GlobalGiving Web site Makes it Easy to Donate Aid
By Dan Runde

Washington (January 14, 2004) A man in Washington browsed through GlobalGiving.com, a development Web site. A project offering information technology training to handicapped people caught his attention. He thought about donating, figured out his budget, and gave. A few weeks later he received a 20-second video showing several Cambodians with disabilities working on computers purchased through the project, partly with his money.

This is the kind of direct connection GlobalGiving generates between donor and recipient, cutting out the multiple bureaucratic steps typically involved in development aid.

GlobalGiving was founded in 2001, and USAID's Global Development Alliance (GDA) office liked its model enough to contribute $500,000 towards the site's startup costs. The grant is managed by DCHA's Office of Private and Voluntary Cooperation-American schools and Hospitals Abroad, which has long supported innovative approaches, exemplified by GlobalGiving, that leverage private resources to expand the impact of development assistance.

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Dennis Whittle, GlobalGiving co-founder and CEO, is a featured speaker at two April conferences.

1. On April 22, Whittle will be speaking at the JK Group's conference in Princeton, New Jersey. The session is called "Trends affecting International Giving & Volunteerism" and Whittle will share a panel with with Peggy Crisalli from JP Morgan Chase and Rita Kusler of the JK Group. Whittle has been asked to speak about:

• How GlobalGiving (GG) views the future of international giving
• Why GG is structured on the project level and its benefits
• How GG is positioned to handle more diversity as their growth continues (diversity - handle more languages, currency)
• How GG finds projects and verify that they are appropriate
• How GG can "customize" programs/projects for a company

For more information, please see www.thejkgroup.com.

2. On April 26, Whittle will participate in the Council on Foundations' Annual conference in Toronto. The session is called "Can Internet-based Marketplaces Address the Key Barriers to Overseas Grantmaking." Whittle will be sharing a panel with Barry D. Gaberman of The Ford Foundation, Michael Hall of the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy and Venkat N. Krishnan of the Give Foundation. Whittle has been asked to speak about:

The new internet-based marketplaces like GlobalGiving.com, Give Foundation India and GEXSI aim to unleash a flood of resources to international development by matching willing donors with suitable projects. But can they really overcome barriers to overseas giving such as how to identify projects and organizations worth supporting and monitor their performance, high transaction costs and increasingly stringent due diligence requirements?

Go to www.cof.org www.cof.org for details about this conference and other Council on Foundations events.

Have something to say? Tell us why you participated in GlobalGiving and we will send you a free GlobalGiving t-shirt. To qualify, email your comments to tscheu@globalgiving.com.

Offer good for a limited time only. One t-shirt per donor. All comments submitted to GlobalGiving are made elible for future GlobalGiving print and Web collateral.