1DollarClub.org Foundation Blog

PR Agency Briefing

noreply@blogger.com (1 Dollar Club) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:13:00 +0000

The following presentation provides a quick view of the history of the 1 Dollar Club, and where we plan on taking it.

After watching it, click here to DONATE. You'll be glad you did!

Building A Microphilanthropy Movement

View more presentations from Microphilanthropist.

Great Tips for Non-profits during a recession

noreply@blogger.com (1 Dollar Club) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:44:00 +0000

From the Las Vegas Business Press:

Reframe the message for recession:
Instead of gauzy appeals to a higher good, emphasize practical, tangible uses of donations. In that line, Bob Evans, a principal with EHL Consulting Group in Willow Grove, Pa., has noted a decrease in big capital projects and a shift from touting the elegance of the ones that go ahead to how they meet basic human needs.

Get the Board out of the Boardroom:
Members of boards of directors often get the positions because of their prominence in the community. Set goals for each of them to bring in a certain number of new members.

Communicate:
Major donors should hear again the message of why they should contribute, with a phone call or personal visit being more effective than a letter. Donors who have skipped contributions for a couple of years should also be reached to try to reignite their interest.

Endowment:
Paradoxically, a slow economy may be the best time to build a reserve. Although potential donors may be tight with money, the argument for an endowment to help a nonprofit ride out economic cycles becomes more compelling.

Respect anonymity:
Evans has noted a trend of donors declining public recognition even as they write checks because they don't want people to know they are doing well financially or don't want to flaunt it. Although this may diminish the prestige of a nonprofit's benefactors list, it can help bring in dollars.

Keep trying!!!

Statistics Are A Philanthropic Blind Spot

noreply@blogger.com (1 Dollar Club) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:14:00 +0000

Jonah Lehrer's How We Decide is a tremendous book. It chronicles the psychological rationale that affects human decision making in all walks of life. I highly recommend getting a copy!

Of particular interest to me was his citing of research done by Dr. Paul Slovic, a psychologist at the University of Oregon. Lehrer writes,

"According to Slovic, the problem with statistics is that they don't activate our moral emotions. The depressing numbers leave us cold: our minds can't comprehend suffering on such a massive scale. This is why we are riveted when one child falls down a well but turn a blind eye to the millions of people who die every year for lack of clean water. And why we donate thousands of dollars to help a single African war orphan featured on the cover of a magazine but ignore widespread genocides in Rwanda and Darfur. As Mother Teresa put it, "If I look at the mass, I will never act. If I look at the one, I will."

This is of particular importance of us at the 1 Dollar Club - we feel that the paradigm is shifting from the 21st century where people donate only when their emotions have been triggered, to a more proactive, mandatory role.

You don't have to be rich to be a microphilanthropist, Everyone can afford to give a dollar. Donate Today!

Social Media For Social Causes Study

noreply@blogger.com (1 Dollar Club) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:05:00 +0000

The Social Media for Social Causes Study by Beth Kanter, Qui Diaz and Geoff Livingston returned some fascinating results...

Key for me was the final graphic pictured towards the end of the article: that Trust and Credibility are the two key factors that donors of all ages still seek out above all others.

Alongside trust and credibility, the importance of word of mouth and the collective wisdom of social networks was reflected by the fact online communities are seen as more trustworthy than blogs written by individual authors. In both age categories measured, 30-49 and 50<, there was an estimated 20 point discrepancy in the trust of social media over blogs. It seems that "The Wisdom of Crowds" holds particularly true in the world of philanthropy.

Interesting Presentation

noreply@blogger.com (1 Dollar Club) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:04:00 +0000

A short but useful presentation on how the notion of philanthropy has evolved, and that the increased involvment of the public is democratizing charitable causes.

Sean Stannard-Stockton, calls the time we're in the "Second Great Wave of Philanthropy", that since the advent of social media, the next surge of generosity is coming from the general populace, not just the rich. There really is no reason why the practice of microphilanthropy can't become mainstream.

2008 09 Participatory Philanthropy

View more presentations from oso.

AFL latest commercial

noreply@blogger.com (1 Dollar Club) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 14:59:00 +0000

Not related to the microphilanthropy, but here is the latest ad promoting the AFL season - absolutely fantastic!

