There is a new paradigm in play. Until now, it has been used effectively only for businesses and marketing – and in those areas has been explosively effective. With the publication of the Goodwill Generator (an open source patent) the power and promise of social networking is available for charities of all types.
The Traditional Model:
Money is collected from donors in cyclical campaigns or events for funding purposes. Paid organizers supplemented by volunteers are responsible for collecting and disbursing funds. Funds are then distributed (minus overhead) in lump packages to sponsored agencies who buy services at retail with the money.
There are several disconnects built into the traditional model. Although donors may receive ‘updates’ on occasion from an organization, the actual work being performed on a daily/weekly basis is invisible to them. Charities simply don’t have the resources to constantly report on day-to-day activities, leaving donors at arm’s length from the beneficiaries of their generosity. This leaves charities stuck marketing with statistical overviews when they mount their next drive and they have to rebuild goodwill all over again.
Another disconnect is with volunteers. Volunteers certainly see the details of good works performed, but they often do not directly connect with donors – those who, besides beneficiaries, are most appreciative of their efforts. Without enough positive reinforcement, volunteers are apt to burn-out or feel ignored. The goodwill that only volunteers can create with positive word of mouth anecdotes is unavailable. This leads to fewer volunteers in the long run.
Finally, charitable organizations lose goodwill because they cannot, or do not, promote themselves in local networks. Many charities are left competing with each other for donor resources and fighting to make their cause more gripping than the next. There is no sense of a cross-pollination or mutual, shared activity. Because an organization is broadly based, usually in a national or international venue, charities are seen as distanced from local needs and ‘real people’.
The Advantages of the Goodwill Generator:
* Updates are in real-time and done through the Internet: Both volunteers and donors can access and post on a continuing basis about specific needs and how they have been met. Donors are no longer dependent on monthly newsletters/mailers and cold statistical summaries.
* Continuing contact both rewards donors with actual results, but also induces higher donations overall as ongoing needs are presented – they can take action today to affect someone in an unambiguous way.
* Commercial donors also receive direct marketing access (by PPC or other online advertising) to both volunteers and beneficiaries, further encouraging continuous involvement.
* Volunteers are recognized with gifts from a gift pool, both directly as a ‘thank you’ for a service performed, and also randomly – simply for being an active volunteer. This is important feedback that generates goodwill in the volunteer pool.
* Volunteers have something tangible to show others – web access allows for social networking and automatic recruitment of new volunteers simply because current volunteers can easily share their experiences and the direct rewards.
* Donors, volunteers, and beneficiaries all gain a sense of belonging to a larger network. Charities can easily join forces through the network and share volunteers or projects. This also addresses a hidden problem- finding those in need of services. Simply by having a continuing enterprise that is deeply embedded in the community, people who wouldn’t ordinarily know about available help become referrers (and future volunteers).
What is the Goodwill Generator?
The Goodwill Generator is an open source patent. ‘Open source’ means it is available for anyone to use, without restriction, save that the original developers are credited. Organizations can change or modify it to suit their own particular needs.
The full text of the patent (with diagrams) is available at http://goodwillgenerator.ext.com/full-text-patent but an example of one application will illustrate the principles involved.
1) A cancer patient needs a ride to their medical appointment.
2) The need is communicated online at a host website.
3) A volunteer reads and arranges to perform the service. (Alternatively, volunteers may be contacted by the parent organization by email.)
4) The volunteer completes the act.
5) The cancer patient reports their thanks online.
6) The volunteer may then receive a small gift or discount from a local retailer or other donor. (Retailers may have advertising on the main website.)
7) Concurrently, a random selection of volunteers will receive gifts ‘out of the blue’, merely for being part of the pool.
8) Volunteers may accept or forbear gifts as they desire – it is the recognition that counts.
9) Friends and relatives of the cancer patient (also part of the larger network) also receive notice of the charitable act. In all cases, the parent charity is mentioned.
The overall picture is of a community helping it’s members. For this reason, other social networking tools are utilized to breathe life into the endeavor – beyond the simple need/help basics.
The same network is used to promote events and raise awareness beyond current membership. Opportunities for businesses to gift branded items and for private donations are available through the same website. Members are encouraged to support donor efforts by responding to retail offers and advertising. The goodwill flows in multiple directions to donors, volunteers, and the social network at large.
It is expected that the interactions of participants will evolve past a direct donor or volunteer role. In fact, real world and virtual connections are encouraged. By having a robust fabric of networked individuals in place before a sudden spike in need arises, the entire network can be galvanized into action quickly when necessary.
Other, ‘hard links’, can be instituted – periodic newsletters emailed to members, blogs, volunteer/donor of the month… creative possibilities abound. And because the root scaffolding is open source, as new approaches are found to be successful, the Goodwill Generator can be altered by users to take advantage of winning strategies.
For instance, one excellent strategy (already a part of the basic patent) is ‘priming’. Quite often, there is a very small difference between a volunteer who wishes to help (but doesn’t) and one that actually acts. By offering a primer (a small gift), a first-time or reluctant volunteer can be induced to take action – leading (by way of the positive feedback inherent in the Goodwill Generator) to further acts and both emotional and material rewards.
On the donor side, the ability to give small but significant items (free car wash, free coffee, etc) at their place of business pushes them past the initial ‘no’ and into the role of contributor. Donations that otherwise wouldn’t interest traditional charities become relevant in the Goodwill generator model.
A final word.
The complexities of instituting a social network can seem daunting to those of us who rely on more traditional fund raising methods. However, the tools and techniques are readily available, either free or at a very low cost. Management and overhead for an online Goodwill Generator site, once the initial framework is in place, is largely user/volunteer generated and results driven. Every successful transaction becomes leverage for greater utilization. This is perhaps the most significant feature. A charitable act no longer gets performed and disappears, it has a life past the actual deed.