Limerick company Eventmaster acquires rival iDonate in major deal

LIMERICK fundraising, ticketing and membership company Eventmaster has acquired rival firm iDonate.

Eventmaster, which is based at Arthur's Quay in Limerick city centre, has captured iDonate with support from growth capital investor BGF.

Led by founder and chief executive John Cleary, Eventmaster has continued to innovate and expand its presence in the Irish market.

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iDonate, meanwhile, has grown to become one of Ireland’s best-known fundraising platforms under the leadership of its own chief executive Alan Coyne.

It's anticipated the acquisition will combine Eventmaster’s event-management, ticketing and membership capabilities with iDonate’s fundraising expertise, creating a single, end-to-end solution for charities, community groups, sporting organisations and event organisers.

As part of the transaction, Mr Coyne will continue with the combined business and will lead fundraising across the group, working alongside Mr Cleary and the wider team.

BGF helped supercharge Eventmaster's growth two years ago, by providing money to help the business to expand.

In connection with this transaction, BGF is also providing follow-on growth capital to support Eventmaster’s acquisition of iDonate.

Mr Cleary said: "The acquisition of iDonate represents a significant step forward for Eventmaster. This acquisition re-enforces the position of Eventmaster as the industry leader across event participation ticketing and now fundraising in Ireland. We look forward to delivering an enhanced service to our existing customers and extending our ticketing and membership products to the iDonate customer base in both the domestic and international markets.”

Mr Coyne said: "For over 15 years, iDonate has focused on empowering charities and fundraisers with simple, powerful technology. Becoming part of the Eventmaster group allows us to accelerate our vision and significantly expand what we can offer charities, fundraisers and event organisers. Eventmaster shares our values, our ambition and our commitment to delivering best-in-class technology. This marks a major milestone for iDonate and a very positive step forward for our customers and team, enabling us to innovate faster, scale internationally and continue raising the bar for digital fundraising.”

Joe Higgins, an investor with BGF added: "We are delighted to continue our partnership with Eventmaster as it embarks on the
next stage of its growth journey. Eventmas er has demonstrated impressive momentum in building a market-leading platform for fundraising, ticketing and membership services in Ireland. The acquisition of iDonate represents a highly complementary
strategic move that will strengthen the group’s offering and deliver even greater value to charities, community organisations and event organisers nationwide. Our follow-on investment underlines BGF’s long-term commitment to backing ambitious, founder-led businesses with the potential to scale and innovate.”