For Sarah Murray, Concerted is an idea roughly a decade in the making. The tech-centered startup and nonprofit, now finally off the ground with a key local partnership to boot, aims to connect people in a unique way: Its platform allows you to bank volunteer hours and then cash those in for free concert tickets and more.
Murray, Concerted’s executive director, said the time is right to launch the idea. Concerted, months into its platform launch, is already eyeing new markets outside of Cincinnati for 2023.
“When I look at the world today, I see a lot of disconnection, a lot of depression, a lot of anxiety. And it’s real,” Murray told me. “A lot of that has to do with a lack of human connection in real life. There is a scientific link to volunteerism and a sense of connectedness. It’s the same with music and live events.”
How it works: Concerted is already working with about 100 nonprofit partners in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, and those organizations post volunteer opportunities on its platform.
People in the community can sign up to work (all hours are validated by said nonprofit partners), then cash in those hours to attend music shows, fine arts and sporting events.
Each event requires a certain number of volunteer hours, based on the cost of the ticket. Murray said that figure is based on a national study that put the value of a volunteer’s time at $30 an hour. A ticket to a Cincinnati Cyclones hockey game, for example, typically runs $15 (so volunteering for one hour gets two entries). A Kendrick Lamar concert ticket, meanwhile, priced at $90, would require three hours of service.
Murray said the goal is to connect people to the things they love while also tapping them into what’s happening in their community.
“Some folks might not have the money to go to something, but they might have the time, so we’re using service as social currency,” she said. “Live events are really a beautiful thing, to have so many people from different walks of life at a singular event sharing that experience together. We want to democratize access.”
Concerted blends Murray’s prior experience in the nonprofit, music and tech sectors.
Murray, an Omaha, Neb. native and Covington transplant, worked for two years as a professional volunteer with AmeriCorps post-college, before taking posts at different music labels, including Warner Music Group and Saddle Creek Records. Murray’s last position was as a product manager at Blue Ash-based insurtech startup Coterie.
She founded Concerted in 2021, and the company’s formal software/platform launch followed in November 2022, alongside its announced partnership with MEMI, Music and Event Management Inc., the promoters behind the Andrew J. Brady Music Center at the Banks, Taft Theatre, Riverbend, PNC Pavilion and more.
MEMI becomes Concerted’s premier music partner, meaning volunteers get access to MEMI-sponsored shows.
Murray said other partnerships are pending, which will open up new event genres, from comedy shows to National Football League and Major League Baseball games.
Those partnerships will help Concerted expand to new markets, she said, starting in the second quarter of this year.
“We’ll be expanding pretty quickly,” Murray said. “There’s a need.”
Concerted currently holds office at Gather Cincy, a coworking space in East Walnut Hills, and is an eight-person operation, although Murray is its only full-time employee (she has heavy-hitters from companies like Spotify and Disney working as contractors). The organization is currently backed by the Haile Foundation and the Greater Cincinnati Foundation.
Eventually, Murray said Concerted will offer exclusive content featuring artists, both Cincinnati-based and national, as an additional revenue stream.
Concerted continues to seek out nonprofits to post volunteer needs. Its current roster includes Last Mile Food Rescue, Hoxworth Blood Center and Santa Maria Community Service in Price Hill, among others. Murray said the goal is to partner with organizations throughout the city so there are volunteer opportunities in every neighborhood.
Last Mile co-founder and executive director Julie Shifman called its Concerted partnership a no-brainer. Last Mile, which collects perishable food from businesses and delivers it to nearby soup kitchens, shelters, food pantries and more, needs an additional 500 volunteers this year as it expands its footprint north and east. In 2022, the nonprofit worked with 800 different volunteers, many who perform rescues weekly.
“It's a very interesting, creative idea that will absolutely encourage volunteerism,” Shifman said. “If somebody's on the fence, this might be the one thing that (moves them off). It's only a positive, and it’s a great opportunity to reach new people.”
