A cause-backed access network
Get the meeting.Move a cause forward.
Ask an expert, pitch someone specific, or trade time. Ten minutes starts at $20, with $50 suggested — and seventy percent supports the cause chosen by the person giving the time.
Nobody is charged until the person receiving the request says yes and picks the nonprofit.
You receive a consultation in connection with this payment. No representation is made that any portion is tax deductible. Consult your tax advisor.
Three ways in
One exchange, three starting points.
Every mode runs on the same rules: the person giving the time chooses the nonprofit, the terms are agreed before any charge, and the grant is released after the meeting actually happens.
Pitch for a Cause
Name the person you want to reach — a buyer, an investor, a candidate, a donor. They decide whether to accept, which nonprofit benefits, and whether the terms work.
- You bring
- A clear ask and a verified payment method
- They bring
- 10 to 60 minutes of listening or feedback
- Money
- Charged after they accept and choose a cause
Ask an Expert
Browse a profile or open a direct link, bring one real question, and book the time. The advisor’s cause is shown before you pay.
- You bring
- One question and a desired outcome
- They bring
- 10 to 60 minutes of advice
- Money
- Charged at checkout, granted after completion
Trade Ten
Two people, one meeting, ten minutes each way. No payment required — either person can still add a cause-backed contribution on top.
- You bring
- Ten minutes for them
- They bring
- Ten minutes for you
- Money
- None, unless someone chooses to add it
Pitch for a Cause · the sequence
Consent first. Then a cause. Then payment.
The order matters, and it is enforced by the platform rather than by etiquette. Nothing is charged and no calendar is exposed until the person you are approaching has agreed to the terms.
Say who, why, and how long
Write one clear ask, choose a length, and verify a payment method so the request arrives funded. Verifying is not a charge.
They accept, counter, or decline
They can also block or report — without creating a profile. If they accept, they pick the eligible nonprofit that will receive the grant.
You confirm the agreed terms
The accepted length, amount and cause are locked to the version they agreed to. Checkout shows the gross, the 70%, and the 30%.
TradeTen books the time
Open slots appear only after payment. TradeTen creates one calendar invitation and one Google Meet link for both of you.
The pricing ladder
Ten is the unit,
not the ceiling.
Every paid meeting is priced in ten-minute units. The platform floor is $20 per unit and the standard suggestion is $50. An advisor may require more; a requester may contribute more. Book five units and the hour is yours — the final ten minutes are included.
| Meeting | Billable units | Platform minimum | Standard suggestion |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 minutes | 1 | $20 | $50 |
| 20 minutes | 2 | $40 | $100 |
| 30 minutes | 3 | $60 | $150 |
| 40 minutes | 4 | $80 | $200 |
| 60 minutesFinal ten minutes included | 5 | $100 | $250 |
Where the money goes
Seventy, thirty,
and nothing hidden.
Seventy percent of the gross payment is allocated for a grant to the eligible nonprofit chosen by the person giving their time. Thirty percent is retained by Giving Forward for operations — payment processing, verification, scheduling, support and grant administration. Advisors never receive the payment.
The advisor is not paid
There is no advisor payout, commission or 1099. The time is volunteered; the money follows the cause they selected.
The cause is recorded at checkout
The organization’s legal name and EIN are captured when you pay. If the advisor changes causes later, your grant still follows the one you saw.
Released after the meeting
Payment is taken at checkout and held from grant release in Giving Forward’s internal ledger until the meeting is confirmed complete. It is not escrow.
A recommendation, not an earmark
You recommend the displayed nonprofit. Giving Forward retains final legal discretion and control over every grant, including if an organization loses eligibility.
Paid monthly, in batches
Released allocations are granted to each organization by EIN on a monthly schedule, with a $25 minimum that rolls forward.
No tax promise
You received a consultation in connection with your payment, so TradeTen does not represent any portion as tax deductible. Your receipt says exactly that.
If someone approaches you
You hold every lever that matters.
A targeted request is a question, not access. Until you say yes, the requester cannot charge anything, cannot see your availability, and cannot reach you again if you decline.
- Consent
Nothing happens without your yes. You can accept, counter the length and amount, decline, block or report — and you never need a public profile to do it.
