Social Actions

About Micro-Philanthropy Has a New Home

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Social Actions blog

Dear Readers,

I am now blogging About Micro-Philanthropy on the new Social Actions blog. You can find me there.

All the best,

Peter

Get Your Own Social Actions Blog

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Dear readers,

As of tomorrow, About Micro-Philanthropy will get a make over. I am transforming my blog into a Ning-driven social network devoted to people interested in peer-to-peer social change. Get a sneak preview here.

In addition to reading my blog, I am inviting others to start their own blogs about micro-philanthropy and peer-to-peer social change. My intent is to transform the one-to-many conversation that has emerged through my blogging efforts into a many-to-many community (inline with peer-to-peer social change in the first place).

I will continue to blog daily about micro-philanthropy and offer the latest news and tips on using social media to create social change. The RSS feed for the new Social Actions blog will include my blog posts and "featured" blog posts that emerge from the community.

If you are already subscribed to About Micro-Philanthropy, you do not need to change the feed address.

Tomorrow begins another exciting chapter in the evolution of Social Actions. If you're curious about where Social Actions is headed in the long term, please refer to this open (un)business plan. A number of us on the Social Actions google group are co-authoring it.

Join the new Social Actions blog, and start your own >>

All the best,

Peter

Note: Responses to my Giving Carnival question, Is person-to-person fundraising dead, or just getting started? will still be published tomorrow. For a last minute submission, please email me a link to your blog entry response.

Join Me for A Workshop About Micro-Philanthropy

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I am busy preparing for the busiest month of my life (to date). In May, I will be attending the NetSquared Mashup Challenge and the Stockholm Challenge, as a finalist in both competitions.

I will also be blogging from the Council on Foundations annual conference in early May. To cap it off, I have volunteered to help organize a two-day workshop about micro-philanthropy.

If you are interested by the description below, please email me with an introduction. The workshop will be held at the Ben Lomond Quaker Center, 45 minutes southwest of San Jose on May 29 & 30, 2008.

Here's the workshop description:

Innovations in information technology and communications (ICT) have opened the door to efficiently supporting a large number of small-scale activities, what we are calling micro philanthropy. This workshop explores the possibilities of using "network approaches technology" for micro philanthropic activities. Network approaches represent a radical departure from traditional hierarchical approaches and open up innovative possibilities for self-organization and self-propagation that are not based on a notion that we have "too many problems and not enough money."

Examples of on- and off-line network approaches abound. Google, eBay, and Wikipedia trigger massive change from simple initial ideas. Wikipedia has millions of user-created articles in dozens of different languages.Alcoholics Anonymous (an 80 year-old "viral network") spawns addiction/dependency organizations on the principle of members helping themselves by helping each other. A viral video such as Free Hugs Campaign can reach 25 million viewers in a year -- with zero distribution or advertising costs.

While eBay and Google have well-defined transactional models for their interactions, it is not so clear how we might invoke this power of the network for "better world" activities. There are many internet-based approaches to fundraising; however, this only addresses the philanthropy-as-checkwriting perspective. But as we've seen with AA or the Free Hugs video, viral approaches may be inhibited by imposing financial models on our interaction.

By lowering or eliminating transaction costs, we have the potential for increasing the scale and breadth of interaction -- and the associated feedback we might gather. This feedback could be used for improving the quality of the network, as well as helping us to discover new patterns of uplift. This network could apply a search/amplify growth model: discovering what's working, in which contexts, and then using philanthropic resources to amplify these activities. This is fundamentally different than the more traditional plan/execute model, in which a plan is developed and funded by an organization, and then executed.

The workshop will explore innovative models of using the network for this "search/amplify" approach. Rethinking philanthropy as a massively scalable, fine-grained network opens up possible models of abundance rather than scarcity, and discovery rather than planning.

