tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post4039587979703018627..comments2024-03-28T03:11:22.839-07:00Comments on PHILANTHROPY 2173: Disaster donations in an age of disruptionLucy Bernholzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09253941214286179394noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post-37323300721371482652010-01-18T13:43:40.867-08:002010-01-18T13:43:40.867-08:00Lucy-
Thanks for the very interesting piece on th...Lucy-<br /><br />Thanks for the very interesting piece on the power of text message donations. Another important point that should be made about the "twitter sphere" is that it can also be used as a source of momentum to create additional donations. As the Red Cross reported the increases in donations in real time, it could provide the impetus for some more hesitant donors to "jump on the bandwagon" and give. It is well known that donors feel more comfortable giving to organizations that have already raised a large amount of contributions. <br /><br />Among my friends, most of whom are in their 20s, the power of social networks in promoting giving works in a variety of ways. Social networks can to inform them about new ways to give with which they may feel more comfortable. Also, constant updates as friends speaking of their giving experiences can facilitate additional contributions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post-36071749936619810822010-01-16T01:40:54.172-08:002010-01-16T01:40:54.172-08:00You might be right about micro-donations being the...You might be right about micro-donations being the way to go, but there is still the issue of accountability that you do address somewhat.<br /><br />Some philanthropic disasters can be foreseen, but others cannot.<br /><br />You might be interested in the tale of an environmental philanthropist who lost US$35 million trying to do some good in the Caribbean. There is a lesson here somewhere and it relates to your point of accountability.<br /><br />That only works until the new government of the day changes the laws that had protected the sustainability of the project being funded. Read it and weep for all the wasted money:<br /><br />Barbados Government takes new steps to destroy foreigner’s US$35 million eco-tourism investment on South Coast – Part 1 in a series<br /><br />http://barbadosfreepress.wordpress.com/2010/01/14/barbados-government-takes-new-steps-to-destroy-foreigners-us35-million-eco-tourism-investment-on-south-coast-part-1-in-a-series/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post-37921954657773852192010-01-15T12:51:25.159-08:002010-01-15T12:51:25.159-08:00Lucy - nice piece. What I'm also hoping for, a...Lucy - nice piece. What I'm also hoping for, and have been nudging the Red Cross a bit on Twitter for, is more reporting from the field or HQ on what the money is going for.<br /><br />We can get - and frankly deserve - more of a sense of money moving to the site of a disaster. Not down to the last penny. Not without any overhead. Not as an audit. But at least as an account with frequency. Let us in on the plans, on the movement, on the successes and failures. @redcross on twitter could really lead on this...Tom W.http://causewired.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post-56539557146407689012010-01-15T10:24:53.302-08:002010-01-15T10:24:53.302-08:00Heidi
You raise good questions. First of all, one ...Heidi<br />You raise good questions. First of all, one of the things that amazed me personally in all this was how quickly folks jumped to give to the Red Cross. It seemed to me that any concerns or hesitancy that had been raised about the organization, post September 11 or Katrina, had vanished - possibly because they were so fast to get out there with text giving. (Which of course has been available since 2004 or so - and was a buzzword here on this blog a few years ago - once again, I was out ahead of myself)<br /><br />The issue of accountability is an interesting one. B/C the text gifts get intermediated by cell companies and the text donation companies (mGift and others) this seems possible. At the same time - the nature of the text beast - instant, interactive, responsive, as well as the twitter relationships, seems to run counter to this disintermediation. The Tweet I posted in the blog from the Red Cross is an example - I think - of the expectations donors (big and small, $5 or $5 million) now have - "hey I supported you, what are you doing with the money?" So while the technology serves to add a middle man (cell company, text donation firm) it also more tightly connects us to the NGO. This is a fascinating dynamic to watch. My bet - donors will feel more connected, immediately and directly, to the NGO, not less. After all, the donor has their twitter address and can watch, and announce their feelings about, the NGOs.<br /><br />Thanks for raising this issue - great insight. <br /><br />LucyLucy Bernholzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09253941214286179394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post-80780123146818573712010-01-15T10:13:58.378-08:002010-01-15T10:13:58.378-08:00Gabriela - Thanks for writing in. First, let me sa...Gabriela - Thanks for writing in. First, let me say for the record - The Sunlight Foundation is setting the standard for data, access, behavior change, and engagement. I am so grateful for, and impressed with, the organization's work. Wish we could engage some of the enthusiasm, talent, smarts, and optimism to the efforts to unleash data in the social sector. <br /><br />Second, thanks for the CrisisCamp link - I knew this was going on in DC but wasn't aware of the west coast options. I will be checking this out - and hope others will as well. It is absolutely critical that we stay engaged and give of our skills and talents over time to help #haiti. This is only the beginning of our time to work together on this. <br /><br />Finally - a shout out to Tony Pipa's blog about coordinated disaster relief - which may well be an issue where the "hackers for good" can make a difference. Read it here:<br /><br />http://pndblog.typepad.com/pndblog/2010/01/coordinating-relief-aid-is-it-time.html<br /><br />LucyLucy Bernholzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09253941214286179394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post-28562898486342698012010-01-15T10:10:19.141-08:002010-01-15T10:10:19.141-08:00Lucy,
With hundreds of thousands of texts sendin...Lucy, <br /><br />With hundreds of thousands of texts sending small increments of money that amount to large sums, what kind of threat does this pose to the ways that organizations like the Red Cross are held accountable to using contributions wisely and well.<br /><br />Presumably with texts, there is greater distance between the donor and the NGO (less transactional information). Additionally with such small funds, donors are less likely to feel a claim to hold larger organizations accountable for results. <br /><br />The Red Cross and others have been in trouble for this before, how do you think NGOs will handle this, do you think they will, how should they, and in addition to donor fatigue, do you think anyone else stands to lose as a result of the disaster textathons?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06799821569998480053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post-17750271757321909002010-01-15T06:41:29.500-08:002010-01-15T06:41:29.500-08:00Hi Lucy - so glad you're finding Sunlight Foun...Hi Lucy - so glad you're finding Sunlight Foundation's Real Time Congress iphone app useful. Thanks for the mention! <br /><br />I like your take on the real-time reporting on philanthropic and humanitarian aid to Haiti. I think we're witnessing a real change in how people expect to get information AND ALSO how they expect to participate in aid efforts. From my perspective working with the Sunlight Labs community, I'm seeing how more and more coders are dedicating their time and skills to improve citizen engagement in governance, but it doesn't stop there. <br /><br />This nascent community (I like to call them 'civic hackers for good')<br />are also collaborating on ways to use technology to augment crisis relief efforts by providing data, information, maps and technical assistance to NGOs, relief agencies, etc. This weekend, many of them are meeting in hackathons in DC, Silicon Valley and London (and maybe more cities?) to pitch in and provide their expertise to help those on the ground in Haiti. I think we'll see more and more of these kinds of activities supplementing crisis relief. <br /><br />Here's a link for DC's CrisisCamp Haiti that describes it in better detail -- anyone is welcome to attend: http://crisiscamphaitiwdc.eventbrite.com/<br /><br />Best,<br />GabrielaGabriela Schneiderhttp://sunlightfoundation.comnoreply@blogger.com