- The cause
You choose the nonprofit. Search by name or EIN. The organization must be eligible when you pick it, when payment is made, and when the grant is paid.
- Funding
“Payment method verified” is not a payment. It means the requester committed to an amount before asking for your attention. No money moves, and no donation exists, until you accept.
- Calendar
Availability only, never contents. Connecting Google or Microsoft lets TradeTen find open slots. No one sees your event titles, attendees, descriptions or locations.
- Scope
Payment buys time, not an outcome. Listening to a pitch is not a purchase decision, an endorsement, a referral, an investment, or any duty to continue the conversation.
For nonprofits
A page your supporters can give from.
Every eligible organization has a cause hub built from public IRS eligibility data. Claim it with a verified representative and it becomes a recruiting surface: the professionals who chose your cause, the expertise you are looking for, and a link your board and donors can share.
Experts appear by consent
Choosing your cause does not publish anyone. An advisor opts in separately, and is labeled an independent supporter — a listing never implies employment or endorsement.
Ask for what you need
Publish short, pre-scoped expertise needs so a participating professional can answer with a consultation instead of guessing how to help.
Curate without overriding
Feature, reorder or hide a listing on your own page. You cannot edit an advisor’s profile, offer or chosen cause — and neither can anyone else on your behalf.
Reporting that respects privacy
See visits, roster growth, bookings, completed minutes, pending allocations and released grants. Questions, meeting links and payer identities stay private.
The access guarantee
We guarantee the meeting,
not the answer.
If the person who agreed to give their time does not appear, you are rescheduled or refunded. Disagreeing with the advice — or hearing no to your pitch — is not a service failure. During the pilot we publish signals you can check, not a star average built on too few meetings.
Questions
The things people ask first.
Is my payment tax deductible?
TradeTen does not represent any portion of your payment as tax deductible. You receive a consultation in connection with the payment, and a benefit received in exchange is not a charitable contribution. Your receipt shows the amount, the advisor, the duration, the recommended nonprofit and the 70/30 allocation, and directs you to your own tax advisor.
What exactly does the payment buy?
The agreed meeting opportunity — a specific person, for a specific number of minutes, at a scheduled time. It does not buy a sale, an introduction, an endorsement, funding, an investment, due diligence, or a promise to continue the conversation.
Can I approach someone who isn’t on TradeTen yet?
Yes — that is Pitch for a Cause. You name the person, verify a payment method, and send a single-use invitation that expires in 14 days. They authenticate the invited address, choose their nonprofit, and accept or counter the terms before anything is charged. Bulk lists and automated sequences are not permitted.
Who organizes the meeting?
TradeTen does. Once the terms are accepted and paid, meetings@tradeten.org creates one private calendar invitation and one unique Google Meet link, and adds both participants — whether you use Google Calendar, Microsoft 365, or neither. Connected calendars are read for busy times only.
What happens if someone doesn’t show up?
If the person giving the time misses the meeting, you are offered a reschedule or a full refund, and no grant is released. If the requester misses it after the time was held, the advisor can offer one reschedule; otherwise the grant is released under the disclosed no-show policy. Either participant can open an issue, which freezes the release until support resolves it.
Why does Giving Forward keep 30%?
It covers card processing, nonprofit eligibility verification against IRS data, identity checks, scheduling infrastructure, support, dispute handling and the administration of monthly grants. It is shown next to the 70% before you pay, on every receipt, and it is not deducted twice.
Can the advisor take the money instead?
No. There is no advisor payout path in the product. The only destinations for a completed payment are a grant to the selected eligible nonprofit and Giving Forward’s retained operations share.
Is this available to everyone right now?
Not yet. TradeTen is opening as an invitation-based pilot: a vetted founding group of advisors, five partner nonprofits, U.S. payments only, and direct links rather than open search. Public discovery follows once the pilot demonstrates show rate, repeat use and support load.
If you need the meeting
Ask for ten minutes.
Bring one clear question, or name the person you want to pitch. You verify a payment method, they decide whether to accept and which nonprofit benefits, and you are charged only after they say yes.
If you have the expertise
Give ten minutes.
We are recruiting a vetted founding group of advisors and five partner nonprofits. Give away the thinking you already give away, choose the organization that receives the grant, and set the minimum that makes your time worth booking.