Green Screen
By Tommy Rosen
Filed Under Conscious Commerce | Leave a Comment
Not a single day has gone by in the last eighteen months when I did not struggle to come up with the words to describe the current global movement to address humanity’s biggest concerns, both social and environmental. The main problem is that the green business sector has not been successful at setting widely accepted definitions and standards for what it actually means to be “green,” “eco,” or “sustainable.” This has led to debate and controversy as governments, companies, organizations and individuals try to figure out what industry practices are truly sustainable. Continue reading Green Screen…
Posted on June 24, 2008 |
Philanthropy 2.0
By Greg Berry
Filed Under Modern Philanthropy | 4 Comments
The decentralizing power of the Internet and social media has changed the philanthropic world in a big way during the past couple years. Once the province of older, wealthy donors on one side of the ledger and hard-working, under-financed idealists on the other, philanthropy is very different these days. Before we get into some details, it’s probably a good idea to define our terms.
Philanthropy 2.0 borrows more than the jargony, buzz-word-laden, faux-hipness from Silicon Valley’s latest incarnation of web-based mashups, social networks and blogging tools. Philanthropy 2.0 is about participation. It’s about using the Internet to connect people. It’s about open collaboration and a higher flow of smaller donations. Philanthropy 2.0 could possibly be a demonstration of the evolution of our species. An optimist might even see a very early start in the shift towards social justice driven from the ground up on a global scale, building a powerful yin to the yang of the centralized giving based in national aid agencies and huge, old, conservative foundations.
If you’re looking for some examples, and places to participate, Philanthropy 2.0 is exemplified by many recent initiatives which have gained significant attention:
Sean Parker and Joe Green, co-founders of Facebook and Napster have created Facebook’s Causes application, which lets you add philanthropic messages and fundraising to your profile. Contribute, a media company focusing on next-generation philanthropists recently profiled their work, highlighting over 3 million Facebookers who have Contribute widgets on their personal pages.
Kiva
Kiva.org is a peer-to-peer lending platform that lets anyone loan (generally small amounts of) money to people in the developing world. In 2007, the site gained so much attention in North America that is sometimes found all loans subscribed, and more donors than people in need. While this may point to the disconnect between need and internet access in the developing world, it’s a testament to the power that the web is having on philanthropy.
The Case Foundation
Steve Case, founder of America On Line (AOL) launched “America’s Giving Challenge” in late 2007. Working with both Parade Magazine (Sunday magazine of many of the country’s top newspapers) and Facebook, The foundation arranged cash prizes for non-profits who received the highest number of donations (not the most money) during their 6-week campaign, emphasizing participation over wealth.
eConscious Market
Of course, there’s our own initiative –eConscious Market — which donates 50% of our profits to a huge variety of non-profits that customers get to choose from. All the products are chosen for their eco-conscious manufacturing or operations practices.
Global Giving
Like Kiva, GlobalGiving lets you choose individual projects to support. Unlike Kiva, at Global Giving you are donating, not lending the money. They connect you with 450 pre-screened grassroots charity projects around the world.
Want to take action?
- Lend money as a micro loan to Kiva
- Donate at Global Giving
- Shop at eConscious Market
- To create a micro donation widget for your own organization, learn more at NTEN or connect directly with developers at Techfinder.org
- Use Facebook Causes to raise money for your favorite charity
- Donate to GlobalGiving
-
Posted on April 28, 2008 |
Modern Philanthropy: The New American Dream
By Lizbeth M. Brown, Esq.
Filed Under Modern Philanthropy | 1 Comment
There is a new form of philanthropy brewing. The traditional forms of giving have been phenomenal, but today’s colossal issues require an evolution of this art. Today’s philanthropy requires a collective response. It’s about pooling our distinct abilities as individuals and addressing ecological crises, corporate encroachment, and warfare as a group. If we were each working alone, these tasks would be daunting, and even paralyzing. The recognition of the modern philanthropist is that together, “Si, Se Puede.” Yes, we can.
Common Ground Health Clinic is a community clinic, founded in Louisiana in the immediate wake of the Hurricane Katrina disaster. It’s one of eConscious Market’s non-profit partners. I love their slogan “Solidarity, not charity.” This notion exemplifies Modern Philanthropy because it is participative. It forms a collective of humans who care to improve their community and in doing so, their own lives, and the world. It brings people together in a common cause and movement towards the vision of a better imminent tomorrow.
Continue reading Modern Philanthropy: The New American Dream…
Posted on April 21, 2008 |
-
Buy eCo Products
