17 Vote

Giving circles here to stay. Are you in the Game?

Giving circles have become a recognized philanthropic force as their numbers have rapidly increased over the past decade. A giving circle is a group of people (friends or like-minded individuals) of all economic backgrounds who pool their money and resources and decide together where to donate.

The University of Nebraska at Omaha, the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers, and the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, released a new study on the impact of giving circles.   For more information about the study, visit: www.givingforum.org/givingcircles.

Highlights from the report:

•    Giving circle members say they give more and give in more strategic ways than other donors.

•    Giving circle members are highly engaged in their communities.  Participation increases members’ knowledge about philanthropy, nonprofits, and community needs and increases community volunteering and involvement in changing government policies.

•    Giving circle members say they give to a greater number of organizations, compared to other donors.

•    Giving circle members are more likely than other donors to give to areas less often funded by organized philanthropy, such as to organizations serving women and girls, ethnic and minority groups, and for arts, culture and ethnic awareness.

•    Giving circles can have a greater impact in these difficult economic times because members pool their donations and are able to make larger grants to nonprofits then they could have individually, and they are providing creative opportunities for new ways to give.

What does this mean for you and your organization?

Three ideas that came to us:

1.    If  you are representing a smaller organization serving the populations noted above, you should ask the giving circles in you community how you approach them for support.  Ask to make a presentation at one of their future meetings about a unique aspect of your organization.

2.    If you are representing a larger organization, perhaps you should consider joining a giving circle in your community to bring your expertise into the giving circle’s conversations and to better understand how the community is thinking about philanthropy.

3.    And finally, perhaps your organization should consider forming its own giving circle and allow members to target their philanthropy to projects within your organization.  Seek an annual membership fee, just like the giving circles do, and in addition to funds raised, reap the benefits of giving circles noted above for your organization.

Posted on 07/07/2009 by Mike O'Mahoney
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2 Vote

Shorten An URL, Help A Charity

Social media users are increasingly utilizing services that shrink long website addresses. The trend is being spurred on by microblogging platforms that limit the length of postings, like Twitter and Jaiku.

Joining the popular URL-shortening playing field is Good.ly, a website that compresses your link and sends proceeds to charity.

Here’s how it works:
If you think people may be interested in purchasing a product from a participating website, use Good.ly to shorten the link and forward it to them.
If people click and buy what you recommend 55% of referral fees go to a charity you select from the website.
The remaining 45% goes towards running and promoting the service.
And you’ve raised funds for a charity.

Funds are raised for three new charities every month. Contact Good.ly to get your organization featured.

Posted on 06/15/2009 by Mike O'Mahoney
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5 Vote

Give A Few Bob

“What killed me kills one man per hour in Britain. That’s even more than my wife’s cooking. Let’s face it, as a comedian I died many deaths. Prostate cancer, I don’t recommend.”

UK comedian Bob Monkhouse, who died from prostate cancer in 2003, was brought back from the dead for the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation (with full support from his family). The film for the ‘Give A Few Bob’ campaign combined archival footage of Monkhouse, shots of a body double, and a sound-alike for the script and was centered around the microsite giveafewbob.org, where people could make donations.

The Communications Agency created the campaign with an aim to:

  • Connect strongly with men
  • Lower embarrassment associated with the disease
  • Encourage donations
  • Put prostate cancer on the national agenda.

The viral campaign made headlines and there was extensive television and radio coverage. According to the agency, the £50,000 budget produced over £3.5 million of media exposure and the charity’s income doubled. The agency also quotes Mark Emberton MD FRCS (Urology), “I’ve seen a marked increase in patients being tested and diagnosed early thanks to the Bob campaign. It’s saving lives.”

We came across this winning idea in the ‘Best Cause or Charity Marketing Campaign’ category of the 2008 MAAW Globe Awards.

What did we really like about this idea?

  • Often the best ideas are right under your nose (or in your past). Look around and don’t be afraid to look backward; a great idea is waiting for you!
  • Social networking really works well when combined with media exposure. Both can dramatically amplify the impact of the other. So think of using media and social networking together.
  • This great idea was all about and not just about raising money. It challenged the stigma around prostate cancer, essentially repositioning the disease for men who need to be aware and smart about screening. Our recommendation: start with raising money and get that done, but don’t stop there!

What do you think?

Posted on 05/29/2009 by Mike O'Mahoney
1 Comment