One of the founders of Facebook is working on a new startup that’s trying to create a social network with a focus on charities called Jumo, which just went into beta today: Jumo aims to help you discover what causes matter to you by allowing you to follow specific charities as well as keep tabs… Continue reading Jumo – A Social Network For Charities
Using Text (SMS) For Charity Donations
Here’s an informative piece on the technologies, economics, and pitfalls of using text message based charitable donations: Texted donations currently are limited to $5 and $10 increments and capped by mobile phone companies at five a month from a single phone. But that’s not the only downside. There are huge costs to setting up a… Continue reading Using Text (SMS) For Charity Donations
Crowdrise- Ed Norton’s social networking and charity website
Crowdrise aims to make raising money for a cause not just easy, but also fun. Setting up a page to support something you care about takes less than a minute. Then, friends and family can be invited to be sponsors by donating any amount of money, large or small. You don’t have to run a… Continue reading Crowdrise- Ed Norton’s social networking and charity website
Controversy Brews In The World of Microfinance
SKS Microfinance wants to go public, but not everyone trusts the motives behind an IPO. In charity circles, people wondered about the motives of the Unitus board members, at least four of whom had invested in SKS Microfinance themselves and thus would reap profits from the I.P.O. Continue reading…
The Financial Access Initiative and MicroSave invites you to a free virtual conference on Reimagining Microfinance Around the World
Portfolios of the Poor: How the World’s Poor Live on $2 a Day broadened our understanding of how the global poor manage their financial lives, but how do we take these lessons and transform them into real, on-the-ground solutions for economic development? The Financial Access Initiative and MicroSave invites you to a free virtual conference… Continue reading The Financial Access Initiative and MicroSave invites you to a free virtual conference on Reimagining Microfinance Around the World
Affinity search engines still coming out of the wood work
It looks like we’re not done with affinity search engines. Here’s the latest one I spotted, called Search and Share SearchAndShare.org Google from Search and Share on Vimeo.
Groupon Joins in Charity Drive
The fast growing and popular deal site Groupon has joined Charity Drive, to help groups of people get together to raise money for charity. It is a new kind of philanthropy — the digital version of the public radio pledge drive, when businesses offer to match listener donations for a period of time. The Pershing… Continue reading Groupon Joins in Charity Drive
Twitter’s foray into social good efforts with the launch of Hope140
Last month saw the latest Twitter foray into social good efforts with the launch of the new Hope140 initiative. Its #EndMalaria campaign over the past week featured the TwitPay platform for donations, creating a new call to action for Hope140. Twitter users participated in World Malaria Day by retweeting and donating $10. The Case Foundation… Continue reading Twitter’s foray into social good efforts with the launch of Hope140
What is “Impact Investing”?
Impact Investing is a relatively new term used to describe philanthropy and charitable giving, but it implies that these projects require a return on the investment, although return requirements are much more lenient than what a typical financial investor would demand. Here’ s a good New York Times article that delves into the topic at… Continue reading What is “Impact Investing”?
Update on One Laptop Per Child (OLPC)
It’s been slow going. About 1.6 million of the group’s laptops have been distributed to date, said Matt Keller, vice president for global advocacy at the O.L.P.C. Foundation, based in Cambridge, Mass. Today, the largest concentrations are in Uruguay, at around 400,000, and Peru, at 280,000, followed by Rwanda (110,000) and Haiti and Mongolia (15,000… Continue reading Update on One Laptop Per Child (OLPC)