October 10, 2008
Company Asks Public to Direct Its Giving
TripAdvisor, a Web site that helps visitors book airplane tickets and hotels, is the most recent grant maker to get into so-called participatory philanthropy, that is, allowing the public to vote online for which cause the company supports.
The company, in Newton, Mass., is asking people to choose between five large charities: Conservation International, Doctors Without Border, the National Geographic Society, the Nature Conservancy, and Save the Children. TripAdvisor will divide $1-million among the organizations based on the percentage of votes each garners. Polls close November 9.
American Express and several nonprofit funds have created similar grant-making programs. Read about The Chronicle’s article about public participation in philanthropy.
Critics of the strategy, which some deride as American Idol-style philanthropy, argue it will lead to giving that takes less risks and focuses only on well-known causes.
What do you think of such giving programs? Which nonprofit group would you vote for?
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I think it’s fine for TripAdvisor to ask the public where how they would like to see the $1 million allocated, after all this company does not have to make any charitable gifts at all. I could argue that the five that they chose represent a rather narrow swath of potential areas, since 3 of the five are international health/child related, one is enviornmental (US and world), and the final one is (NGS) is both educational and environmental.
I think it’s a positive sign of establishing two way communication, as opposed to the model of just supporting whatever the CEO cares about.
Regards,
Bill Huddleston
www.cfcfundraising.com
— Bill Huddleston Oct 13, 12:40 PM #