Predictions are a tricky thing. They’re mostly comprised of strong currents of the present, past habits and a big dose of educated guessing. When it comes to nonprofits, there’s also an element of hopefulness that’s thrown in, at least in my list of predictions for 2016.

2015 has seen much innovation in technology and communication. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals were recently approved and organizations and countries have started working towards the newly revamped goals. We’ve also seen the world change dramatically – terrorism in all its new iterations is ever present, and we’ll be seeing how nonprofits and global development and relief organizations respond to the current challenges on and off the ground. Here are my predictions for 2016 that reflect our changing global dynamics and expectations.

Social Media – Both large and small social good organizations will be capitalizing on hashtags in much more proactive and creative ways. We’ll be seeing more organizations use mainstream hashtags that aren’t necessarily exclusive to the nonprofit sector, such as #finance #innovation and #smallbiz to inject themselves into digital conversations that are related to their causes. We’re also going to be seeing the hashtags #globalgoals and #SDGS become increasingly popular unifying hashtags as social good organizations and countries come together to work on the newly approved United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We’re also starting to see nonprofits dip their toes into social livestreaming apps like Periscope and Meerkat, and the capacity it has to take us to places and share experiences largely unseen by supporters and donors.

Global Development – As the world continues to counter terrorism, war and violent conflict, and natural disasters, we’ll be seeing governments and mainstream media work much more closely with both large and small NGOs, in an effort to tap into local knowledge and expertise. We’ll see nonprofits respond cautiously but proactively in their new role, and invest more resources into communications and messaging.

Intrapreneurship – As social entrepreneurship continues to rise in the social good sector, more and more nonprofits are looking at the model that incorporates not only profit-making capacities, but also relies strongly on innovation and an ability to pivot quickly when needed, as potential new ways forward. Intrapreneurship, often led by solution and innovation-focused staff members, will continue to pick up speed as nonprofits start looking at new ways of creating revenue, exploring new partnerships and collaborations, and expanding their ability to sustain themselves beyond their present fundraising strategies.

Transparency & Accountability – Nonprofits will continue to make greater investments and improvements in monitoring and evaluation methodologies and staffing, improve on their impact storytelling, specifically using data visualization and graphics. We’ll see more nonprofit websites, social channels and blog posts that speak to us ways in ways we better understand, with more institutional knowledge and opinion shared, as more “fortress” nonprofits embrace communication and openness.

Content Marketing – As blogging continues to be the most rewarding content marketing tool for nonprofits, we’ll see more nonprofits train and encourage program and other staff members to share their field stories and expertise. Traditionally in the hands of communications staff members, we’ll also see more CEOs and Executive Directors creating more content on various platforms, in an effort to increase their organization’s visibility, positioning, and thought leadership.

The challenge for nonprofits in the new year, as it is every year, is finding the internal staffing and financial resources (and often the organizational will because of limited capacity) to move forward on new initiatives that help move the ‘mission needle’ forward. It will be exciting to see how nonprofits take on their various challenges and show us that the social good sector is innovating and moving forward in the most meaningful ways.

This post was originally published on The Huffington Post.

The post 5 Nonprofit Predictions for 2016 appeared first on Socialbrite.

New giving platform helps donors direct their dollars to high-impact nonprofits

Target audience: Nonprofits, cause organizations, foundations, NGOs, social enterprises, businesses, educators, journalists, general public.

Guest post by Tamara Schweitzer
Social Impact Exchange

The giving season is upon us and it’s the time of year when many around the country are thinking about the greater social good and gearing up to make their charitable donations. With crowdfunding platforms and the opportunity to donate online through social media outlets, the act of giving to charities and discovering new causes has never been easier. But it’s not always easy to determine where those dollars can do the most good, or to truly know if those donations are having a real impact.

The Social Impact Exchange, a national membership association dedicated to building a capital marketplace to help scale high-impact social solutions, hopes to change that with the launch of the Social Impact 100 (S&I 100). The S&I 100 is the first-ever broad index of U.S. nonprofits working in the issue areas of education, youth, poverty and health that have evidence of results and are growing to serve more people in need.

One of the main goals in creating the index is to help nonprofits on the platform find the funds they need to continue growing, while also serving as a site that empowers donors to increase the impact of their charitable giving. Similar to the way the S&P 500 Index provides individual investors with the information they need to invest with confidence, the S&I 100 is an online resource that allows donors to access vital information about an organization’s current and future potential to make a difference.

