A big ol’ article in today’s Wall Street Journal provides an overview of the world of online giving and social networking for philanthropy. It profiles SixDegrees.org, Kevin Bacon’s organization, Causes on Facebook, and references Social Actions (nice job guys!), but never really does more than provide an overview of the space until the end of the article.
The question is how much social networking, together with the other technological capabilities of the Internet, will actually increase giving.
I’m a huge supporter of web-based philanthropy, and I think its prospects are exciting. But the reality is that platforms are not the same as incentives: providing a means to give does not provide an incentive to give. Platforms for giving online are successful when their users organize around specific campaigns.
For example, each year, our Global Engagement Summit at Northwestern partners with GlobalGiving to put on a Project Challenge, through which our delegates compete to fundraise for their projects. In about two weeks, the dozen or so projects raised around $33,000. This is great – but most of those dollars come from friends and family of the projects in question. The incentives for students is that they can leverage the GlobalGiving brand (which can raise the legitimacy of a student-led project) when they appeal to those contacts, and depending on how successful they are, win matching grants.
The point is that the projects that think that just by listing themselves on the site people will flock to support their mission are not very successful.
I think the real challenge and opportunity in social networking for social change is in enabling virtual communities not necessarily rooted in offline connections to participate regularly in onling giving. Can it even happen?
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: center for global engagement, change.org, e-philanthropy, global engagement summer, globalgiving, kevin bacon, philanthropy, project challenge, six degrees, socialactions, wall street journal
Regular giving is where it’s at. . . and possible, I think, within online communitites that develop and facilitate regular interaction between members.
Also important, however, is how donors are appreciated. If they feel like they are valued and thanked for contributing, they are more likey to contribute again and make a habit of giving. This follow-up in donor relations is an area where online fundraisers should invest heavily.
I think that’s a great point Beth. I know one of the big things that’s happening in Alumni offices at universities is an increased focus on donor “engagement” – ie making sure that donors have the chance to really connect with the people and activities at their alma matter, before, during, and after any checks have been cut