Is Higher Taxation Going To Kill Philanthropy?

noreply@blogger.com (1 Dollar Club) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 02:41:00 +0000

Everywhere you look, there is doom and gloom around predictions that charitable giving will dry up because of the recession. Not helped by higher taxation under the Obama administration, many are predicting that we are facing a philanthropic crisis - that people are counting their pennies and will be less likely to donate to charitable causes.

At any other time in history, this would be a cause for concern. There would be reason to feel that there is not a lot we can do to stop the well of generosity from running dry. But not today - today there is no reason why more of us, as connected as we are, can't group together, pick up the slack, and donate.

With only 8% of Americans actively involved in a cause that matters to them, there is plenty of room for the vast majority to pony up and chip in. In today's economic environment, it is our civic duty for all of us to play our part and become microphilanthropists.

Donate today.

The Battle For The Microphilanthropist's Mind...

noreply@blogger.com (1 Dollar Club) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 14:32:00 +0000

In their terrific recent book, "Sway: The Irresistable Pull of Irrational Behavior," brothers Ori and Rom Brafman raised an interesting psychological dichotomy that affects us here in the world of philanthropy.

"It's as if we have two "engines" running in our brains that can't operate simultaneously. We can approach a task either altruistically or from a self-interested perspective. The two different engines run on different fuels and also need different amounts of those fuels to fire up. It doesn't take much to fuel the altruism center: All you need is the sense that you're helping someone or making a postive impact. But the pleasure center seems to need a lot more..."

The penultimate sentence in that paragraph is the kicker "... the sense that you're helping someone or making a postive impact." That is half the battle with philanthropies today. Donors have become disillusioned because they feel that the impact of their donations is getting diluted by large bureacratic style charities crippled with huge overhead costs. That is an unfortunate reality in the history of charitable giving.

But the Internet allows us the ability to create a much leaner, more efficient model of giving - the practice of microphilanthropy. It is not how much you can give personally. It is about the currency that lies within your social network.

So come on, donate today. More importantly, tell your friends to do likewise. Together, there really is no reason why we can't make the practice of microphilanthropy mainstream.

DONATE

Armano and The Micro-Sociology of Social Networks

noreply@blogger.com (1 Dollar Club) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 22:29:00 +0000

Prominent blogger David Armano is well admired by the whole 1 Dollar Club team. The way he is able to capture ideas and communicate them in such a simple way is the reason his blog, Logic+Emotion, is one of the top marketing blogs in the world today.

This presentation of his below is great in capturing the value and importance of our social networks. His line that "connections are currency" is the underlying message of the 1 Dollar Club.

The Micro-Sociology of Networks

View more presentations from David Armano. (tags: behavior human)

Social Networking and Humanitarian Aid...

noreply@blogger.com (1 Dollar Club) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:06:00 +0000

When it comes to mobilizing mass numbers of microphilanthropists, social networking sites (Facebook and Twitter) are starting to realise that our interconnectedness is far too powerful an opportunity to ignore.

Several sources are citing the flow of traditional donors are drying up as the recession hits the pocket books of traditional wealthy donors. What could be more web 2.0 than to lower the barriers of giving to the two-thirds of the population that have good intentions but never get around to donating?

Donate Now

Unfortunately Good Intentions Don't Amount to Much...

noreply@blogger.com (1 Dollar Club) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:55:00 +0000

A Harris Poll study in June of 2007 had some remarkable findings when it comes to social responsibility amongst American citizens. The study suggests that around two-thirds of US adults have good intentions when it comes to social responsibility, but less than ten percent "practice what they preached."

Why is this? the report goes on to suggest an answer,
"Many surveys have documented the large number of people who do good work, volunteer their time or give money to their churches, charities and/or organizations that advocate for causes they care about. What this survey shows is that only small minorities do this aggressively, practicing what they preach. For the great majority, volunteering and charitable giving, or social responsibility, is a much more marginal activity."

There are many barriers to charitable giving - apathy, time, even disillusionment with the existing philanthropic model. That's why with the 1 Dollar Club, we are trying to simplify the process. We want to lower the barriers to becoming a microphilanthropist so that not just anyone can do it - but that everyone does. If you have any ideas for how we can make it easier for people to donate we'd love to hear your thoughts...

