Charity Vine is a new company based in South Plainfield, NJ, that was developed to help raise money online to support the families of fallen and injured first responders. Its innovative revenue source will be a combination of crowdfunding and crowdsourcing. It is scheduled to officially launch this month.

People can use Charity Vine to raise money for a certain cause or they can raise money to help fund an invention or start-up, with fees 25% less than other websites, according to the CEO. "But the main impetus for starting this website was to help raise money for those killed in the line of duty," says Peter Magnani, CEO of Charity Vine and an active police officer. "I have really been sickened over the events of the past couple years and thought someone needed to step up and help."

LINE OF DUTY DEATHS:

For any first responder (police, fire, EMS) killed in the line of duty, CharityVine will launch a campaign to raise money for the family of the fallen hero. The campaign will run for one month with a goal of $100,000 (but not limited to $100,000). "If every officer donated just $1, we could smash that goal and really make a difference for the families," says Magnani. "Charity Vine will also donate 100% of our fees back to the family so we will not keep a single dime. We will deliver a check to the union president/delegate (or the chief of police if a union doesn't exist in that area) who can then present the check to the family on our behalf."

LINE OF DUTY INJURY:

For first responders injured in the line of duty, Charity Vine will launch a campaign for that injured person. Line of duty injury will be defined as significant injury. This will be done on a case by case basis. This is meant to be a debilitating injury that seriously affects income or their capabilities to return to work. Charity Vine will donate 40% of its fees to the person injured in the line of duty.

CHARITIES:

Charity Vine is also giving charities a new way of raising money. This can include state or local PBAs, FOPs, and fire unions. "Instead of other websites that charge up to 10% for charities to raise money on their sites, we are going to charge a flat rate of 2% which is half of our normal fee," Magnani says. To register your police or fire union with Charity Vine, you can send an email to charities@charityvine.com.

CONTACT:

In the event of a line-of-duty death or injury, Charity Vine will rely on local unions and/or departments to contact the organization within a couple days of the incident. Starting a campaign shortly after the incident, will dramatically increase the chances of meeting fundraising goals for the families, Magnani emphasizes.

Representatives of the union/department can contact Charity Vine at firstresponders@charityvine.com. Information needed will include photos of the first responder, name, rank, brief description of incident, family information (children's ages, spouse name, etc.), along with contact information for the department. One of Charity Vine's first responder liaisons, also police officers, will be in contact shortly after receiving the initial request for the campaign.

Any police officer wishing to be notified of new campaigns for line of duty deaths or injuries can visit www.charityvine.com/firstresponders and sign up with their email address. his registration will only be for line of duty deaths and injuries and will not be used for any other purpose.

"I really hope this will help the families affected by these tragedies," says Magnani. "This will give our active officers a way to contribute to these families and ensure an easier future."