Its business model is a freemium one, based on selling paid-for add on services such as cloud-based social enterprise software to help charities make the most of social media and the real-time web.
The model it's using is akin to a freemium one, with free donations being the carrot to get charities through the door, and then monetisation coming via paid-for add on services.
The trend now is for "add-on services," Mr. Lyman said.
The company makes money by charging competitive rates for people to call regular phone numbers and for add-on services like voice mail.
If the company can reach its target of 50,000 users by September, it plans to start charging for add-on services like voice mail and conference calling.
But Mr. Rosenberg of the company says that it may soon start charging for add-on services, like the ability to set up a video conference call for three or more parties.
In what consumer advocates hailed as a victory yesterday, Verizon New Jersey said it would not seek an increase in its basic service rate of $8.19 a month for local phone service or for add-on services like caller ID.
The airline - which has become notorious for the fees it charges for add-on services - said the facility might be provided without charge.
And Hulu's willingness to discount the pricing for add-on services could help encourage more sign-ups.
Once the community is fully established, the company plans to work on a 'freemium' model - the basic package will be free, but there will be charges for add-on services and marketing.
Microsoft will begin selling its Outlook e-mail program as a subscription to Hotmail customers, in a bid to persuade people to pay for add-on services and better compete with rivals such as Google and Yahoo!
