Carl Nassib's New App Bridges the Gap Between Allies & Social Causes

Carl Nassib became the first active NFL player to come out as gay in 2021. Since then, he’s kept a relatively low profile while also making inroads to represent the LGBTQ+ community in sports and beyond.

As 2022 nears its end, Nassib is once again making moves by launching a new app called Rayze (a play on the verb “to raise”). The app’s mission is to “introduce nonprofits to a new generation of donors,” aiming to simplify the process of donating money to organizations and social causes that need monetary support. But Rayze isn’t just about money – the app also allows people to volunteer their time and energy to help nonprofits.

The Rayze app’s “about” page describes how Nassib and his Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammates volunteered as mentors at a local detention center. During that experience, Nassib realized how hard it was – even for the most well-intentioned people – to connect with nonprofits in need of money and/or support.

“Carl’s goal with Rayze was to do exactly that: to create a platform that would shine a light on opportunities that need volunteers, while making nonprofit engagement, volunteer recruitment, and donating as simple and intuitive as possible,” the app’s official description reads.

For Pride month in 2022, Nassib partnered with the NFL to donate $100,000 to The Trevor Project. Since then, the athlete has been speaking on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community while extending his active football career as well.

“I think football’s the most competitive sport,” Nassib told People. “The whole business is very cutthroat. And it can lead you to ultra-competitiveness. And that toxic competition trait, it can bleed into other aspects.”

However, he doesn’t want that part of his career to affect the person that he happens to be, which is what led him to launch Rayze. “Donations are so down now. Gen Z does not write checks,” Nassib noted. Hopefully, Rayze can help fix that gap between people who are passionate about giving back and organizations that need volunteers and donations.

For more information about Rayze, check out the app’s official website.

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