The GlobalGiving website has been enhanced to improve the user experience for both donors and Project Leaders. New features include donation options with value outcomes, which illustrate how different levels of funding assist the project, and a new ranking system that gives Project Leaders greater control over where their projects appear on the site.

The GlobalGiving website has been enhanced to improve the user experience for both donors and Project Leaders:

"Donation Options" offer tangible outcomes
Each project page on the GlobalGiving website now illustrates the impact different levels of funding have on a project. We call these "donation options." Provided by Project Sponsors or Project Leaders, they show how contributions will be used and define the expected outcomes. For example, a Project Leader might indicate that $20 would purchase pencils and paper for an entire classroom; $50 would buy three desks; and $100 would cover a teacher's salary for a month. This information will help donors better understand the project's overall impact.

New Ranking System Puts Project Leaders in Control
In the past, projects have appeared on various browse pages and lists on the GlobalGiving website based on the date on which they were entered. Now, as part of a new dynamic project ranking system, Project Leaders have greater control over where on GlobalGiving their projects appear.

The new system "ranks" projects according to funding that the project has received to date, when the project was posted, and when projects were updated — either with new photos or new progress reports. This will encourage Project Leaders to market and promote their projects actively, and keep them updated — which will increase the overall visibility of these projects and help them generate even more donations. In addition, potential donors have current, up-to-date information to help them make informed funding decisions.

These changes are just the beginning, and support the premise of the GlobalGiving marketplace, a fair, open forum where projects of all sizes can access all types of donors. Your feedback will help us make additional enhancements over the coming months, so please send your comments and suggestions to us< /a>.

Visit the project catalog today to get started.

Carolyn Koslen began beading at the age of five, learning from her mother. After attending university and working in the film and television industry, she realized that her heart lay with creating captivating bracelets, earrings and necklaces. She now sells her products through her own website. Carolyn frequently donates a portion of the proceeds from her sales to charitable organizations, and was attracted to GlobalGiving by the idea that she could select a project and determine how her contribution would be used.

Through GlobalGiving, Carolyn is supporting the Nepalese Youth Opportunity Foundation's project to rescue girls from bonded labor in Nepal. This project not only saves girls — some as young as seven — from a life of bonded servitude, but also educates families to the dangers of this practice; provides each family with an animal they can use to generate an alternative source of income; and sends the girls to school, paying for their supplies. Through her craft, Carolyn is doing something she loves, and helping these girls realize their full potential.

Through progress reports, you can stay up-to-date on how your contributions are being employed, and the project results that have been achieved. Click on the links below to see progress reports that have been added recently:

Labor rights for women in Mexican factories Female laborers on the Mexican Border whose only job opportunity is in the factory industry will learn about their labor and reproductive rights in order to obtain improved working conditions.

*Recently added: Labor Rights Forum Report

Rwanda Radio Project for Orphans This project provides Freeplay radios to orphaned child heads of households in Rwanda to access radio programs that will help them prevent disease, increase their garden yields, and maintain their goats.

*Recently added: The Agenda - Social Justice, Kristine Pearson Wins Humanitarian Award

Shelter for Victims of South Asian Earthquake This project provides housing and support to families in Pakistan that have been affected by the South Asian Earthquake.

*Recently added: Earthquak e Update

Saving Lives by Training Women Health Workers in Afghanistan An intensive training course in nursing and health education will be provided to 30 Afghan women who will respond to Afghanistan's health crisis by treating tens of thousands of patients each year.

*Recently added: The Afghan Institute of Learning Report

Bridges to healthcare, education and hope in Nepal EcoSystems builds a unique, popular, all-weather 'gondola' bridge in Nepal which moves 40-80 adults or 80-160 children per hour safely each way across rivers up to 160 meters wide.

*Recently added: Pictures of bridge components, General Report