The workshop will be held over two days at the Ben Lomond Quaker Center, a rustic retreat center located in an 80 acre Redwood forest 45 minutes southwest of San Jose, California. Accommodations will be in the Orchard Lodge, with meetings in the beautiful Casa de Luz. In keeping with the theme of self-organization, the center is a self-service retreat and conference center. Attendees provide their own bedding and bath towels, care for and clean the facility during their stay, and clean the facility thoroughly prior to departure. Off-site accommodations may be arranged, but the registration fee is the same for on-site or commuter participants due to the rental obligations.

Participants will include founders of social action platforms, executive and program staff from nonprofits, traditional and experimental grant-makers, as well as nonprofit technology consultants and those interested in the network theories of change. This workshop is not a time for solicitation of funds, nor will it be interesting to someone solely interested in using the internet as a fundraising tool for their organization.

Continue reading the workshop agenda >>

Photo credit: Rob Stephenson

A Finalist in Two Challenges: Stockholm and NetSquared

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Social Actions has been named a finalist in two international competitions: The Stockholm Challenge and the NetSquared Mashup Challenge.

As a reader of About Micro-Philanthropy, you have probably seen more about my proposal in the NetSquared Mashup Challenge than my proposal in the Stockholm Challenge. Both are very exciting. I am overwhelmed by the “vote of confidence” that these awards signify.

I’d like to offer a huge thank you and an e-hug to everyone who voted for “A Mashup of 29+ Social Action Platforms” last week and helped with the Stockholm Challenge proposal a few months back.

We are building a grassroots movement behind peer-to-peer social change.

To get more involved in this movement, join the Social Actions google group.

The google group is bringing the founders and staff of social action platforms together with nonprofit technology consultants and implementers of peer-to-peer social change campaigns. If you fit into one of these categories, or are just curious about the evolution of micro-philanthropy and peer-to-peer social change, please join the discussion.

In becoming a finalist in both contests, I have inadvertently created the busiest month of my life. Here’s a rundown of the schedule for May 2008:

May 19-22, Challenge Week in Stockholm, Sweden
May 26-27, NetSquared Conference in San Jose, California
May 29-30, Micro-Philanthropy Workshop in San Diego, California (to be announced soon)

The Stockholm Challenge:
Stockholm Challenge logoThe Stockholm Challenge promotes ICT for development with a six category award that invites entries from projects that use ICT to tackle the world's biggest problems… The 2008 programme will close with Challenge Week in Stockholm in May 19-22. This five day event for the finalists has become one of the strong features of the Challenge programme. The invitation-only event is free to all finalists who constitute a community of energy, expertise and inspiration in social entrepreneurship.

Read the Social Actions proposal >>

The NetSquared Mashup Challenge:
This year’s NetSquared Conference will bring together a unique mix of people from the public and private sectors to develop and release Mashups designed to provide deeper insight into the social issues affecting communities around the globe… If we’re successful, we’ll learn something about cross-sector collaboration, meet new and interesting people, and build a unique gallery of Mashups that citizens, schools, and community-based groups everywhere can learn from, replicate, and build upon.

Read the Social Actions proposal >>

PS -- I owe an especially big thank you to Frerieke and Anasuya in Cape Town. During my three month visit to South Africa, they gave me the initial kick in the butt to get both contest submissions in on time.

Check out their website, Love to the World.

Thank You for Voting in the NetSquared Mashup Challenge

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Mashup Challenge LogoI just put together this YouTube video to thank my friends and colleagues who added A Mashup of 29+ Social Action Platforms to their ballots in the NetSquared Mashup Challenge.

Monday, March 24 at 5 pm PST is the deadline for voting

If you voted for A Mashup of 29+ Social Action Platforms, please send me an email. This is the only way I know when and to whom to send thank you notes.