How nonprofits make it into the index

Unlike other charity ratings websites and online giving platforms, the organizations included on the S&I 100 Index have been rigorously screened for evidence of impact through third-party verified studies and are only included on the index if the NPO has the ability to serve more people in need. In addition to the 100 organizations listed, the platform features nearly 16,000 local affiliates that are implementing their solutions.

All of the organizations that are part of the S&I 100 went through an application vetting process that the Exchange designed in collaboration with evaluation firms, ratings firms and other social sector leaders and experts. Along with access to individual evaluation studies, the S&I 100 also allows donors to view each organization’s plans for future growth, current and prior year budget and actuals, current locations, and major funders that are supporting them. When donors visit the site, they can search for organizations by issue area and by state, and they also have the option to give directly to the organization via its “donate now” button that links to the organization’s donation page.

Over time, we will expand the S&I 100 as we identify additional nonprofits that meet the criteria, and we will continue to collaborate with experts across the field to accommodate additional scaling initiatives and to help make the Index more accessible to donors. Ultimately, our hope is that by making it easier for donors to identify and give to high-impact organizations that are growing, we can begin to create the conditions for philanthropic giving to achieve major positive change. In building a marketplace that efficiently delivers capital to the most effective nonprofits, organizations can focus on doing the work they do best, and continue to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the country.

The post Social Impact 100: Who’s really effecting change? appeared first on Socialbrite.

Savvi’s new fundraising program resonates with nonprofits

Target audience: Nonprofits, cause organizations, social change advocates, foundations, NGOs, social enterprises, educators, community organizations.

Guest post by Kiley Newbold
Savvi.com

There are plenty of people in the world who want to give.  That’s evident by the billions of dollars given to charities each year. But talk to any nonprofit and you’ll find the challenge is in how to engage supporters, get them to donate, and then the really tricky part – get them to keep donating again and again. What if nonprofits could create a residual and continuing stream of fundraising revenue? That’s the idea and question that brought a consumer shopping mobile app into the nonprofit fundraising world.

How Savvi works with nonprofits

Savvi.com began almost two years ago as the brain-child of a partnership between Banyan Ventures and the nation’s largest merchant discount network – boasting over 320,000 participating merchants in more than 30,000 zip codes. Darin Gilson, managing partner of Banyan Ventures, suggested that this powerful merchant network wrapped in agile, mobile technology could be an incredible solution to the crazy world of deals and discounts. And with that, Savvi was born. From the beginning, the aim of Savvi was to provide consumers with a simplified approach to saving. We wanted to create something that empowered people to save on things they actually needed. We spent hours discussing the core principles behind Savvi. In short, we became very passionate about what we were building and the impact it could have.

It’s that internal passion that helped us connect so readily with our nonprofit friends. Listening to any nonprofit advocate is one of my favorite things. Most often, it is clearly evident that they believe in their cause so deeply that it courses through their veins. And their enthusiasm is easy to catch. That’s likely why there’s no shortage of worthwhile causes around the world — in general, people care and want to make a difference. But there is so much to do, and providing support usually costs money.

Recurring revenue for nonprofits

That’s often where that enthusiasm hits its first rough patch. There is always a glimmer of hope and perhaps a small hint of frustration in the eye of those nonprofit advocates when they begin to talk about what they wish they could do – if only they had more funds.

The shape of a business almost always tells a deeper story. Savvi is no exception. As we built something we felt passionate about, we kept running into other passionate people. It didn’t take long to realize that Savvi was a perfect partner for our nonprofit friends. As we discussed the possibilities, we often heard the same refrain:

• We need something of real value to give our supporters
• We need something that gives us a significant share of the money gathered
• Fundraising takes up so much time, because we have to constantly raise more money
• Fundraising can’t cost more than it brings in

Savvi seemed to fit the bill perfectly. So we launched our Savvi for nonprofit fundraising program.  Essentially, nonprofit partners are able to offer Savvi to their supporters through a turnkey solution, and Savvi shares a generous portion of the membership fees on a monthly and recurring basis.

