For everyone, the internet has certainly made it easier to give back. Just a simple click can give your money to any of countless organizations or causes. But for a select group of innovative tech folks, the internet offers an even more exciting canvas for combining technology and giving. Here are eight organizations that combine tech know-how with the ability to give back.
If We Ran The World
How it works: Sometimes the most challenging thing about charity is figuring out where to start. There’s thousands upon thousands of causes and just as many charities. If We Ran The World founder and CEO Cindy Gallop thinks her website can solve that very problem. Says Gallop: “As human beings, we are a race of prevaricators and procrastinators. The moment we complete an action, however tiny, we feel enormously good about ourselves.” There are no frills, no gimmicks, and no message boards on If We Ran the World: you simply give your answer to the question "If I ran the world, I would..."and the site spits out a variety of possible actions for you to take. With each action, you build your profile, creating a list for you and others to prove that not only do you care enough about a cause, but enough about it to have actually done something about it.
Gallop envisioned the site as an answer to social media sites where much is said but little is done. So, just as the tweet is to Twitter, the micro-action is to If We Ran The World. The website is designed considering “that as you complete each micro-action, you feel good about yourself—you build your self-esteem.” Some people use the site as a checklist for household chores, but people often use it to find an outlet to chip away at the world’s bigger problems like Darfur or homelessness: “We want to demonstrate that cumulatively you can ladder up to have an impact on the bigger picture," says Gallop. "When you align that with the ability to help other people and to feel part of something bigger than yourself—that is the secret of human happiness.”
Twestival
How it works: Twestival takes the connective elements of micro-blogging and channels them into a collection of on- and offline events supporting local causes on designated weekends. All of the profits ($1.2 million to date) go to charity—not a penny goes anywhere else. In 2009, the global Twestival collaborated with Charity: Water (see below) to pay for the drilling of 55 new wells that provide clean drinking water for 17,000 people. Registration for the next Twestival, on March 24, opens on January 1. Check out the website and follow @twestival on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates.
Camp Interactive
How it works: If you’re looking for something equally hands on, yet still socially aware, then CampInteractive might be right up your alley. The organization uses social media to create ways for its students to share their life-changing experiences online. These stories serve as inspirational spark to individuals who want to donate and support the organization. The main focus of the organization is to connect underprivileged youth with the outdoors, but CampInteractive also attempts to bridge the gaps between fun, education and modern technology.
In a collaborative effort with Techies Give Back (see the next slide), CampInteractive roped in Foursquare and “for every point that was generated in the New York area that week, we got a sponsor—Pepsi—to donate four cents for each point” says Adam Gillman of Techies Give Back. An event, hosted at the ice skating rink in Chelsea Piers, initially brought in about $12,000, but after the ensuing media firestorm, Gillman was pleased when “a private family donor ended up calling Camp Interactive and donating $50,000.”
Techies Give Back
How it works: As founder Adam Gillman notes: “The tech community in particular right now is still so young and it’s filled with young people and it’s somewhat inherently more chaotic than other industries. So bringing a little bit of organization to people to who want to give back and want to volunteer and want to give money or time or what have you, is all that we’ve really been focused on.” In short, Techies Give Back helps the tech community connect with their community. Right now, TGB is a small organization, made up of just Gillman and Simon Kirk, but Kirk says despite their size, they have big ideas: “Our goal is always to pair something good with something fun.” From their work with CampInteractive to upcoming events with PR firms and teams running marathons, Kirk’s objective is always to “make it compelling and fun—to make it good, to make it separate from the stuffy fundraisers and galas that aren’t really our style.” The organization is still small, but Gillman says volunteers can join the mailing list on their website and “when an activity comes up, we will try to get them involved.”
Charitini
How it works: If you’re looking for a group that will let you continue your normal weekend activities while simultaneously raising funds for charity, consider Charitini. Founded by Rachel Sklar back in October 2008, Charitini was her response when “so many things just went under—cuts after cuts after cuts. I decided to do a fun experiment where I would donate my birthday drinks to charity.” She was spurred on by memories of birthday parties she’d been to where “people walk up to you with a drink in their hand when you’ve already got a drink in your other hand. You take it, put it down, and it’s a waste.”
It only made sense turn the excess and waste into a way to celebrate and have fun but still be able to celebrate responsibly. For her, the challenge became “to figure out how to integrate drinking in a non-destructive way.” Even though it started with birthdays and Charitini Birthdays have become the most prevalent Charitini events, there’s no reason you couldn’t have a Charitini Girls’ Night Out or a Charitini Night at a baseball game. Wherever you find yourself around alcohol and friends, there’s always an opportunity to help out.
The Webutante Ball
How it works: If an event that involves real-life socializing while benefiting charity without the feel of an uptight gala is your bag, then you're looking for The Webutante Ball. You’ll need to throw down for some cocktail attire and be in New York City over the summer, but if you can get a ticket, you won’t regret it. This burgeoning celebration of the city's tech community is entering its third year. All you have to do is buy a ticket and show up—the price of your ticket goes to a different charity every year.
Wiimbledon
How it works: Wiimbledon is simple: Play Wii tennis in a bar. Winner gets the glory, Child's Play Charity gets the entry fees. After witnessing its work helping the Webutante Ball raise additional funds, founder Peter Ha enlisted Techies Give Back to help rebuild Wiimbledon. Despite its proven popularity in Seattle and Brooklyn, Wiimbledon had an inactive year. In the hopes of maintaining interest and excitement, the tournament is switching to Kinect Sports, but Ha expects the charity recipients to be the same. He originally chose to work with Child’s Play Charity because he knew that while the tournament-style event had appeal on its own, he still thought “Who doesn’t want to help sick kids?” Right now, the new Kinect-themed tournament name and dates are up for debate, but all the proceeds (except for event space and catering funds) are still going to Child’s Play. Keep checking for updates, sign up for your nearest location, then beat the pants off of your opponent.
Charity: Water
How it works: Consider your clean, delicious, life-giving tap water. Lucky for you, because approximately 80 percent of all disease in the world comes from unfiltered water. Charity: Water is based on the idea that with small, incremental donations that go to drilling wells in Africa, you can help, no matter what you can afford. But they do it with transparency unprecedented in charity circles: you will know exactly where your money is going while receiving visual conformation via Google Maps, photos, and even online videos. Ari Teman, co-founder of NextGen: Charity, a conference that aims to bring charities into the modern age, says that is what sets Charity:Water apart. “We're all media companies now. We're all selling stories. We need the skills to do that.”
And Charity: Water, Teman adds, has proven time and time again that they “can constantly update their look and technology in real-time to respond to need,” as the key aspect of retaining members. In a time where capturing and maintaining interest can be a matter of seconds, Charity: Water is at the vanguard. Charitini's Sklar adds, “Charity: Water is the gold standard in terms of promotion, great interface and incredible advocacy. Not that it’s a competition, but it’s really hard to compete against them.”
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