Our buddies over at DonorsChoose are the best at rallying people to help them win awards. They won the BIG A$# Amazon award in 2005, have been on Oprah, and now are finalists for the Tech Crunch “Crunchie” Awards.
Not to dis the other great finalists…but DonorsChoose is a special friend to us. In fact, just this week we received a sizeable grant due to an introduction made by Charles.
So when Dennis and I left the World Bank to start GlobalGiving, we left a pretty impressive infrastructure of support. And by infrastructure I mean not just IT and administrative support, I also mean access to an in-house printing shop, large format printers, in-house photographers, video equipment … But what has been amazing here at GlobalGiving is that we sometimes have access to world-class resources because of the kindness of strangers.
From our point of view the projects, you are supporting and promoting are worth while to be shown to as much viewers as possible. We are a German filmmaker couple which dedicates their life to poor children and would like to discuss fields of possible collaboration with you.
I got this email 3 days before my colleague Donna and I were headed out to Los Angeles to try and somehow get our minds around how to get more video integrated into the GlobalGiving experience, thinking about getting more video footage from our project leaders, developing footage for a public service announcement, and seeking advice from our advisory board member Carole Bayer Sager. And here are their first videos, from Andhra Pradesh. They are beautiful and moving, and come a lot closer to our original vision for GlobalGiving–bringing the daily drama and excitement of succeeding against all the odds in all the disadvantaged communities around the world straight to the screen. And an opportunity to help.
This past week I received a newsletter from our friends at the Women’s Funding Network. Here’s what the lead story said:
Looking for the Real Deal this holiday season? Most of us are. We want something real, something valuable, beautiful, and we want the money we spend and the gifts we give to matter. Women’s Funding Networkdelivers the Real Deal.
Women’s funds democratize philanthropy. In the U.S., philanthropy was created as a tax incentive so those with means could receive tax deductions for helping those in need. Despite that ideal, 70-90% of tax-deductible gifts in the U.S. end up helping the middle class and the wealthy. Women’s Funding Network is the exact opposite because 80% of our members’ grants go to women living in poverty and those most affected by homelessness, violence and human rights abuses.
These investments result in empowerment for women who build out that progress in stronger families, better communities and hope for the world. That’s genuine philanthropy. We deliver the Real Deal.
It reminded me of a piece published by former Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich, a couple of months ago. In his blog post (which appeared also as an article in the LA Times, on NPR Marketplace, etc), he pretty much said that it would be more appropriate if only those charitable donations that address the issues connected to poverty received tax-deductibility benefits from the US government. He also goes on to discuss the importance of government funding for programs that give tools to lift people out of poverty…If you read the comments on the blog post you’ll see that he inspired quiet a lot of response - for and against.
Seems most realistic to work under the assumption that the issues that perpetuate poverty - in the US or anywhere in the world - can truly only be addressed with investment both from the “top down” (aka government, multi-lateral organizations, et. al) and from the “bottom up” (e.g., GlobalGiving, DonorsChoose, Kiva, Women’s Funding Network). Neither approach can do it alone, neither is unequivocally better or worse as far as efficacy. Here at GlobalGiving we’ve chosen to build a bottom-up tool, but the recent announcement that funding to the World Bank has increased substantially this round is great news too. (shout out to my former colleague Bob Zoellick!)
Sometimes it’s those art programs that lift a child out of poverty. They could be In NYC or in Rio. To quote a current candidate for whom Mr. Reich worked indirectly, “It takes a village.”
Regardless… Hats off to our partners at WFN, and other GlobalGiving partners around the world, who are “keepin it real.”
Can the Internet revolutionize citizen-led philanthropy?
That’s the question The Case Foundation and Parade Magazine are hoping to address with the America’s Giving Challenge, the first large-scale initiative to use technology as a way of inspiring people to support causes they care about. Through the Challenge, which runs from now through January 31, 2008, Parade is encouraging individuals to champion causes they care about, raising donations online using Web 2.0 tools that make it easy to spread the word and give. And there are some other incentives (of the monetary sort) too: the eight “fundraisers” attracting the greatest number of donations for their causes will each get $50,000 for their chosen cause, and the 100 causes that receive the most donations will each get $1,000.
