Joe Green is the co-founder of Causes, a Facebook application that empowers anyone to mobilize their friends for social and political causes. Last week Causes began the second America Giving Challenge in partnership with the Case Foundation —
a nonprofit organization that encourages the use of technology in that sector — and Parade Magazine. For 30 days, causes compete to win cash prizes for their organization based on the number of donations they receive. We've asked Joe to share his perspective on how activism is evolving on the Internet.
...People are adopting "Facebook Babies," but they aren't virtual infants with a penchant for online social networking. They are the nearly 30 orphans in China that have been given life-changing surgery and foster care by a nonprofit organization called Love Without Boundaries with money they raised through the Causes application on Facebook.
Amy Eldridge, who directs this U.S.-based nonprofit in Oklahoma, relies on volunteers to recruit, educate and mobilize supporters. When someone has a question, volunteers are ready to reach out and personally respond. When Amy shares the story of a baby who needs help, her supporters respond not just by donating but also by committing to raise money from their friends.
Amy's volunteer-focused approach is classic grassroots organizing — maximizing people's impact by empowering individuals. "Any smart nonprofit realizes that none of their work gets done without their supporters," Amy recently told me. "We now have 170 volunteers in 9 countries with a designated job."
When you learn how Amy runs her small nonprofit, it all sounds very logical and probably a bit unremarkable — but this is not how most nonprofits operate.
If you are one of the 75 percent of Americans who donated to a nonprofit last year, chances are you were solicited through direct mail or by a telemarketer. In addition to leaving individuals disengaged, top-down marketing tactics have high overhead costs that prevent smaller nonprofits from growing and driving innovation.
It was not always this way. Until the 1970s, typical involvement with nonprofits looked a lot more like Amy Eldridge and Love Without Boundaries. People joined local chapters of charitable organizations whose members were friends and whose leaders were volunteers. They worked through their social connections to do everything from cleaning parks to raising money, but this shifted after the 1970s. Nonprofits began focusing on top-down marketing tactics in response to a broad societal shift away from membership in voluntary associations of all types.
Now, the Internet — and social media specifically — is rebuilding the social infrastructure that has been crumbling underneath nonprofits for decades. As David Smith, director of the National Council on Citizenship, explains: "God, friends and Facebook provide a civic safety net." Facebook, with its representation of people's real identity and relationships, presents an unprecedented opportunity to bring the ideals and techniques of grassroots organizing to a massive number of people online. In doing so, the playing field has been leveled for individuals and organizations of all sizes.
A paradigm shift is under way in the nonprofit world. Through the Causes application alone in just over two years, 85 million people are now involved in more than 300,000 user-created causes that educate, advocate and fund nonprofit work.
Last year, in partnership with the Case Foundation, Causes started America's Giving Challenge to help nonprofits discover the potential of online organizing. The competition allows any U.S. based cause to enter and win cash awards for their nonprofit based on the number of different people that get involved through donating. We designed it so that the amount donated was irrelevant, instead focusing on the number of people who got engaged.
More than 26,000 people donated nearly $600,000 to mostly small grassroots organizations. Love Without Boundaries, the 2008 winner, was awarded the $50,000 grand prize and used the money to help 10 orphaned children with heart disease. More importantly, they were able to capitalize on the momentum of the Giving Challenge to continue to develop a vibrant organization of engaged supporters.
With this year's Giving Challenge in full swing, I want to encourage you to jump in. As grassroots organizing teaches us, an individual can have a large impact. There are so many ways you can make a difference — from donating any amount no matter how small to inviting your friends to participate or sharing information about the causes you support and joining discussions. Become a leader in your cause, and influence the people around you to do the same and discover what you can achieve when you organize.
Joe is addictively refreshing the Causes page to track the challenge leaders and to challenge you to get involved for your favorite cause.
See Morea nonprofit organization that encourages the use of technology in that sector — and Parade Magazine. For 30 days, causes compete to win cash prizes for their organization based on the number of donations they receive. We've asked Joe to share his perspective on how activism is evolving on the Internet.
...People are adopting "Facebook Babies," but they aren't virtual infants with a penchant for online social networking. They are the nearly 30 orphans in China that have been given life-changing surgery and foster care by a nonprofit organization called Love Without Boundaries with money they raised through the Causes application on Facebook.
Amy Eldridge, who directs this U.S.-based nonprofit in Oklahoma, relies on volunteers to recruit, educate and mobilize supporters. When someone has a question, volunteers are ready to reach out and personally respond. When Amy shares the story of a baby who needs help, her supporters respond not just by donating but also by committing to raise money from their friends.
Amy's volunteer-focused approach is classic grassroots organizing — maximizing people's impact by empowering individuals. "Any smart nonprofit realizes that none of their work gets done without their supporters," Amy recently told me. "We now have 170 volunteers in 9 countries with a designated job."
When you learn how Amy runs her small nonprofit, it all sounds very logical and probably a bit unremarkable — but this is not how most nonprofits operate.
If you are one of the 75 percent of Americans who donated to a nonprofit last year, chances are you were solicited through direct mail or by a telemarketer. In addition to leaving individuals disengaged, top-down marketing tactics have high overhead costs that prevent smaller nonprofits from growing and driving innovation.
It was not always this way. Until the 1970s, typical involvement with nonprofits looked a lot more like Amy Eldridge and Love Without Boundaries. People joined local chapters of charitable organizations whose members were friends and whose leaders were volunteers. They worked through their social connections to do everything from cleaning parks to raising money, but this shifted after the 1970s. Nonprofits began focusing on top-down marketing tactics in response to a broad societal shift away from membership in voluntary associations of all types.
Now, the Internet — and social media specifically — is rebuilding the social infrastructure that has been crumbling underneath nonprofits for decades. As David Smith, director of the National Council on Citizenship, explains: "God, friends and Facebook provide a civic safety net." Facebook, with its representation of people's real identity and relationships, presents an unprecedented opportunity to bring the ideals and techniques of grassroots organizing to a massive number of people online. In doing so, the playing field has been leveled for individuals and organizations of all sizes.
A paradigm shift is under way in the nonprofit world. Through the Causes application alone in just over two years, 85 million people are now involved in more than 300,000 user-created causes that educate, advocate and fund nonprofit work.
Last year, in partnership with the Case Foundation, Causes started America's Giving Challenge to help nonprofits discover the potential of online organizing. The competition allows any U.S. based cause to enter and win cash awards for their nonprofit based on the number of different people that get involved through donating. We designed it so that the amount donated was irrelevant, instead focusing on the number of people who got engaged.
More than 26,000 people donated nearly $600,000 to mostly small grassroots organizations. Love Without Boundaries, the 2008 winner, was awarded the $50,000 grand prize and used the money to help 10 orphaned children with heart disease. More importantly, they were able to capitalize on the momentum of the Giving Challenge to continue to develop a vibrant organization of engaged supporters.
With this year's Giving Challenge in full swing, I want to encourage you to jump in. As grassroots organizing teaches us, an individual can have a large impact. There are so many ways you can make a difference — from donating any amount no matter how small to inviting your friends to participate or sharing information about the causes you support and joining discussions. Become a leader in your cause, and influence the people around you to do the same and discover what you can achieve when you organize.
Joe is addictively refreshing the Causes page to track the challenge leaders and to challenge you to get involved for your favorite cause.
