Carl Nassib Revisited: Rayze App

11/30/2022

Carl Nassib, outside linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is widely known as the first NFL player to come out as openly gay during an active career. Previously as a Raiders defensive end, he made waves in support of initiatives aiding LGBTQ youth. However, Nassib is expanding into new fields of philanthropy with his new and unique app, Rayze. 

Nassib described the platform, “it’s is a volunteer-based social-media platform that connects the next generation of philanthropists to the nonprofits that meet their interests.” Simply put the app utilizes geolocation to pair volunteers with non profits. It’s purpose was to act as a social media like app, but focusing on community service and connection. 

Rayze started as an idea in Nassib’s mind ever since 2018 when he volunteered at a juvenile delinquent center in Tampa. He sympathized with the children there, saying most were young teeangers who had ran away from violent and abusive households. The experience sparked his interest in general philanthropy. 

He explained that the importance for such a platform is to provide an easy way for non profits everywhere to quickly get volunteers. He claimed that many people have the compassion to do so, but the connection on where to go lacks. He said, “Everybody wants to give back… It’s just a little difficult right now, but we’re going to make it as efficient as possible.”

Rayze’s strength lies in its ease of access. Instead of having to dig through connections, find posters, or scour through websites, Rayze shows people immediate and nearby opportunities. With so many people checking their phones so often, “if we’re hanging around on a Saturday afternoon and we’ve got time to kill, we can get on our phones and within 10 seconds, we can find something in our neighborhood to do to give back… There’s gonna be opportunities galore,” said Nassib. The app also appeals to users’ interests to fit volunteers with organizations they would likely enjoy working with.

Interest from investors is high. Financial Finesse Ventures reports state that investment ranges for Rayze are from 500,000 to 1.5 million dollars a share. Liz Davidson, CEO of Financial Finesse Ventures noted how she thought the idea was promising and checked all of her boxes. She called Nassib a “force of nature” praising his commitment to service, community, positive influence, and strong business model. Davidson believes in the promising future of Rayze because it fills a gap that she feels is present in the volunteering and charity sphere: “Just looking at the business model, there is this massive unmet need for charities to reach the younger generation.”

Davidson met Nassib through the NFLPA (National Football League Players Association) which Davidson’s company works with. She stated she was“Just so impressed” by Nassib and “Got to know his character, got to know the way he thinks, got to see his tenacity, determination, and passion.”

Football and its players are often stereotyped and stigmatized as vain, unintelligent, and shallow. However, Carl Nassib not only broke barriers through his representation and aid to the LGBTQ community but is even working to change how philanthropy is done. His constant strive to provide a wider scope of service shows his character and intelligence. His new promising app serves as another factor bolstering his identity as a role model for not just LGBTQ youth but all sports fans. He is extremely successful in service, business, and as a football player. This excellence in many areas reflects the essence and lessons football attempts to teach youth in America: excellence in discipline, health, academics, performance, standards, and collaboration. Nassib embodies what the sport of football is supposed to and instills in its players. Football is a social and community-based sport that requires tenacity and many other things, Nassib has been able to extend those values to serving others.

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Works Cited

"Carl Nassib's Rayze app lands investment to connect volunteers with nonprofits." NBCnews.com, 14 Nov. 2022, www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/carl-nassibs-rayze-app-lands-investment-connect-volunteers-nonprofits-rcna57036.

Coffey, Brendan. "NFL Star Nassib's Charity App Lands VC Funding From Financial Finesse." Sportico.com, 14 Nov. 2022, www.sportico.com/business/finance/2022/carl-nassib-rayze-charity-app-1234694764/.