Fundraising, and a reason to walk.
Steps is made by notacompany, a team that has been building, backing and advising technology companies since 2013. A good part of that work has been fundraising, for tech companies and for charities.
The people who set up your campaign are the people who built Steps, and every campaign gets the same care. When you write to us, the person who answers can change the product.
We've raised money at scale
In 2020 we started a company that helped technology companies raise money. About 100 companies raised $100M there, from 700,000 people around the world. It taught us what makes people give: a cause they can picture, an easy first step, and a reason to come back.
- $100M raised by the companies we helped fundraise
- 700,000 people who took part
- 13 years building and advising companies and charities
Then we helped charities keep their donors
Since 2024 we have advised charities in Portugal on their fundraising and donor care. We worked on how donations come in, how campaigns are planned and how donors are kept, alongside the people who run them every day. At every one, the hardest part was keeping supporters close after their first donation. A thank-you email fades, and an event happens once a year, then everyone goes home.
And one of us needed to walk
Our co-founder, Tiago, is a dad of four. Between the kids and the company, his walks kept moving to tomorrow, and his health slipped.
What got him walking was a cause: a donation that only went through on the days he walked, for people he wanted to help. Knowing each walk counted for someone got him out the door on the busy days too.
So we put the two together
A walkathon is a good idea with a lot of work attached: months of planning for a single day. Steps keeps the good part.
Supporters give monthly, and their donation only goes through on the days they hit their steps. They install one app, hear from Steps once a month, and come back to your cause all year. Our team sets it up with you, and then it runs itself for as long as you like.
Human first
That's what the .org in the name means to us. Steps is software. A local AI model writes its short replies to supporters. Nothing a supporter sends is used to train AI, and Steps never gives health advice.
Your supporters are yours. We will never sell their details or message them for anyone else, and nobody's health is judged by their steps.
Why it's free for nonprofits
Every dollar a campaign raises should go to your cause, so Steps costs your nonprofit nothing. Supporters can add a tip for Steps when they give. It starts at zero and is never taken out of the donation.
Tips pay for the messages, the app and the AI that writes the replies. That's the whole business model: no ads, and no selling your supporters' data.
If your supporters would walk for your cause, get started with four quick questions. Setting it up costs you nothing, and our team will write back.
Get started