For the months of January, February and March, GroupRaise, a startup based out of Houston, Texas, is offering opportunities for students, or any group, looking to contribute to a cause to do so in a streamlined fashion. 

GroupRaise, now active on about 300 college campuses in the United States, from Jan. 26 until March 31 will offer time blocks at Jason’s Deli and Greek Fiesta locations in Raleigh during which groups of patrons can eat and have 15 percent of their bill go toward any cause that they choose, according to Sean Park with GroupRaise. 

Participating groups can reserve a time slot online and enter the size of their party, see the average meal cost of the restaurant and see the estimated donation to the cause that they choose. 

The Dallas Morning News summarized GroupRaise’s business model as an “online platform connecting groups with eateries that have agreed to donate on average 20 percent of their sales for a cause. In exchange, restaurants get access to new customers and sales that they otherwise would not have rung up.” 

“This is an awesome opportunity for student organizations to partner with local businesses to create something greater over a meal, so we went ahead and made the connection super simple,” Park said. 

Two student groups at NC State, Nourish International and the Cross Country/Track Club, have taken advantage of this service, according to Park. 

The original article claimed that the startup was based out of Dallas, this was wrong. It is based out of Houston. The article has been edited to reflect this.