The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported yesterday on the development of a new site called Philanthroper which allows people to donate $1/day to a particular charity. The idea builds on "deal" sites like Groupon and Living Social. What do you think? Would you use a site like this? I was asked by the BU Magazine at the end of last year about what I would predict for the world of philanthropy in 2011. Here's what I said. I made a prediction that new organizations might try to build on the example of Groupon, but I wasn't quite sure how it would unfold...This example suggests one way in which technology is changing philanthropy and nonprofit practice. Consider how you would market your organization so that you could take advantage of this kind of opportunity.
I actually think the $1 a day idea is a great one. I think many people shy away from donating lump sums of money because they cannot afford it or because they want to spend it on something else. However, allowing someone to donate $1 makes it seem like emptying some change out of a pocket. From my own experience, I tend to spend more money when I am paying for something small here and there rather than something of value, because I do not keep track of what all those small things add up to.
ReplyDeleteAlso, many organizations are now signing people up for automatic deductions from bank accounts or payroll, the deductions are small, but over time and with many people donating, they add up. This technique I believe works because people never actually see the money leave their hands and often times forget all about it.
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ReplyDeleteWe actually have a similar idea in China as well in 2007. It is called One Foundation initiated by a Chinese KongFu Movie star as well as a Red Cross ambassador, Jet Li. The idea is to ask everyone to donate one yuan (Chinese dollar) per month for the organization to help people in need. This foundation is also in US. See more information at Wikipedia in the link below:
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Foundation