Remote Reason

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

 Core Mission:

Burohelp is a non-profit foundation that connects small and medium-sized nonprofits with corporate donors through its innovative CSR Time Bank system. It allows nonprofits to log their operational hours (like planning, outreach, and coordination) which are converted into CSR Credits.

Companies can then donate funds in exchange for these credits, directly supporting grassroots organisations often overlooked by traditional funding channels.

Key Functions:

Impact Tracking for Nonprofits:
Enables nonprofits to log and verify their operational hours, making "invisible" work (like administrative tasks) visible and fundable.

Corporate Donation Platform:
Provides companies with a transparent way to fulfil CSR goals by donating to vetted, SDG-aligned nonprofits. Donors receive detailed reports showing exactly which causes their funds supported.

Focus on Marginalised Communities:
Prioritises nonprofits led by or serving marginalised groups. The platform also stems from the founder’s personal experiences navigating bureaucratic barriers as an immigrant.

SDG Advocacy:
Publishes educational content about Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting issues like climate action (SDG 13) and reduced inequalities (SDG 10) to guide donor priorities.

Unique Value:
Unlike traditional grants, Burohelp’s model ensures donations support day-to-day operational costs (e.g., salaries, rent)—critical needs that are often underfunded. The system also creates a feedback loop where donors receive gratitude directly from beneficiary nonprofits.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Remote Reason?

We needed a partner to build our website and software.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Remote Reason’s Role in Burohelp’s Development:

Under Paul Sabou’s leadership, Remote Reason (his tech consultancy specialising in AI and scalable software solutions) played a pivotal role in building Burohelp’s core platform. Their involvement focused on:

1. Technical Infrastructure
Designed the CSR Time Bank system, enabling nonprofits to log hours and convert them into tradable CSR credits.

Developed the algorithm that matches corporate donors with nonprofits based on SDG alignment (e.g., climate action, poverty reduction).

2. AI-Powered Localisation
Leveraged Remote Reason’s expertise in multilingual tools to ensure Burohelp’s platform accommodated marginalised nonprofits.

3. MVP Launch Strategy
Paul’s team helped Burohelp prioritise features for its nonprofit users, such as:

Hour-tracking dashboards (proving operational impact).

Transparent donation workflows (showing companies exactly where funds were allocated).

Why It Mattered:
Remote Reason’s tech expertise allowed Burohelp to scale quickly, turning the my vision into a functional platform. Paul’s background in AI and localisation ensured the tool could serve global nonprofits without bureaucratic barriers.

What's the status of this engagement?: Everything is on schedule and the engagement of Paul and the Remote Reason's team is on the dot all the time.

What is the team composition?

Paul, the founder and CEO, lives in the Netherlands, and the developers are in Romania. We mainly work with Paul, Adrian, the CTO, and Goran, the software engineer.

How did you come to work with Remote Reason?

I found them through a Google search and met Paul in 2019. I had another project in mind, and when I presented it to him, he didn’t see the value in it. He didn’t want to be the person to take my money for something he didn’t see would be delivered. I found that very strong, and it always stayed with me.

Four years later, I had a crazy idea. I contacted Paul and asked for his advice.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between 100,000–€200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2023, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We have about 40 brands that work with us, from the food chain to the third-largest bank in the Netherlands. We have agreements with all of them. On the other side, we have about 90 nonprofits registered on Burohelp. All these nonprofits have been working with me and my team.

Recently, we’ve come up with a better concept. We are transitioning into becoming a nonprofit ourselves. Our customers can donate €100 to us, but they can only declare 60% of that because we’re a limited company.

Now, I’ve come up with the idea of converting ourselves into a nonprofit so that it’s 100% donation. We can be paid from the donation for our operational time, and we can share the rest. We’re building something new called the Time Bank. Nonprofits will register their operational time for all the work they’re doing weekly. These hours will be converted into social credits, just like carbon credits. These social credits can be exchanged for donations through the platform. So now the corporates are 100% satisfied.

How did Remote Reason perform from a project management standpoint?

I have zero complaints. I made the right choice because these guys would work. They've always met deadlines. We use Jira, and we communicate via Slack and phone. We have weekly and monthly calls. If I have any questions, I drop them in Slack, and they respond. The relationship started in 2019 and based on the ongoing trust and the long term relationship mentality from Paul and the Remote Reason Team I was inspired to reach out and work with them on the Burohelp project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Remote Reason’s honesty is impressive. I always come up with ideas on how to make things go faster. Some of them they pick up on, but a lot of them they tell me no. Eventually, I realize they’re right.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I do not think the Remote Reason needs to improve anything at this moment in my book at least as they have always delivered on time and as expected.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise clients that would be interested in investigating the possibility of working with Remote Reason to have their plan well prepared as you will be challenged by them on how to make things better and more efficient. Something I appreciated very much.