• Supporters gain real value while supporting their cause
• Savvi shares 30% of all membership fees generated through the nonprofit partner
• The recurring, monthly membership nature of Savvi allows nonprofits to build sustainable fundraising revenue streams
• Savvi is free to nonprofits and requires very little upfront time to implement

Savvi is now helping nonprofits, both large and small, all across the country. Whether it’s sending a team of doctors to Mexico, providing relief to victims of natural disasters, or raising money for scholarships, Savvi is quickly becoming a very popular tool to solve the fundraising dilemma while giving the nonprofit supporters real value in their everyday life.

Align your nonprofit with Savvi

1. Visit http://business.savvi.com/strategic_partners/charities and fill out the form.
2. A member of the Savvi team will contact you to discuss your organization’s needs.
3. Savvi will work with you to customize some marketing and outreach materials.
4. Plug Savvi into your existing fundraising efforts, or launch new campaigns.
5. Start earning recurring commissions to support your organization’s efforts.

Learn more about Savvi through their blog. You can also keep up with us:

• On Facebook
• On Twitter
• On Pinterest.

Have any questions?

The post Savvi: A recurring revenue stream for nonprofits appeared first on Socialbrite.

To get the most out of volunteers, start with plan

Target audience: Cause organizations, nonprofits, NGOs, volunteer centers, social enterprises.

Guest post by Susannah Vila

If you’ve completed some successful social actions, chances are you have an opportunity to bring some new people onto your campaign or into your program.

Begin recruiting volunteers, but remember how important it is to have a plan for managing them.

Assess your needs

1First, take some time to assess the needs of your organization and how you could use the help of volunteers. What type of support are you looking for?

Direct-service volunteers provide hands-on services such as general office support, serving as translators, helping with events and soliciting donations. Skilled pro-bono volunteers are individuals or company employees volunteering their professional skills like Web design, accounting and marketing.

Decide on a length of engagement

2What type of commitment would you like volunteers to make. One time only? Ongoing? Draft a post and an email calling for volunteers and include a description of your organization or campaign and what the volunteer’s responsibilities would be, as well as the specific skills and time commitment needed. You can then use this post in various channels and social media outlets to recruit volunteers.

Inform people about your opportunities

3Check out the different tools and platforms available for sharing volunteer opportunities:

• Add your organization to Idealist and post listings for volunteer opportunities. Idealist is a well-established and respected platform “where people and organizations can exchange resources and ideas, locate opportunities and supporters, and take steps toward building a better world.”
• Create a profile on GOOD, which recently merged with Jumo.
• If you are in the United States, set up a profile on VolunteerMatch.
• Other sites that may be useful:

– Causecast
– Care2
– Do Something
– Changents
– All For Good
– Socialbrite’s directory of Cause organizations

Play around and see what sites you find easy to navigate and would best help and be most useful to your organization.

Tip! When adding pertinent information to your listing, it’s very important to add keywords because this is how people searching for opportunities will find your listing.

Examine your existing networks

4Before you join a slew of social networking platforms to post opportunities, look at your existing networks, online presence and Web strategy.

• Ask your friends and acquaintances. Personal requests are far more effective than anything else.
• Leverage existing Twitter and Facebook accounts to address your needs.

Your requests should be direct and clear about what type of volunteer help you need, such as “Looking for volunteers to help us at our upcoming event [about this cause] on [this date]. Can you help? E-mail us at [contact info]” or “Can you help us spread the word about our petition?”

Tip! Tap networks like church groups and unions, etc., to see if they want to do what you’re doing.

Craft an email marketing message

5Remember that e-mail blasts to your list of supporters are a great way to reach out and find volunteers. Check out our how-to guide on e-mail organizing for some best practices. Remember to craft a subject line and e-mail body that is clear and uses language encouraging recipients to take action (and volunteer). Make it clear that you are not soliciting for donations but rather that you are looking for your supporters’ help and expertise.

Promptly respond to inquiries

6Hopefully, people will see your postings and respond that they would like to volunteer with your group. Respond promptly to volunteer requests and provide additional information and details. Any time someone says they’ll help out, ask them if they’ve got any friends who might want to join too.

Screen volunteers

7Take the time to carefully interview and screen potential volunteers. Volunteers take up a lot of time for the coordinators, so have a careful screening process to help weed out the ones that aren’t likely to stay for long. If someone wants to volunteer, begin by meeting with them for 15-30 minutes to talk about the organization, learn what kinds of things they are interested in doing and determining if there is a good fit. The interview also gives you an opportunity to assess the needs of the volunteer and whether they might be more work than they are worth.

