owners of Haskill Creek painted “Save Farmland” on the side of their building to raise awareness for the disappearing farmland across Flathead County, Montana.[26] In 2022, Chisholm launched Save Farmland, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on protecting agricultural land.[27][28]

Highland

In 2024, Chisholm launched Highland, a private community and leadership accelerator for startup founders.[29] The program provides curriculum, coaching and a community of peers.

Board roles

Chisholm served as Board Director from 2011 to 2015 at Team Rubicon, which connects skilled military veterans with medical professionals to form teams that respond better to disaster situations.[30][31]

Chisholm served as a Board Director from 2017 to 2021 at Street Soccer USA, a nonprofit organization that uses sports to improve health, education, and employment outcomes for disadvantaged Americans.[32]

Chisholm serves as Board Director at Abundant Montana, a nonprofit organization that connects Montanans with local food and farms.

Chisholm serves as Board Director at Save Farmland, a agricultural conservation nonprofit that he founded in 2022.[33]

Since 2015, he has served as Board Director and investor at San Francisco City Football Club, one of the first social enterprise-based, semi-professional soccer clubs in the United States.[34]

Recognition

In 2011, Chisholm was named by Businessweek as one of the 'Top 5 Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs in America'.

In 2017, he was named 'Top Rated CEO' in the United States for small and medium-sized businesses by Glassdoor.[35]

In 2018, he was named an Ernst & Young 'Entrepreneur of the Year' finalist.[36]

Chisholm was recognized as one of the '500 Most Influential Business Leaders in San Diego' by San Diego Business Journal in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.[37]

In 2024, Chisholm was named a 'Top Executive Coach' by Real Leaders, as part of the Real Leaders Impact Awards.[38]

References

  1. ^ "Highest Rated CEOs at SMBs 2017 | Glassdoor". www.glassdoor.com. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  2. ^ Silberling, Amanda (2022-01-13). "GoFundMe acquires Classy, a nonprofit giving platform". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2022-11-13.
  3. ^ "GoFundMe says $30 billion has been raised on its crowdfunding and nonprofit giving platforms". AP News. 2024-02-06. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  4. ^ "How GoFundMe Raised $30B in Crowdfunded Donations". Observer. 2024-02-06. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  5. ^ "Fundraising to Save Farmland". Flathead Beacon. 2022-05-26. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  6. ^ ENGLAND, WHITNEY (2021-11-17). "Save Farmland nonprofit aims to protect agricultural land while promoting small farming". Whitefish Pilot. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  7. ^ "ALBION PROS BECOMES ASC SAN DIEGO - KICKS OFF THIRD SEASON • SoccerToday". SoccerToday. 2018-03-07. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  8. ^ "Scot Chisholm: Executive Profile & Biography - Bloomberg". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  9. ^ "A CEO shares the best-kept secret about startups". Business Insider. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  10. ^ "Engineering Alums Come Home to Massachusetts for Biennial Conference | College of Engineering | UMass Amherst". engineering.umass.edu. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  11. ^ "Raising Money for Nonprofits on Shoestring Budgets | College of Engineering | UMass Amherst". engineering.umass.edu. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  12. ^ "San Diego startup Classy corrals $118m for software to help nonprofits with digital fundraising". San Diego Union-Tribune. 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  13. ^ Trahant, Grant (21 May 2019). "Interview with the Founder of Classy on Raising $50 Million to Build Technology That Deploys Digital Innovation Into Nonprofits - Causeartist". causeartist.com. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  14. ^ Becoming an Empowered Citizen - Cause/Action: Scot Chisholm at TEDxSanDiego, retrieved 2022-10-17
  15. ^ Gordon, Justin. "The Biggest Startup You've Never Heard Of". Just Go Grind. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  16. ^ Classy. "Nonprofits Raised $1 Billion in 2020 on Classy Platform". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  17. ^ "Classy Gets $18 Million In Class B Funding". The NonProfit Times. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  18. ^ Kolodny, Lora (2016-11-01). "Classy raises $30 million to help nonprofits raise donations, make a greater impact". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  19. ^ jhaxell (2021-04-26). "Classy scores $118m Series D to continue product development of fundraising technology". FinTech Global. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  20. ^ Chisholm, Scot (2014-09-08). "We're In Great Company: Salesforce.com Invests in Classy". Classy. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  21. ^ jmi_ppob5p (2016-11-01). "Classy Raises $30 Million to Help Social Enterprises Scale Their Impact". JMI Equity. Retrieved 2024-12-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ Silberling, Amanda (2022-01-13). "GoFundMe acquires Classy, a nonprofit giving platform". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  23. ^ Dresser, Maggie (2022-05-26). "Fundraising to Save Farmland". Flathead Beacon. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  24. ^ ENGLAND, WHITNEY (2021-11-17). "Save Farmland nonprofit aims to protect agricultural land while promoting small farming". Whitefish Pilot. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  25. ^ Dresser, Maggie (2024-06-25). "High-Class Cannabis". Flathead Beacon. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  26. ^ "About". Save Farmland. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  27. ^ None (2022-07-15). "Save Farmland nonprofit partners with Under the Big Sky Festival". Daily Inter Lake. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  28. ^ Chisholm, Scot (2024-12-02). "(Re) Introducing Save Farmland". Save Farmland. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  29. ^ Gordon, Justin. "The Biggest Startup You've Never Heard Of". Just Go Grind. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  30. ^ "Paul Martino, Serial Entrepreneur & VC @Bullpen Capital, investors in Marketo, Zynga, Desk.com, Udemy, etc. & Scot Chisholm, CEO of Classy & Angel Investor". Eventful. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  31. ^ Magee, Christine (30 June 2015). "Making Nonprofits SaaS-Savvy, Classy Raises $18 Million". TechCrunch. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  32. ^ "Street Soccer USA | Our Boards". www.streetsoccerusa.org. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  33. ^ Chisholm, Scot (2024-12-02). "(Re) Introducing Save Farmland". Save Farmland. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  34. ^ "Presenting Classy, Street Soccer USA, and Campaign Monitor, our 2015 jersey partners! | San Francisco City FC". sfcityfc.com. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  35. ^ "Highest Rated CEOs at SMBs". Glassdoor. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  36. ^ "Classy CEO Up for EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Award". Classy. 2018-05-22. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  37. ^ staff-author (2018-01-08). "SD 500: Scot Chisholm". San Diego Business Journal. Retrieved 2022-10-17. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  38. ^ "Top Executive Coaches 2024 List - Real Leaders". 2023-10-21. Retrieved 2024-12-20.