The new giving channels

Computerworld - No longer just a channel for online purchases, the Web is turning kind just when we need it most. Online giving by individuals in the U.S. was estimated at $10.4 billion in 2007, and early reports for 2008 show an increase in electronic donations to nonprofits despite the economic downturn.

But more than just allowing you and me to cut a check electronically to our favorite charity, or to easily search for giving opportunities online, the Internet is enabling a new kind of giving activism and communalism. Check out niche giving communities coming together around particular issues on sites like Social Actions and Change.org.

These days, socially conscious people and "connectors" are engaging their online networks of families and friends via self-created fundraising and volunteer support channels. A Facebook application called Causes allows anyone with a Facebook page to raise money and awareness in support of a nonprofit. During the first year of operations, Causes reported that more than $2.5 million was raised for 80,000 nonprofits, and the site now boasts over 19 million active users worldwide.

Charity badges and other cut-and-paste "donate now" buttons can be easily installed on a personal blog or Web site to catch the attention of Web passers-by, serving much the same purpose as a storefront sign advertising a local pancake breakfast or school fundraiser.

In effect, fundraising is moving from the charity office out to the masses, where well-networked and motivated people are serving as virtual bullhorns and "nonprofits of one."

So-called online giving marketplaces are emerging to seamlessly connect the giver to the recipient directly, bypassing social sector and other intermediary organizations altogether. Modestneeds.org hosts an online community where needy individuals can make their case to individual donors directly to help pay for overdue bills and mortgage payments. Greennote.com offers a platform where students can solicit family and friends for college loans.

Even passive and more self-interested givers have a variety of easy-to-use online choices. Goodsearch makes a donation for every user's click of its search engine. Book lovers can support global literacy efforts by purchasing their favorite books via Betterworldbooks.com. Even eBay sellers can commit a portion of their earnings to a variety of causes through eBay GivingWorks.

And as smartphones and other mobile tools become more prevalent, giving is also making the leap from our computer screens to the palms of our hands. The popular microblogging service Twitter is being used by some nonprofits for small "micropayments" done entirely on a cell phone. AT&T recently launched a 'day of service' campaign allowing AT&T users to text a $5 donation to combat childhood hunger. A charity fundraising event happening simultaneously in more than 175 cities around the world this month, called Twestival, was organized entirely on Twitter.

A new project to be launched later this year by Mobile Voter will enable people to donate their downtime by way of a smartphone. The Extraordinaires mobile application gives users the opportunity to choose and complete a 20-minute project — things like translating a document — while waiting to catch an airplane or sitting in a doctor’s office.

Moving forward, and thanks to the rise of sensors and technologies like GPS and advanced bar-coding, it won’t be long before you can point your cell phone at a billboard or a magazine advertisement and make a donation on the spot. And connecting with strangers on the street who share similar giving interests will become increasingly popular through location-based services and mobile social networks that are triggered by a phone or wearable computer device.

But even as a new generation of innovative, technology-empowered giving channels is changing how we give, it is important to remember that the urge to give itself is more powerful and important than the tools can ever be. So there's no need to wait for the next big giving thing. The need is here and now.

Social change and technology consultant Paul Lamb is the principal of Manonamission.biz and author of the Cool ‘n Conscientious blog.

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