Charity World Network

Jim Gould, founder of Charity World Network, writes in an email, seeking a mention on Gifthub:

>During my life as a stock broker for forty years, I served on the Boards of many nonprofits.  They all had great aspirations and noble missions.  However, we spent most of our time discussing and planning how to raise the money to fund these programs.  The solutions all involved asking for contributions.  I dedicated myself to find a way that gave power to non-profits.  We have 1,000 nationally known stores that have agreed to rebate money when people do their online shopping through the Charity World Network.

Jim's org offers a seal, that might look like the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. Those nonprofits in the network seem to put a link on their site that drives business to for-profit firms that give a percentage of revenue back to the nonprofit. The intermediary is Fund Raising Solutions, also founded by Jim Gould.  Click Support, an online shopping mall, founded by Jim, is also involved.  How dollars flow through this system, and how in particular, money flows to Jim,  through which entities, I am not clear about, though Click Support does publish a fee schedule for those wishing to participate. I am also not clear how a for-profit earns the big Seal from Charity World Network. Is it all about the money, or are their other criteria? I welcome Jim's fuller explanation to help readers in making their own decisions.   

 

Comments

[Matthew]

I got the same e-mail and share your concerns about not having a fuller explanation. More importantly, harnessing consumerism as a development strategy is short-sighted--in my opinion. Philanthropy is about long-term relationships with great causes that bring about mutual transformation in the life of the donor and in the mission of the charity. Shopping can't accomplish that.

[Phil]

Thanks, Matthew. This is what I enjoy about blogging. We get a chance to talk to, about, and back to, the prevailing consumer ideology.