HelloAsso supports French associations amid funding cuts
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In France, 160 people working at HelloAsso support the country’s associations by providing a platform to manage finances, donations, memberships, and ticketing, without fees.
The company, based in the Gironde region, operates on a model where people donating to associations can also contribute to HelloAsso, funding the platform and its employees. HelloAsso generated 20 million euros in revenue in 2024.
Ismaël Le Mouël co-founded HelloAsso in 2009 while a recent graduate of Polytechnique and HEC Paris, aiming to use digital tools to help France's social and solidarity economy grow. Le Mouël, who grew up in a modest household, credits associations with helping him access higher education, and briefly stepped down as president in 2020 before returning because of growing difficulties in the sector.
Recently, HelloAsso has become more vocal about funding problems for associations, as state and local budget cuts are reducing subsidies. A survey of over 3,500 associations by the Mouvement associatif found that 63% of those employing people had to reduce or stop activities. HelloAsso launched the “Appel des 20 millions” campaign in mid-October to highlight that 20 million French people participate in associations, which collectively represent the country’s second-largest private employer, and gathered nearly 17,000 signatures in one week.
