In preparation for our two week visit to study social entrepreneurship in the developing world, four organizations involved in global philanthropy were studied to better understand the current state of the field and to provide the necessary context for evaluating some of our experiences in India. The organizations include Global Giving, KIVA, Global India Fund, and Samhita, each of which embodies several strengths while offering potential areas for enhancement. There are some similarities as well as unique features in each of these four models.
Global Giving (www.globalgiving.org) provides a forum for interested donors to identify causes and/or regions or countries of interests to donate their money. They operate across the world and provide reports back to the donors on progress within their project of choice. Global Giving vets social enterprises interested in participating in their network and conducts a rigorous due diligence review to verify conceptual viability and other administrative capabilities. Global Giving offers a range of giving options and the unique guarantee of allowing the donor to re-allocate their donations to another project if they are not fully satisfied with their giving experience.
KIVA (www.kiva.org) provides a forum for lenders to offer microloans and participate in the microfinance arena. In turn KIVA sends 100 percent of these loans to microfinance institutions all over the world and works with these field partners to provide loans to people without access to traditional banking systems. KIVA does not charge interest to its microfinance field partners who administer the loans. KIVA also raises funds through grants, corporate sponsors, and foundations. KIVA’s process includes a due diligence review of its field partners. KIVA also offers a unique fellowship program so its lenders can volunteer with microfinance partners to observe the value first hand.
Global India Fund (www.globalindiafund.org) represents an inspiring innovation in the philanthropic sector by creating a social marketplace in which donors are provided with a variety of smart giving options through a dynamic on-line portal, local Indian non-profits are given a face and voice, and connected with the global donor community. GIF focuses on India given the intense need for efforts to combat significant public health issues in that country. It also offers transparency in how donor funds are used and provides reports back to its donors. GIF works with a partner organization in India called Samhita and together they offer a well-defined value proposition in which information, credibility, resources efficiency, output, outcomes and impact are clearly displayed for new donors and partner to review. GIF has also created a well-defined credibility framework including a due diligence review process on its partner institutions.
Samhita (www.samhita.org) is a philanthropic initiative of the Nadathur Trust that functions as a social marketplace in which NGOs get visibility, can raise funds, find volunteers, find talent, access expert advice and knowledge resources and people can support social causes by donating, volunteering, writing, providing expert advice and spreading awareness. It’s ultimate goal is to provide a forum for visibility, resources, and support for all stakeholders in the social sector. It works in partnership with the Global India Fund and showcases NGOs that have passed a rigorous due diligence review process and are available for selection by potential donors.
These four organizations offer some unique giving strategies between them. In some key ways the Global India Fund and Samhita may be regarded as building and improving upon earlier giving models in a more holistic and transparent manner (eg., in clearly defining value propositions and credibility frameworks as well as including a range of stakeholders across the social sector spectrum. This initial assessment lays the groundwork for understanding the upcoming experiences in India and in helping to determine potentially innovative ways of seeing these situations and generating new solutions.
No comments:
Post a Comment