Simple Instructions for Casting Your Ballot

1) Create a free user account at NetSquared

2) Add "A Mashup of 29+ Social Action Platforms" to your ballot (You must be logged-in to do this; click "Add Project to Ballot" on this page)

3) Add four other mashups to your ballot

4) Review your ballot (Make sure "A Mashup of 29+ Social Action Platforms" is listed)

5) At the bottom of your ballot, click the "Cast Ballot" button

Note: The ballot submission process is a little bit confusing. If you get lost in the process, email me.

Thank you!

Reminder: Please Vote for My Project on NetSquared

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This is a quick reminder that voting ends soon in the NetSquared Mashup Challenge.

If you are getting this message on Saturday morning (via FeedBlitz), it's not too late to vote. NetSquared has extended the deadline for voting until Monday at 5 p.m. PST. Please take just 20 minutes to vote for “A Mashup of 29+ Social Action Platforms.”

View a full description of my project.

Test drive the mashup of 29+ Social Action Platforms

Your support will help me get to the NetSquared Conference in May, with an opportunity to present my work to leading technology companies, funders, and pontential collaborators. The top prize is a large portion of $100,000 in funding.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Simple Instructions for Casting Your Ballot

1) Create a free user account at NetSquared

2) Add "A Mashup of 29+ Social Action Platforms" to your ballot (You must be logged-in to do this; click "Add Project to Ballot" on this page)

3) Add four other mashups to your ballot

4) Review your ballot (Make sure "A Mashup of 29+ Social Action Platforms" is listed)

5) At the bottom of your ballot, click the "Cast Ballot" button

Note: The ballot submission process is a little bit confusing. If you get lost in the process, email me.

Thank you!

After you have cast your ballot, please email me. This is the only way for me to know when and to whom to send a thank you note.

I’ll let you know how it turns out.

All the best,

Peter

Notes from NTC, March 20 2008

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I'll be updating this page throughout the day -- highlighting interesting sessions and conversations from the Nonprofit Technology Conference in New Orleans.

Opening Plenary (posted 9:23 a.m.)

David Pogue, New York Times technology columnist, is pitching a bunch of cellular products like T-Mobile's Hotspot at Home, Grand Central, Vonage. I had to leave. For me, substance beats product pushing in any context. Opening plenary to pitch products reflects very poorly on the NYT. I don't care how funny the guy is.

I left when Mr. Pogue pointed out that none of us in the conference would need an extra number for receiving calls on a yaght. Uhh, I thought this guy was supposed to be talking about how technology is shaping the nonprofit sector. Hoping for better presentations later in the day.

 

Morning Session (10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.)

"How do social networks fit into your communications strategy?

Presented by Brian Reich / Echo Ditto

See Britt Bravo's notes for now

 

Afternoon Session (1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.)

"Working with APIs: A Beginner's Guide"

Presented by:

Kurt Voelker, Forum One Communications

Tompkins Spann, Convio

Jeremy Carbaugh, Sunlight Foundation

See Mashups, Open APIs, and the Future of Collaboration in the Nonprofit Tech Sector

Your Vote for My Project Will Give Micro-Philanthropy a Boost

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Help me out by posting this request on Facebook

Dear readers,

I am asking for your support in an online contest called the NetSquared Mashup Challenge.

Below, you will find simple instructions on how you can vote for my contest submission. Your support will help me attend a conference in San Jose at the end of May and take my work in micro-philanthropy to the next level.

It will take 20 minutes at the most to complete this request.

I have spent the last 18 months working independently on my blog, About Micro-Philanthropy and building Social Actions.

Without financial support, I have devoted my time and computer skills to advancing the notion that technology, used in the right way, can help people create, identify, and support grassroots solutions to urgent social problems.

I want to continue this work. But to do so, I need to find funders, foundations, and collaborators in the nonprofit technology sector who are interested in my mission. Enter an online contest called the NetSquared Mashup Challenge.

About the NetSquared Mashup Challenge

In early January, NetSquared put out a call for the most innovative mashups for social change. A mashup is an online tool that combines multiple data sources with some kind of visualization or search function. To determine which contest submissions are the most innovative, the staff at NetSquared decided to “crowd-source” the winners. Anyone and everyone can vote for their favorite mashup proposals.

