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Where Facebook Meets Philanthropy
By Paul Richlovsky | June 25, 2008
What’s your status?
When I think of social networking websites, I often think of people keeping tabs on what their friends and acquaintances are doing:
- Johnny is grilling buffalo burgers with his friends.
- Denise is looking forward to 3 days of debauchery in Las Vegas.
Or social network applications as platforms for broadcasting your status to the world:
- Paul is typing a blog post right now.
However, online social networking can be more than just a tool for idle chattering, comparative shopping, or advice-seeking. Social networks can also be vehicles for charity. If you’ve used Facebook even as little as I have, you’ve probably already recognized some famous charities with groups: Oxfam, Medecins Sans Frontiers, Habitat for Humanity, et al.
There are also individual applications–Causes, Razoo SpeedGranting, Changing the Present, Change.org–that allow users to make direct donations to a wide variety of causes via Facebook.
And still there are other charities like Malaria Engage that are independent websites built around social networking. Malaria Engage’s goal is to eradicate malaria, specifically targeting Tanzania with 7 research programs to which donors can give. It uses a social networking web platform (provided by Zazengo.com) to encourage donors to interact with researchers based on their individual interests. Its founder, Tom Hadfield, has this to say in an April Reuters UK article:
“Our dream is tens of thousands of people will use social networking tools to build a movement that eradicates malaria.”
Just as companies salivate over the prospects of finding customers through the word-of-mouth of trusted friends on social networks, charities and altruistic individuals also hope to appeal to your philanthropic side. The fact that certain charities have capitalized on these avenues to raise awareness and cash reflects that old marketing adage to go where the people are.
Are you a friend of charity?
Photo courtesy of Martin Kingsley via Flickr
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June 30th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
It seems like a Facebook app might be a good way to promote philanthropy on social networks. Is anyone doing anything viral like that?