DONATE NOW

Already Donors from 21 Different Countries...

noreply@blogger.com (1 Dollar Club) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:26:00 +0000

Checking this morning, we have now received donations from 21 different countries from around the world including new additions from Romania, Hong Kong, Japan and Brazil -- great stuff.

Here is the ranking of the most donations to the club by country.
1. USA
2. Australia
3. UK
4. Canada
5. China
6. France
7. Germany
8. Kazakhstan
9. Japan
10. Brazil
11. Cyprus
12. Spain
13. Indonesia
14. Romania
15. Oman
16. Hong Kong
17. Vietnam
18. India
29. New Zealand
20. Russia
21. Honduras

As of May 1, 2008. There are 192 nation members of the united Nations. Only 171 more countries to go!!!

How Connected Are We?

noreply@blogger.com (1 Dollar Club) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 21:23:00 +0000

Northeastern University scientist Albert-László Barabási's 2003 book Linked highlights the significance of intereconnectedness across a variety of fields. The widely admired Hungarian professor casts his net wide, capturing many real life examples for the way things intertwine. From science, to business and even our own social circles, Barabási weaves a compelling tale using great real world examples of interdependence and its various forms.

This really is the essence of the 1 Dollar Club. At the risk of sounding corny and sentimental, we all inhabit the same planet, and our ultimate well-being is dependent upon us living here together. The advent of social networks (especially Twitter) lowers any barriers to our interconnectedness than may have stood in the way in the past. As the distance between us shrinks, so grows our ability to harness our interconnectdness as a force for good. There really is no reason to stop everyone on earth from becoming a microphilanthropist.

So come on, become a microphilanthropist today - DONATE NOW.

What Drives Microphilanthropy? Our Strong or Weak Ties?

noreply@blogger.com (1 Dollar Club) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 23:31:00 +0000

Our real world social circles are largely finite resources. We all have our set bunch of friends and acquaintances with that we tend to knock about with on weekends. The phrase "birds of a feather, flock together" certainly applies here. For many of us, we feel most comfortable around people that are most like us. This is fine, more importantly it is human. A devout Amish carpenter in rural Pennsylvania probably won't have a lot in common with a pill-popping nightclubber in Manhattan. The only problem in regards to creativity and innovation, time spent with the same social circle can often be a breeding ground for the homogeneity of ideas.

The impact of the rise of social networking sites, particularly twitter applies here. It is from our tenuous links or our "weak ties" where often the most value is derived. Where inspiration from another medium can spark the flames of creativity in our own industry. The Medici Effect by Frans Johansson is a great business book that chronicles the value derived from the confluence of ideas.

And so it goes with microphilanthropy - we have certainly discovered as much at the 1 Dollar Club. It is not neccessarily those that are our closest friends that appreciate the benefits of microphilanthropy, it is those tenuous links - people who we may have nothing else in common with apart from small giving on a large scale, that are driving this movement forward.

It is this committed troop of microphilanthropists who are the ones who will make microphilanthropy mainstream.

The Changing Face Of Philanthropy

noreply@blogger.com (1 Dollar Club) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:10:00 +0000

David Parsley’s recent article on the changing face of philanthropy is very enlightening. The article talks about the seismic paradigm shift in the notion of giving. Where once the province only of the rich, the barriers to philanthropy are now non-existent. The Internet can mobilize millions of people from all income levels and nationalities, around any given cause.

Parsley’s quote from The Big Give Founder Jon Brooks hit the spirit of microphilanthropy on the head. In founding The Big Give, Brooks noticed, “It quickly became clear that even people with only small amounts of money to spare liked it because it gave them control over where their money went. It allowed them to donate intelligently and be proactive philanthropists.”

This is the essence of microphilanthropy – empowering individuals to make a difference to causes that matter to them. Today, our charitable contributions are not limited to the size of our pocketbooks, but by harnessing the power of each of our social networks.

At the 1 Dollar Club, we believe the power of our social networks needs to be leveraged for the common good. It is our ultimate goal to make microphilanthropy mainstream.