The polls opened on Monday at 8am. And they will be closing on Friday at 5pm PST.

The 20 mashup proposals with the most votes will attend the annual NetSquared Conference in San Jose, May 27 & 28, 2008. During the conference, the creators of the 20 most popular mashups will have a chance to pitch their projects to funders, foundations, and fellow nonprofit tech professionals. I hope to be among the people promoting their mashups at the conference.

About My Contest Submission

I have submitted a project called “A Mashup of 29+ Social Action Platforms.” My mashup combines the latest peer-to-peer social change campaigns from a range of social action platforms (Change.org, FirstGiving, GiveMeaning, Kiva, and others). The dataset as a whole is made available through a search engine and the Google Maps API.

A colleague and I built the initial version last week. You can test drive it here.

To read the full description of my project, visit “A Mashup of 29+ Social Action Platforms.”

In brief:

"The Social Actions mashup will free peer-to-peer social change campaigns from the social action platforms on which they were created, resulting in the unrestricted flow of active campaigns from the people who created them to the people who are most likely to get involved.

"The Social Actions mashup will popularize an open-standard for indexing peer-to-peer social change campaigns using the hListing micro-format, or something similar, and will provide stunning examples of how this semantic data once aggregated can be mapped visually according location, area of interest, or active participation."

I feel strongly that these innovations will move the field of peer-to-peer social change in the right direction. The goal is to simplify the process in finding relevant campaigns for end users of social action platforms.

At this point, I need votes in order to secure a spot among the top 20 mashups for social change. Please take just 20 minutes to vote for “A Mashup of 29+ Social Action Platforms.” Thank you in advance for your support.

Simple Instructions for Casting Your Ballot

1) Create a free user account at NetSquared

2) Add "A Mashup of 29+ Social Action Platforms" to your ballot (You must be logged-in to do this; at the top of my proposal page, click "Add Project to Ballot")

3) Add four other mashups to your ballot

4) Review your ballot (Make sure "A Mashup of 29+ Social Action Platforms" is listed)

5) At the bottom of your ballot, click the "Cast Ballot" button

Note: The ballot submission process is a little bit confusing. If you get lost in the process, email me.

Thank you so much for your support!

After you have cast your ballot, please email me. This is the only way for me to know when to send a thank you note.

Thank you so much! I’ll let you know how it turns out.

All the best,

Peter

PS -- If you have a blog, I’d appreciate any link love you can share. Email me a link to your blog post, and I'll be sure to post a comment.

Next Week: Live Blogging from New Orleans and Voting Opens in the NetSquared Mashup Challenge

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Next week, NetSquared will open the polls for people to vote on the most impressive example of a mashup for social change. Identify your top five mashups by looking at all of the proposals.

I have submitted a proposal called, "A Mashup of 29+ Social Action Platforms." I am hoping that readers of About Micro-Philanthropy will see the potential in this initiative. I am working with a developer to have a working version of the mashup available on Monday morning (when voting starts).

Stay tuned next week for daily blog posts about the need for a mashup of social action platforms, as well as live blogging from New Orleans covering the Nonprofit Technology Conference.

A few weeks ago, you may have noticed my blog post about SproutBuilder, a widget generator from the founders of ChipIn. Today, I took a test drive of SproutBuilder. It's pretty amazing. In less than 3 hours, I created the sprout below in support of my mashup proposal on NetSquared:

And here's a sprout describing the Nonprofit Technology Conference, from which I will be live blogging next week.

A Mashup of 29+ Social Action Platforms -- Video

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Below is a remixed version of the presentation I made last Tuesday at the NY Tech Meetup. I have selected the excerpts that relate to my proposal on the NetSquared Mashup Challenge, and created the following video.

Please post your comments on NetSquared.

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