Gift Hub

Smartocracy.net

At Smartocracy vote for those who in turn will vote on the placement of a grant. Interesting experiment in representative democracy in on-line grantmaking. Via Lucy Bernholz.

Giving Back: A Blog for New Philanthropists

Giving Back writes:

In today’s social climate, more and more people are looking for ways to have a positive impact on the world and create social change.

This blog will focus on ways in which a new generation of philanthropists, volunteers, and leaders are making an impact with their dollars, time, and voices. I will also be gathering resources from a multitude of sources about the how-tos of charitable giving, new trends in philanthropy, and innovative ways to help address emerging social issues.

I hope to create a community of people that are looking to redefine philanthropy and charitable giving to meet evolving social needs. We need to take a fresh look at what is happening around us, and make thoughtful, educated decisions about how we distribute our resources in order to have the greatest impact possible.

Welcome to the blogosphere, GivingBack.  May your efforts meet with great success.

DoGooder.tv

See3 to launch DoGooderTV the first online hub for nonprofit media [Press Release Reprinted Below]

See3, a communications and consulting firm that works exclusively with nonprofits, is building an online media hub for the nonprofit community at www.dogooder.tv.  DoGooderTV will host media produced for nonprofit organizations for the purpose of exposing these organizations and their media to potential donors, volunteers and individuals who join the DoGooderTV network.

DoGooderTV is inviting all 501(c) 3 organizations to create a free organization page for their site.  Each organization will receive free media hosting and all registered nonprofits are invited to submit video and audio media for the launch of DoGooderTV. 

DoGooderTV will give site visitors the opportunity to donate directly to an organization, join mailing and email lists, sign up to volunteer or simply link to the organizations webpage for more information. Each video uploaded to DoGooderTV will have a unique web address so nonprofits can send the link to their own constituents as well.  DoGooderTV will allow nonprofits to embed the videos into their own websites, providing organizations with a low-cost, high quality solution to host media.  Additionally, the site will provide information to nonprofits about how to create media for lower costs, supply detailed statistics about viewing habits and give nonprofits the tools to turn causal viewers into supporters.

Dropping Knowledge

Dropping Knowledge opens a global dialogue platform to inspire solutions to the most pressing issues of our time. Via Worldchanging.

Fraternity and Philanthropy

The post, by Judith Meskill at Social Software Weblog,  about a Napa Valley charity wine auction, is from 2004. Still, human nature remains unchanged. "Fraternity, Philanthropy" and Equality. Could be revolutionary, but basically it is about a creating and maintaining a status hierarchy, right? I guess, the art of giving is harnessing every possible motive to a decent act and outcome. Be the change you seek and hold your numbered bidding paddle high.

Funding Liberals with Blue Chip Profits

Here is Conservative Research Center taking umbrage at Philanthropybeat for castigating a recent study of their's on corporate grantmaking. Liberal bias is quite common, apparently, among Fortune 100 Foundations. In other news, Smoky Joe, Executive Director of Rooster Foundation: Crowing in the New American Century, emailed me to flag the CRC study as a "a monumental achievement of human freedom and cheap at the price."

The Beloved Community

From the life and work of Martin Luther King:

6 Principles of Nonviolence
6 Steps for Nonviolent Social Change

Or, perhaps we should say these principles and steps are adapted from the life and work, the suffering, death and redemption of Jesus Christ. The Beloved Community includes funders, talk show hosts, and think tank thinkers who would subvert our traditions of enlightenment, tolerance, democracy and Christian charity. We do not meet manipulation and aggressive malice on its own ground. We turn the other cheek, and return love for hate, truth for propaganda. We bear witness even when Judas sets the precedent and the rules. We are the change we seek to the extent we are able. The enemy of freedom is within, in our own hearts. The Axis of Evil is drawn through every human heart. To love our enemies is to conquer the evil in ourselves and to provide a living example to those whose rancor and worldliness can only be defeated by love.

Rich Harwood and The Public Innovator's Summit

I spent an enjoyable and productive weekend at The Harwood Institute's Inaugural Public Innovator's Summit.  I particularly enjoyed meeting Rich Harwood himself. He is a hard man to "place." He is highly intelligent, educated, personable and a gifted teacher, that much is obvious. He seems deep-dyed in pratical politics, but also in political science and political theory. He is committed to the nonprofit sector, but has an entrepreneurial side himself. He is able to move fluently at the highest vision level where words are used like "hope," "love," "faith," as well as "the public interest," or "justice."  He can talk metrics and outcomes, but also compassion, community, and personal transformation.  What I am left with is the desire to get to know Rich and his work better. I also hope he can connect his book-learned knowledge and his lifelong pratical experience with the online discussions of social good.  His expertise and wisdom would be very useful in the online networks discussing civil society, civic spaces, the wisdom and madness of crowds, giving, and the fate of democracy.  Were Rich to look into, say, Newdea, or the Newdea people were to talk with Rich, the conversation would be well worth hearing. How will the public interest be served in the age of the internet entrepreneurs who are busy disintermediating and privatizing the staid structures of stewardship that have served the public interest, well or badly, in the past? In earlier posts, I expressed some skepticism about The Harwood Summit.  It seemed too good to be true.  But in fact it was a great experience, and I look forward to drawing on Rich Harwood's insights and offerings going forward. 

Mitt Romney Does Philanthropy

Presidential politics, a candidate's foundation, a think tank, and public policy on health care: a nice little case study from Philanthropybeat. You could teach this stuff in a school run by Mephistopheles.

Satirizing Philanthropy

No, no, no, Countess. Let us not pie philanthropists. Instead let us flay those who would satirize our solemn proceedings.