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June 30, 2009

Former Google Executive Seeks Philanthropy Advice

A former Google executive is asking for advice on where to make a donation.

On his blog, Paul Buchheit spells out the idea simply: “I’m going to donate a bunch of money, but I want random people on the Internet to decide where it goes.”

Suggestions can be submitted on Google Moderator, an online chat program, or FriendFeed, a social-networking site that Mr. Buchheit helped found.

The would-be-philanthropist places few restrictions on where the money could go. The future recipient needs to be a tax-exempt charitable group, and he reserves the right to ignore all suggestions.

As for possible charitable causes he would consider, he writes, “I’d consider anything, but am probably most sympathetic to health, freedom, and education. In terms of solutions, I’m very skeptical of centralization, one-size-fits-all solutions, and people who are certain of the answer. I also prefer to support things that have tangible, objective outcomes (where you could say, ‘this money was used to purchase X’ or ‘this money was used to fund study Y, which will be published this fall’).”

Mr. Buchheit does not say how much he plans to donate. But Mashable, a blog about social media, says given that he was one of Google’s first employees, “it’s safe to assume that Buchheit has plenty to give.”

— Ian Wilhelm

Tuesday June 30, 2009 | Permalink

Comments

1. Friends of the IDF or Children of Chernobyl

   — eli lapp    Jun 30, 04:39 PM    #

2. Dear sir,I have already prepared a mega project for poverty reduction in Rwanda.If you are interested, I will forward my project through ,KIST, Government of Rwanda for funding.Please reply. We can Collaborate with the Access Project and Millennium Villages Rwanda.Tank you
   Dr.Ravi

   — Dr.G.Ravichandran    Jul 2, 01:08 PM    #

3. Strengthening Families
   The Upper Room,a Family Resource Center serving famiies for the past 23 years. Helping individuals and families lead stronger, more self sufficient, happier lives. www.urteachers.org

   — Cynthia Marshall    Jul 8, 02:01 PM    #

4. RE: The Upper room
   I have been fortunate enough to be involved in one of many of The Upper Room’s valuable programs, The Challenge Course. This program is a psycho- educational/small group format that helps teens learn about substance misuse/abuse and ways to make healthier, informed decisions. We matter in the community

   — Martha T. Raymond    Jul 9, 11:19 AM    #

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