Marina del Rey-based Omaze Inc., a company that raises money for nonprofits through sweepstakes, has named Scott Coleman as its new president.
“Scott is one of the rare talents who can go both broad and deep into tech, product, growth, marketing and more, and I couldn’t be more excited for Scott to join,” Matt Pohlson, Omaze’s chief executive, said in a statement. “He has a reputation as a world-class leader, and his track record helping Google and Pinterest scale internationally will help set us up for our next stage of global impact.”

Coleman was most recently the head of growth and international product at Pinterest, where he oversaw user growth, which included product marketing and content partnerships.
He has also held a stint as head of partnerships with tech giant Google.
“I’m a 20-year tech veteran,” Coleman said. “I’ve spent my life at the intersection of consumer technology and international experience.”

Coleman said at his previous job he was a big fan of Omaze and “fell in love with it as a user.”
Omaze, which launched in 2012, raised nearly $30 million last year to support more than 130 charities It raises money with sweepstakes that include everything from high-end homes and cars to experiences like a double date with celebrities.

“I thought given the mission of Omaze and the problems they are trying to solve, my skillset would work well for that,” Coleman said. “It’s a great combination…there are few places in the world you can have a win-win aspect to your business.”
Coleman will focus on growing Omaze, working on its platform development and global product and ultimately aiming to grow the company’s revenue and money raised for charities.

Anyone can give money to be part of the sweepstakes offered by Omaze. The exact percentage of money raised that goes to the charity varies. Generally speaking, with celebrity prizes, 60% of the donations go to Charities Aid Foundation America, which then grants the donations to the nonprofit beneficiary;25% of the donation pays for costs.
For noncelebrity prizes like homes and cars, 15% of the donation goes to the nonprofit through CAF America, and 65% to 75% pays for costs.

Omaze, meanwhile, generally nets 12% to 20% of the donations, which is how the company makes money.
In the next few years, Coleman said he hopes to build Omaze as a “global brand that can deliver win-win opportunities around the world.”

In addition to the U.S., Omaze also operates in the UK, and Coleman said the company was evaluating other markets as well.
“We do see a lot of opportunity in international markets abroad,” he said.
Coleman said the team, which is currently 160 people strong, could also grow as the business expands.

As for the nonprofits, Coleman said some are repeat partners and that many new ones are asking to work with the company as well.
“We have a lot of great partners and interest among the nonprofit community,” Coleman said. “I’m really excited about the mission of the company and its ability to create a win-win and grow and do good in the world.”