GlobalGiving is one of the two partners selected by Case and Parade to support the Challenge (Network for Good is the other, for US-based organizations) - so anyone who wants to support an international cause will have the opportunity to fundraise for or donate to a project on GlobalGiving - with the potential to get $50,000 for that project!
The Washington Post and New York Times have already written about the Challenge, which kicked off yesterday, and the really big bang will come this weekend, when Parade is featuring the Challenge in its magazine (look for Denzel Washington and Oprah Winfrey on the cover) - which is distributed in over 400 U.S. newspapers, and has a readership of more than 70 million!
So if you’ve got a favorite project, now’s your opportunity to help them get $50,000. Set up a fundraiser, create a charity badge, tell all your friends, leverage your social network, take the Challenge…become a part of the revolution!
Last week we had two great visits from our friends at NIKE. We’ve been helping them cultivate a network of projects around the world using sport to make things better in their communities - from a women’s football association in Rwanda to basketball for youth in one of Nairobi’s toughest slums. NIKE’s Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) employees have been particularly supportive of these projects, and now NIKE is giving all of those employees an opportunity to support them even more. This week, all of NIKE’s EMEA employees can donate $15 to any of these projects, just by plugging in their employee numbers as gift certificate codes. I’m thrilled that NIKE has chosen to give this gift to NIKE employees for the holidays, and the projects will benefit tremendously.
We’re seeing a huge amount of interest in our new gift cards as corporate gifts - whether for employees, partners, or customers. I don’t want to ruin the surprise by revealing who’s buying what and for whom, but we’re rapidly going through our stock of biodegradable cards and have already ordered more to keep up with the demand.
At a previous job, I remember getting a call from a business partner who had just received a holiday gift from me. They’d been taking bets on what exactly the gift was, and they wanted me to settle things. I believe the objects they received were meant to be a pencil and sticky note holder, and I was happy that they’d brought some entertainment to the office, but I’m sure those gifts went right in the landfill after the betting was over.
Thanks to NIKE and all of the other GlobalGiving partners who are giving a meaningful holiday gift this year!
CBS’ hit show The Amazing Race took a turn toward the developing world the last couple of weeks, when the contestants flew to Burkina Faso (previously “Upper Volta). This season’s crop of teams includes - among others - a grandfather-grandson pairing, a father-daughter test of wills, the requisite “blondes”(although they are not as strong as last seasons’ “blondes”), an African-American set of siblings and, for the first time, a goth couple.
The teams were a little, shall we say, out of their elements. But, after landing in the capital of Ouagadougou (wah - gah- doo- goo),they raced their little hearts out - milking camels, learning 10 words, doing native dancing, panning for gold, delivering stuff by bicycle at a market, and taking lots of taxis to places they could not pronounce.
This was all very entertaining, and I asked my colleague John - who spent several months in Burkina Faso a few years back, “why Burkina?” His answer was quick - it’s safe, and pretty easy to get to, and the people there are super welcoming.” Welcoming - yes indeed, they must now think we Americans are even nuttier than they ever could have imagined. As these teams ran around, there was really no mention of what Burkina Faso is really like:
Its population is about 13 million
50% of its residents are Muslim, 30% Christian, and 20% other African religions
It is the 27th poorest nation in the world
Girls pretty much are excluded from the educational “system” (which is not free)
Burkinabes’ literacy rate is only 12%, ranked lowest in the world by the UNDP
Only a couple of the Amazing Race contestants seemed to notice that they were in a place of extreme poverty and stagnation. Well, if any of you are watching, or if CBS wants to be a good corporate citizen, we have some options. One of the most “popular” projects on GlobalGiving makes sure that girls get to go to school, and that they get decent meals while there. More than 365 members of the GlobalGiving community have supported it, and raised $38k+. We only need another $3650 to fully fund it. Now that’d be a cool conclusion to the race:
From earth to earth (I’ll explain), the idea of GlobalGiving’s new gift card is quite compelling – especially considering recent gift card criticisms from marketer, Seth Godin, and the magazine, Consumer Reports. Essentially, the cards are perceived as “convenient and popular, but…often loaded with fees, expiration dates, and other hassles.”
This, we know. And it was something we kept at the front of our minds as we planned the creation of GlobalGiving Gift Cards, a fun extension of our year-old Gift Certificate program.