After the interview, send them away with a packet of information and ask them to call back soon if they are still interested in volunteering. This may select some out the people who would be poor fits out of the process.

Train your volunteers

8Once you have selected volunteers:

• Explain the vision, the plans and how they’ll be part of the team.
• Give volunteers new and greater responsibilities as they prove themselves over time.
• Have a plan in place for how you will train them.

Enlist a volunteer coordinator

9Devise a plan for who will be responsible for supervising volunteers and working on volunteer retention. This position is usually called a volunteer coordinator. Also invest in your best (capable and faithful) volunteers by rewarding them with extra amounts of training.

Don’t be afraid to ask someone to leave when they become significantly more work compared with what they contribute.

Image of volunteers at SF Goodwill by Greg Habiby (CC BY NC image).

Manage your volunteer base

10A key skill for any youth organization is to manage a high turnover of volunteers. This boils down to essentially good organization and records.

Many NGOs that are fortunate enough to have an office staffed by volunteers, keep a log of some sort by the reception/volunteer desk. The log is used as an ongoing record of who has phoned, what follow-up is required and what action has been taken. It is also used to take notes about what other jobs are in process and what still needs to be done. You can do this using Google Drive.

Make sure to include a column indicating who will do what and another to check off when a job has been completed. Along with the log, you should also maintain a manual for volunteers, complete with a series of relevant volunteer job descriptions. Written communications and good record-keeping can go a long way in keeping every volunteer informed about the latest developments and steering them in the right direction when they are wondering what needs to be done.

Clearly define volunteer roles

11It’s a good idea to assign each volunteer to a team and a clearly defined role. Job descriptions should include at minimum the following:

• Title
• Purpose
• Responsibilities (including reporting)
• Skills and knowledge required
• Required time commitment per week or month, location, benefits and a good job description

Sometimes additional resources are useful to attach to the job description, such as postering locations, message scripts, etc.

Bring volunteers together

12Hold events and gatherings for your volunteers. This way they meet the others, build friendships and feel part of a larger team.

Hold a volunteer meeting, bringing a group of volunteers together to learn a specific set of skills. For your own sake, try to schedule the training of volunteers together rather than individually. Of course, some volunteers play a very specialized role in the organization and will require one on one attention.

Hold a work party, similar a volunteer meeting except the goal is to accomplish a certain task. This is a great way to provide time for having fun with the people who care about the same things and also getting things done.

Creative Commons image on Flickr via Susan G. Komen 

Recognize and reward

13Since they are not paid for their valuable contributions, recognition and rewards is an important aspect of volunteering for most people. Everyone wants to know that what they are doing is important, a critical component of the overall organizational goals, and it is the coordinator’s job to let them know. Always thank your volunteers. Again and again. Praise them when they do a good job. Write them nice thank-you notes. Whenever possible, thank them publicly — in your newsletter, on your web site, during your events. Give your volunteers titles. They’re free, they convey information about the volunteer’s role and they can be a source of pride for many volunteers.

Reward your volunteers when possible with small things like bus tickets, parking money, beautiful posters, T-shirts, presents and social events or parties.

Focus on recruitment

14Recruitment is an ongoing job for the volunteer coordinator – whenever someone expresses interest in your work, it’s an opportunity to recruit a volunteer. Other good places to recruit volunteers are at information tables, rallies, educational events, meetings and any time you’re speaking.

The sign-up sheet is a useful tool to use and should include at least a name, phone numbers, email address and interests.

Good luck with your volunteer program!

Related

• 7 tips to get more out of volunteering (BayAreaImpact.org)

The post How to recruit and manage volunteers appeared first on Socialbrite.

During the holiday break, Socialbrite is updating and republishing some of our most popular posts. We noticed that Jolkona is prominently featured in Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen’s new book, “Giving 2.0.” Our regular publication schedule resumes Monday.

Imet Adnan Mahmud, co-founder and CEO of Jolkona, during Beth Kanter’s book signing party for “The Networked Nonprofit” at TechSoup Global — and was immediately impressed by his seriousness and dedication to helping great causes through one-to-one philanthropy.

Jolkona is at the bleeding edge of this phenomenon, which will become an increasingly important part of charitable giving in the years ahead, as young people in particular want transparency, interaction and accountability when supporting a cause.

