Hi Net2, Here's another article on the social networking potential of group fundraising campaigns. 

I wrote up the text in December, but haven't had a chance to post it until now.   The ideas re still relevant, even if Idealist.org has started to move in the right direction with its Imagine project.

Leave comments below, and I'll be sure to respond to them.  -Peter

Craigslist, Idealist.org and the Rise of Philanthropy Classifieds

For a brief period in 2006, everything I owned, earned, and enjoyed in life seemed to come from a classified ad on either Craigslist or Idealist.org.

Craigslist had garnered me with a place to sleep, a place to work, a laptop computer, and a dozen or more friends and roommates. Idealist.org had blessed me with a number of website contracts, a part-time job, and a vast network of like-minded non-profit professionals.

For better or worse, everything was covered: my livelihood, my shelter, and my social life.

During this moment of near total dependence on two organizations that did not exist before 1995, I noticed that neither website had set aside a section for promoting a fundraising or philanthropy campaign.

Both sites pride themselves in democratizing access to information and in helping people connect with each other and with non-profit organizations. How could they have overlooked the role that social networking over the internet could play in delivering financial resources to non-profit organizations and projects?

Continue reading Craigslist, Idealist.org, and the Rise of Philanthropy Classifieds