This is a big project. The "pie" of charitable contributions in the United States was over $300 Billion in 2007. Not bad, right?
I know we're capable of so much more. We can make the pie bigger, we can make the pie better. That is the project mission.
Through committed giving, transparent reporting, community, and teamwork, we can do it. Many people don't give to charity at all. We can help them understand the value of trying, make it easier to give, and see if they like the benefits.
Others give a little bit, and do it sporadically. We can help them understand the benefits of committed giving, and make it more fun, and more interactive.
The tools exist. The examples of what this integrated effort will look like already exist. Look at Amazon, Woot, Charity Navigator, even Poker Stars and Yahoo games.
The vision exists. Let's get money in the pool, and let consumers know how these different non-profit groups put their funds to use. Who is efficient? Who is effective? I want to know "Who is doing the work that's most important to ME?".
Let's help push all these groups to be better. Let's help to "force" them to perform, and deliver. I'd love to see them earning their donations through better performance out there in the real world, not by putting on a fancier fund-raiser, or through better websites or mailers or ad campaigns.
The fund-raising department needs to be responsible for one thing. They need to make donors aware of how amazingly effecient and effective the people in the field are. With the right platform, and the right tools, we can trim the costs of raising funds, allowing more money to end up in the field, and on the front lines.
Doing "good" is no longer enough. As an individual donor, these groups need to prove to me that you're getting more out of my donation than the other guys. The product is the marketing. Put more money in the field, do more great stuff, let me know about it through an efficient platform, and more money will follow. Not just mine, but I'll tell others. I'll raise money for you. I'll "win" money for you.
But, as long as we allow these groups to have to fight it out in the real world for donations, we're ensuring a less efficient, less effective charity system, where too much emphasis is placed on fund-raising, at the expense of more funds on the front lines.
The change is coming. Perhaps I'll be at the forefront, under the banner "A Bigger Pie". Or it may happen under some other title, with some other leader or leaders. But, the change is coming, and I will be there. This is big. This is a big project.