Adnan says Jolkona is the first nonprofit “to give tangible feedback on your donation.” Kiva, which pioneered the technique, provides entrepreneurs with loans. And while nonprofits like charity:water and Global Giving often give updates on projects, Jolkona is positioning itself as a technology platform that enables one-to-one philanthropy for nonprofits of any size.

Watch, download or embed our interview on Vimeo

The year-old Jolkona — which means “drop of water” in Bengali (Adnan is a native of Bangladesh) — currently showcases 75 projects in 35 countries, including the United States.

Jolkona’s premise is simple but powerful: Support a library in Tibet that needs $50 to buy books, and you’ll get the list of the books purchased through your donation. Help people in Bangladesh and Myanmar get an artificial limb for $200 — $200! — and you’ll receive a before and after photo. In Iraq, you can save a girl from an honor killing for $120: You get the story of the girl you saved, though for security reasons they can’t supply a name or photo. And in the U.S., you can provide field trips to a classroom of disadvantaged children in Seattle.

Says Adnan: “If you ask any nonprofit, Do you want to tell your supporters how their money was used, they’ll all tell you, Yes I do. But they don’t because they’re strapped for resources. Jolkona decided to come in and provide that technical infrastructure.

“Our focus is on youth philanthropy,” he adds. “We’re focused on galvanizing this next generation of givers. We’ve seen the frustration of this generation — that they don’t know where their money is going to. … We want people to feel that their [donation] can make a difference.”

It does, and the Jolkona team has gone out of its way to provide transparency and dispel worries that surfaced after it was revealed that Kiva wasn’t being forthright about its donations process.

Jolkona is now accepting nonprofit partners, though there’s a waiting queue. “If you are doing great work and are committed to showing impact, we are your best partners” as a platform solution, Adnan says.

The post Jolkona: Now we can all be philanthropists appeared first on Socialbrite.

Matanya’s Hope tells stories of Kenyan schoolchildren through photos & video

Multimedia storytelling can be an incredibly powerful tool for your organization to attract funders, motivate volunteers and demonstrate the power of your message.

Our friends at Matanya’s Hope asked us to create a visual story for their nonprofit by seamlessly blending photos and video footage that they have captured over the past several years with original interviews, music and graphics we developed.

Founded in 2005 by Illinois native Michelle Stark, Matanya’s Hope is a nonprofit dedicated to educating children in Kenya. Last summer I accompanied Michelle to Matanya Primary School and saw the destitution these children and their families face: severe poverty, hunger, lack of clothing. And I realized why Michelle is dedicating her life to this cause.

For nonprofits and other organizations looking to capture their stories through powerful imagery, here are some simple tips for creating professional-looking video:

• Use “b-roll” (stills & video)
• Incorporate stock music
• Use narration or background sounds

How to incorporate b-roll

By using B-roll – still photographs and short video clips referencing what the interviewees are talking about – you can make the video much more interesting than by solely using “talking heads” (straight interviews of people talking without any additional footage). As we are hearing Michelle talking about the children with “no shoes and torn and tattered clothing,” the still photographs visually reinforce what the interviewee is saying. B-roll also allows us to edit the interviews without a noticeable cut (“jump-cut”) in the action or picture on screen.

Use background music to add texture

Background music was also selected to set the mood of the video. Royalty-free music can be purchased online from a number of stock music websites for a modest charge. One of my favorites is Triple Scoop Music. There are also a slew of free sites offering rights-cleared music, generally using Creative Commons — see Socialbrite’s Free Music Directory.

For the Matanya’s Hope video, we licensed a song from a local Kenyan composer we discovered while we were there filming the video.

Narration and background sound round out the piece

Using natural, or ambient, sound captured while videotaping b-roll is another effective way to make the storytelling more compelling. Background sounds of children talking in a classroom help create a more natural, captivating video. Natural sounds can also be useful in making transitions or in reinforcing a point the speaker is making.

Next up: We’ll share our learnings on professional interviewing techniques.

And please make a donation to support Matanya’s Hope’s efforts to educate children in this region of Kenya. All net proceeds from the sale or leasing of photographs from the Matanya’s Hope gallery will go directly to the children of Kenya this charity supports.

Related on Socialbrite

• Online advocacy video best practices
• How to find amazing, powerful stories for your nonprofit video
• How nonprofits should be using visual storytelling
• 10 secrets to video storytelling success

The post Techniques to add dazzle to your advocacy video appeared first on Socialbrite.

