A few years ago, Jeff Green and Dale Knoop were complete strangers with one thing in common—they strived to solve big problems in their respective fields.

The founder of Overland Park, Kan.,-based startup RĀZ Mobile, Knoop launched his company in 2012 to provide better mobile solutions to fundraising initiatives. Users create an account, build a website and then share the site via social media platforms, QR codes and text messages to raise money through a donation button.

Credentials and payment information can be stored in the cloud for repeat giving, but email addresses aren’t held; additionally, RĀZ doesn’t utilize the common, ‘If you’re interested in XYZ, you might like…’ marketing tactic of other e-giving sites once a particular campaign is completed.

“So many nonprofits were losing donations because their website didn’t make it easy for people to give money,” Knoop said. “We wanted to help process real-time donations and improve the donor experience.”

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Elsewhere in the state of Kansas, elementary-school principal Green was thinking about better ways to protect and prepare students and staff in the advent of a school shooting or crisis.

He met with law enforcement and parents, and in 2013, founded SafeDefend. The system includes a fingerprint-activated device that securely stores items that can be used in the case of an emergency at schools, hospitals, government buildings or corporate offices. When activated, personnel at the emergency location are alerted via text message to begin lockdown procedures, and local law enforcement is immediately notified for quick response.

“SafeDefend notifies everyone all at once,” Green (right) explained. “Law enforcement can respond faster; they have information about the building and location as well as a better sense of what they’re walking into. Likewise, the system frees staff members off the phone with 911 so that they can protect others or take necessary action.”

Green felt particularly passionate about the use of SafeDefend in classrooms, but he knew most school budgets were limited. That’s when he was introduced to Knoop, and the two men began to figure out a way to help schools raise money for important systems like SafeDefend using technology provided through RĀZ Mobile.

Here’s how their joint solution works: RĀZ sets up an account for a school, which is then used to raise money for any project going forward—in this case, for a SafeDefend system. Unlike other mobile fundraising platforms, there are no limitations on how much money can be given with a single gift, and the funds aren’t held by a third party while working toward a fundraising goal. Anyone can give as much or as little as they like, and schools directly receive however much money they raise, no matter the amount.

“At schools, parents were getting tired of kids going door-to-door selling candy and gift wrap to raise money, and if millennials were going to donate money, they want to give through a web app easily, in the moment, instead of through a text message,” Knoop (left) said. “With RĀZ, we can help set up a campaign for a SafeDefend system and the project-based fundraising supports a school for the long term, which is more meaningful to everyone.”

Right now, SafeDefend and RĀZ have piloted their solution at a few private schools and a library. They are partnering with a school in the near future for a full campaign and hope to venture into the public sector in the future. Training continues to be provided by the local police department, since they’re typically the first ones to show up in an emergency situation and can help make staff feel comfortable with the system.

“The feedback we received after training sessions was that staff felt more empowered,” Green said. “SafeDefend helped them feel more confident about proactively responding to a crisis instead of feeling helpless.”

“We want to shorten the distance between emotion and giving,” Knoop added. “Trends in fundraising are shifting, particularly for schools, and parents are really receptive to this. Our macro-goal is to make the world a better place, and it’s very powerful to support projects like SafeDefend that can create change as well as give people the capability to make a difference.”