Stephen Collins on Microphilanthropy

noreply@blogger.com (1 Dollar Club) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 16:13:00 +0000

Australian social networking guru Stephen Collins at acidlabs has offered a great take on the value of microphilanthropy:

"At its simplest, the emergence of microphilanthropy - philanthropic activity on a scale of small amounts - has made engaging with online causes almost trivial. Those of us who are in a position to engage with a cause we believe in can now do so in a way that was previously only truly available to the very wealthy. Sheer weight of numbers - potentially hundreds or thousands giving a little - means that the gathering community can provide just as valuable input as a Buffett or a Gates, with each giving just tens or perhaps a few hundred dollars".

Furthermore, he also frames the greater movement of online activism giving as clustering around three broad drivers:
* advocacy - the raising of awareness for a cause
* activation - the prompting of and creation of activity around a cause in those interested, and
* action - the ongoing and followup activity in relation to a cause

As with everything else, the web is a great enabler for making charitable giving happen. The greater connectivity that we all enjoy today acts as a catalyst for making the trickle of our small contributions cascade into an unstoppable waterfall. It is microphilanthropy mavens like Collins and Peter Deitz that are playing leading roles in making microphilanthropy maintream.

Bill Gates on Microphilanthropy

noreply@blogger.com (1 Dollar Club) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:18:00 +0000

From Nicholas Kristof's article last week in the New York Times,
“The key thing is to pick a cause, whether it's crops or diseases or great high schools,” he said. “Pick one and get some more in-depth knowledge.” If possible, travel to see the problems firsthand, then pick an organization to support with donations or volunteer time."

Gates's comments speak to the subjective nature of how philanthropy affects us all. People give to causes or charities that matter to them. Generally people have a direct connection to the charity (a disease or cause that affects them or a loved one) in order for it to resonate stongly enough to trigger the action to donate.

That said, the premise of the 1 dollar club is so basic that is does not require the cause and effect scenario to take place. Anyone in the United States can afford 1 dollar. So can anyone in Australia, or Britain or any other developed country. It is the very existence of the 1 dollar club that provides people with an avenue for giving that simply did not exist before.

Just What is Microphilanthropy?

noreply@blogger.com (1 Dollar Club) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 17:31:00 +0000

Wikipedia's definition is here. Here it is in a nutshell:

"Microphilanthropy is a model of philanthropy that is based on smaller, more direct interaction between "helpers" and "doers." Because of this finer level of granularity, it provides greater potential for feedback. It uses the definition of philanthropy as "love of humanity", which is broader than just charity or donating money. This opens up a broader range of activities such as volunteering, emergency response activities, mentoring, and many other patterns of uplift."

The phrase "love of humanity" is an apporpriate one here. Microphilanthropy is the fundamental belief that each of us cares for our fellow humans, that we are all neighbors on this planet and that by all contributing a little, we can create significant change.

Until now, we believe that microphilantropy's problem has been lack of focus. No doubt, people are aware of the problems that exist in the world, they just don't know where to begin solving them... By creating a simple and focused vehicle for microphilanthropy, the 1 dollar club is lowering barriers to charitable giving. It is our ultimate goal to make microphilanthropy mainstream.

A New Era Of Giving...

noreply@blogger.com (1 Dollar Club) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 17:16:00 +0000

There is an old business adage that has been recited since time immemorial, " to succeed in business, it's not what you know, but who you know." It is a cliche, but anyone that has been in any business can vouch for its accuracy.

At the 1 Dollar Club, we believe that that's true. And that the power of our social circles can be harnessed to create real change in the world. Today, it doesn't matter if you are Bill Gates, or the janitor - you have a social network of friends and acquaintances that can be harnessed for good. Whether we are aware of it or not our personal currency is derived largely from our social networks.

This idea was the genesis for the 1 Dollar Club - the fact that alone, we are limited in our power to effect change, but banded together, mobilized by a common cause, we are capable of creating lasting change. Change that is easily replicable and sustainable, not because it requires so many people to participate in the cause, but because it requires so little from each of them.

So come on, become a microphilanthropist today - join the wave of goodwill that is changing the way people think about charitable giving - you'll be glad you did!