Interactive photobook offers way to support contributions by women

Guest post by Stacy Coleman
Vivanista

Oxfam America ran a photo contest for the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day in March. They created an interactive photo wall that enables supporters to upload photos and messages in support of women’s contributions.

We caught up with Victoria Marzilli, new media specialist of Oxfam America, to get an update about the work of Oxfam, its interactive photobook, and the nonprofit’s social media efforts on Facebook and Twitter.

What is distinctive about your organization?
Marzilli: Oxfam is unique because we are such a multifaceted organization. We work on the ground to implement long-lasting solutions to poverty, hunger and social injustice, but we also campaign for policies that help poor communities around the world. We not only provide emergency humanitarian response, but we create sustainable long-term development programs.

How and when was Oxfam inspired and created?

Marzilli: A group of volunteers founded Oxfam America in 1970 in response to the humanitarian crisis created by the fight for independence in Bangladesh. The next few years were pivotal as several key supporters made prophetic and significant decisions that defined Oxfam’s mission and principles:

1. Oxfam America decided not to accept U.S. government grants and to instead try to build broad-based, grassroots support that would remain independent of government foreign policy.

2. Appeals for support would also avoid promoting a condescending attitude toward poor people; communications would be thought-provoking rather than emotional. Grants would focus on small projects that could serve as models for others.

Last year Oxfam America celebrated its 40th anniversary. While the organization today is a very different place — one that has grown and changed to address both the times and the changing needs of developing countries — several things have remained steadfast: the commitment to addressing issues of injustice and poverty, and the set of core values that has informed our work — legacies passed down through four decades of staff and board members.

What is the overall goal of Oxfam? How do you hope to impact change?

Our overall mission is to create lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and social injustice. We hope to do this by a combination of on-the-ground programs and advocating for global policies.

Tell us about your photo campaign for International Women’s Day.

In the lead-up to the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, we created a movement that will support and better the lives of women throughout the world. Check out the entries in our first-ever ACT FAST interactive photobook.

To participate (it’s not too late!):

• Go to http://www.oxfamamerica.org/photobook

• Write out a sign that says, “Ending hunger starts with…” Or, download one from our Photobook.

• Snap a pic, and send it our way! (You can also send it directly to photobook@oxfamamerica.org).

The more photos, thoughts, and videos we have, the stronger our efforts will be. We already have some amazing photos, messages and videos from celebrities, activists, and leaders.

Join us, and show your support for these amazing, strong women – they are the key to ending hunger.

What external resources do you use in your fundraising and outreach efforts (websites, mentors, social networks, etc.)?

Direct mail, our website, email, social media (mostly Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter), celebrity ambassadors, music artist ambassadors, volunteer networks, the media.

In what other ways can we get involved and help?

Even though hunger and poverty can seem like foreign issues, there are so many ways to get involved and make a difference from home. First you can go to our website for activists and take action online by sending a letter to a member of Congress on an issue you care about, or adding your post to our interactive photobook to join the movement to empower women and end hunger. You can also volunteer, or if you are a college student, apply for our CHANGE program (http://www.oxfamamerica.org/whatyoucando/take-action/student-action/change) or table at concerts around the country!

This article originally appeared on Vivanista.

The post Oxfam America invites public into fight against poverty appeared first on Socialbrite.

Today is my birthday, and in the tradition of other social media strategists working in the nonprofit space like Beth Kanter (I wrote about her last birthday campaign in January) and Geoff Livingston, I’d like to ask your help in making the day special for some enterprising young people in Colombia.

But first a quick word of explanation. This post comes in two parts: this introductory fund-raising appeal, followed by an interview with the founder and CEO of Jolkona Foundation, which is running the campaign and scores of others like it.

Empower young entrepreneurs in Colombia’s slums

This is the first time I’ve ever directly asked my blog readers and followers on Twitter and Facebook to donate to a campaign of mine, though I’ve spotlighted dozens of worthy causes over the years. So, please donate here — looking for nine people to donate an average of $25. Details:

What: Support young people in the slums of Bogotá, Colombia, as they develop their own community internet cafe business, called MegaRed (pictured above). The cafe provides opportunities for young entrepreneurs to create a better future for their families while providing a safe and positive environment for young people at risk of being recruited or attacked by armed groups.

What’s cool & different: Jolkona.org showcases scores of great causes to help out — and you get individualized feedback and progress reports on how your donation made a difference in people’s lives.