Fun extension, you say?
Indeed, I do. The cards are corn-based plastic – as opposed to real plastic – that will biodegrade when exposed to nature’s elements.
No, the card will not decompose in your back pocket or purse, but it may after a few months in a fish tank (if you do this, email us pictures of your results and we’ll post them here on the GlobalGoodness blog. WARNING: do this only after redeeming the card).
So, what about “earth to earth?” Think about this card’s true physical lifecycle: it comes from a plant that grew up from the ground, is traded between hands of compassionate people, and returns to the earth, both directly and indirectly (especially through projects like this). Now that’s something worth giving.
*Johanna and Duane prepare the gift cards for shipping
As GlobalGiving’s marketing director, I’m responsible for getting the word out about GlobalGiving. But with a tiny marketing budget – that can be a real challenge. We frequently hear from GlobalGivers who say “Hey, GlobalGiving is a great idea, but why don’t more people know who you are? Why aren’t you doing more marketing?” Etc.
Well, in a few weeks we’re trying something we haven’t done before that we hope will reach a whole lot of new people who will be inspired to check us out. We’re producing a public service announcement (PSA) that is scheduled to be shown on Lifetime TV and potentially a bunch of other outlets (let us know if you have airtime to offer up, or ideas about who might!)
Our friends (and pro bono partners) at Leo Burnett pulled out all the stops to create what we think will be an awesome PSA. These things usually cost a lot of money – we learned that TV commercials are, on a cost-per-second basis, the most expensive kind of production – but the Burnett folks, led by our producer Vincent Geraghty, did an amazing job of convincing a lot of people to donate their time and talents to help us out.
The result – Donna and I were in Hollywood last week (ok, it was actually a warehouse up in the San Fernando Valley) to see the whole thing come together and watch the PSA being filmed. It was a great experience. Industry veteran and award-winning director Jim Gartner (you’ve probably seen his work…) liked the storyboard developed by Burnett’s creative team of Sarah Block and Eric Routenberg so much that he agreed to direct the PSA pro bono. We got to meet the “talent” – all card-carrying SAG members who showed up enthusiastic and energetic despite the late-Friday-night call time and LA traffic. Roger the producer’s friendly golden retriever even made a cameo appearance. And the crew of ~40+ others – including our very own team of “grips” and “gaffers” – transformed an otherwise nondescript warehouse into what became, for that one night, a manifestation of the GlobalGiving “marketplace for good.”
Our PSA is now in post-production mode and should hit the airwaves early in 2008. We’re pretty excited. And hopefully the TV-watching masses (and potential GlobalGivers) will be, too.
Check out what the guys at QuantumShift.tv are doing. Here’s their mission:
Quantum Shift TV is a 21st Century storyteller renewing the cultural values of community, care and interconnectedness through the use of leading edge technology and citizen journalism. Here’s the kind of stories you’ll see there - ones of:
Human cooperation and survival
Solutions to combat global warming
The positive impact of aid workers around the world
Perspectives and contributions of philanthropists
Corporate social responsibility progress
Environmental improvements and breakthroughs
And all other stories about those making a positive difference on this planet.
A great companion to what we are trying to do here…and in the spirit of full disclosure, I just found them today when my Google Alerts let me know that they had posted this cool video about GlobalGiving gift cards as an alternative to “stuff:”
The second part of the video is about Google + Specialized’s “Innovate or Die” contest. Also very cool. They are giving away money and bikes to pedal-generated ideas for good.
Here’s a project that links the two pieces of this story together:
Projects on globalgiving.org undergo compliance checks to ensure they have a bona fide charitable purpose and meet applicable laws relating to international philanthropy. Organizations listed as partners do not necessarily endorse or support any particular project listed on globalgiving.org.
The GlobalGiving Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization.
From earth to earth (I’ll explain), the idea of GlobalGiving’s new 
The result – Donna and I were in Hollywood last week (ok, it was actually a warehouse up in the San Fernando Valley) to see the whole thing come together and watch the PSA being filmed. It was a great experience. Industry veteran and award-winning director Jim Gartner (you’ve probably seen 
Our PSA is now in post-production mode and should hit the airwaves early in 2008. We’re pretty excited. And hopefully the TV-watching masses (and potential GlobalGivers) will be, too.
