The global leader in providing training to charities for the ethical and efficient use of the Internet for philanthropic purposes through education and advocacy -- http://ephilanthropy.org
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Tuesday, November 2, 2004
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eZine 5 Issue 3: Seven Experts Named, Get Email Delivered, Click To Give, Embrace The Internet
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VOLUME 1
ISSUE 129
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Net result: Charities buoyed by Web surfers
"Click To Give" Websites Reviewed
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgaze...
by Stefanie Scarlett, The Journal Gazette
With one click of a mouse, you can pay for a mammogram, protect another acre of rainforest or help feed the hungry.
The cost to you? Nothing.
That's the benefit of "click to give" Web sites, which have been around for several years but are growing in number.
Online donations in general are the fastest-growing sector of charitable giving, but still make up only 1 percent to 2 percent of all donations made, including offline, says Ted Hart, president and CEO of the ePhilanthropy Foundation ( www.ephilanthropy.org ).
In 2003, consumers made about $1.9 billion in total online donations (not just "click to give") - that's up from $1.1 billion in 2002, he says.
Although the free "click to give" sites are only a tiny part of the e-philanthropy trend, they do have a loyal following.
One of these - www.thebreastcancersite.com - generated more than 300,000 clicks most days in October, as visitors tried to reach a goal of paying for 500 mammograms for women in need.
Meanwhile, www.theanimalrescuesite.com recorded more than 190,500 hits one recent day, which translated into 57,000 pounds of pet food for three designated charities.
Here's how these sites work: You click a designated button on the site, at no cost to you. Then you're bumped to a page with banners or links from advertisers and sponsors, which you can visit if you choose.
They're the ones who actually donate the money - but the amount is contingent upon a certain number of people clicking on that initial button.
"We're really the vehicle to get the funds. Our advertisers pay for placement. All those clickers come through, they see the offers, hopefully they click on the sponsors, too," says Jennifer Porter, spokeswoman for Seattle-based Charity USA, which operates the animal rescue and breast cancer sites. It will launch another, theliteracysite.com, by the end of the year.
"Sponsors are more than happy to up their ad budget, if they're getting the traffic and we're getting the traffic," she says.
"I think the Internet is this incredible medium - it brings together people who can 'do good' without spending a dime and feel really good about it," Porter says.
The monetary support is tied to the amount of Web page viewings that can be verified - but that's usually limited to one per day, so clicking 10 times a day won't do any more good than clicking once.
"If people stopped clicking, the money would not be donated. In most cases, where there's a cause-related marketing approach (including offline), there is a quid pro quo. There's an expectation on the part of the supporter that something will happen," Hart says.
After you've clicked, you also can choose to make an online donation with a credit card or shop at the "store," where a percentage of the purchases goes to the charity.
"We are working with important charities that are totally legitimate (including America's Second Harvest and The Nature Conservancy). Our sponsors are committed. We're not asking our audience to do anything that makes them uncomfortable, just simply click," Porter says.
These sites are "really just an extension, in a creative way, to leverage cause-related marketing. It's a way to get your name in front of potential customers by supporting charities," Hart says.
"These (sponsors) would like you to see their products. They have agreed (to) support these causes in exchange for the opportunity to put their message in front of people who come to the site," he says.
"I certainly would not dissuade anyone from going to these sites. But don't be lulled into the expectation that clicking a button has the same value as writing a check - it doesn't," he says.
Most people prefer to be more active in their charitable giving.
"There are multiple ways to support charities that you care about. This sort of site is one of them, (but) it should be part of an overall philanthropic plan, rather than a substitute" for other types of giving, Hart says.
A "click to give" site is generally safe in that you're not giving anyone a credit card number or other personal information, but you still might want to know about the benefits you're generating.
Any time you donate money, or buy a product that's marketed as benefiting a cause, do your research ahead of time.
Make sure your charity is legitimate. Ask how much of the donated money goes directly to the cause.
If a product is being sold to benefit a charity, the organization should know about it - there should be a formal agreement and an obvious relationship between the two, Hart says.
And be aware that buying a product is not the same as donating money, and therefore isn't tax-deductible.
Hart says that charities do need to spend some of their incoming donations on administration, payroll, etc., so it's almost impossible to give 100 percent directly to the cause.
But, "an efficient, well-managed charity is going to have a majority of its funds going to directly support the cause," he says.
The Internet makes it easy to do research, whether you end up donating online, or offline, Hart says.
And it's a good tool for broadening your philanthropic horizons by finding new charities to support.
"You really should give where your passion is. Make philanthropy personal," Hart says.
© 2004 Journal Gazette and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.fortwayne.com
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