How much: We’re asking for $25, or whatever you can afford.

How: Click the Give button on this page. You’ll be able to track their progress in the months ahead.

Thank you! Please retweet or Facebook it if you can.

Jolkona: One-to-one philanthropy

Imet Adnan Mahmud, co-founder and CEO of Jolkona, during Beth Kanter’s book signing party for “The Networked Nonprofit” at TechSoup Global last month — and was immediately impressed by his seriousness and dedication to helping great causes through one-to-one philanthropy.

Jolkona is at the bleeding edge of this phenomenon, which will become an increasingly important part of charitable giving in the years ahead, as young people in particular want transparency, interaction and accountability when supporting a cause.

Adnan says Jolkona is the first nonprofit “to give tangible feedback on your donation.” Kiva, which pioneered the technique, provides entrepreneurs with loans. And while nonprofits like charity:water and Global Giving often give updates on projects, Jolkona is positioning itself as a technology platform that enables one-to-one philanthropy for nonprofits of any size.

Watch, download or embed our interview on Vimeo

The year-old Jolkona — which means “drop of water” in Bengali (Adnan is a native of Bangladesh) — currently showcases 75 projects in 35 countries, including the United States.

Jolkona’s premise is simple but powerful: Support a library in Tibet that needs $50 to buy books, and you’ll get the list of the books purchased through your donation. Help people in Bangladesh and Myanmar get an artificial limb for $200 — $200! — and you’ll receive a before and after photo. In Iraq, you can save a girl from an honor killing for $120: You get the story of the girl you saved, though for security reasons they can’t supply a name or photo. And in the U.S., you can provide field trips to a classroom of disadvantaged children in Seattle.

Says Adnan: “If you ask any nonprofit, Do you want to tell your supporters how their money was used, they’ll all tell you, Yes I do. But they don’t because they’re strapped for resources. Jolkona decided to come in and provide that technical infrastructure.

“Our focus is on youth philanthropy,” he adds. “We’re focused on galvanizing this next generation of givers. We’ve seen the frustration of this generation — that they don’t know where their money is going to. … We want people to feel that their [donation] can make a difference.”

It does, and the Jolkona team has gone out of its way to provide transparency and dispel worries that surfaced after last year’s revelation that Kiva wasn’t being forthright about its donations process.

Jolkona is now accepting nonprofit partners, though there’s a waiting queue. “If you are doing great work and are committed to showing impact, we are your best partners” as a platform solution, Adnan says.

The post Support my birthday campaign on Jolkona! appeared first on Socialbrite.

Ihad the opportunity to meet Matthew Bishop, business editor for The Economist and author of Philanthrocapitalism, at a dinner about the “Future of Philanthropy.” It was fascinating to hear Matt talk about the role of the wealthy and the future of giving.

“People who give are much more likely to come up with the answer … to all the problems the word is facing” than governmnets and politicians are,” he says in this 2 1/2-minute video interview conducted at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

An overview of his book:

“An examination of how today’s leading philanthropists are revolutionizing the field, using new methods to have a vastly greater impact on the world.

“For philanthropists of the past, charity was often a matter of simply giving money away. For the philanthrocapitalists – the new generation of billionaires who are reshaping the way they give – it’s like business. Largely trained in the corporate world, these “social investors” are using big-business-style strategies and expecting results and accountability to match. Bill Gates, the world’s richest man, is leading the way: He has promised his entire fortune to finding a cure for the diseases that kill millions of children in the poorest countries in the world.

“In Philanthrocapitalism, Matthew Bishop and Michael Green examine this new movement and its implications. Proceeding from interviews with some of the most powerful people on the planet—including Gates, Bill Clinton, George Soros, Angelina Jolie, and Bono, among others—they show how a web of wealthy, motivated donors has set out to change the world. Their results will have huge implications: In a climate resistant to government spending on social causes, their focused donations may be the greatest force for societal change in our world, and a source of political controversy.

Combining on-the-ground anecdotes, expert analysis, and up-close profiles of the wealthy and powerful, this is a fascinating look at a small group of people who will change an enormous number of lives.”

More than that, we talked about how young people could explore and get into giving and nonprofits and Matt’s highlights from Davos. It was a real honor to meet him and connect over the next-generation of philanthropy.

This post originally appeared on the MySpace Journal.

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