How Connected Are We?

Northeastern University scientist Albert-László Barabási's 2003 book Linked highlights the significance of intereconnectedness across a variety of fields. The widely admired Hungarian professor casts his net wide, capturing many real life examples for the way things intertwine. From science, to business and even our own social circles, Barabási weaves a compelling tale using great real world examples of interdependence and its various forms.

This really is the essence of the 1 Dollar Club. At the risk of sounding corny and sentimental, we all inhabit the same planet, and our ultimate well-being is dependent upon us living here together. The advent of social networks (especially Twitter) lowers any barriers to our interconnectedness than may have stood in the way in the past. As the distance between us shrinks, so grows our ability to harness our interconnectdness as a force for good. There really is no reason to stop everyone on earth from becoming a microphilanthropist.

So come on, become a microphilanthropist today - DONATE NOW.

What Drives Microphilanthropy? Our Strong or Weak Ties?

Our real world social circles are largely finite resources. We all have our set bunch of friends and acquaintances with that we tend to knock about with on weekends. The phrase "birds of a feather, flock together" certainly applies here. For many of us, we feel most comfortable around people that are most like us. This is fine, more importantly it is human. A devout Amish carpenter in rural Pennsylvania probably won't have a lot in common with a pill-popping nightclubber in Manhattan. The only problem in regards to creativity and innovation, time spent with the same social circle can often be a breeding ground for the homogeneity of ideas.

The impact of the rise of social networking sites, particularly twitter applies here. It is from our tenuous links or our "weak ties" where often the most value is derived. Where inspiration from another medium can spark the flames of creativity in our own industry. The Medici Effect by Frans Johansson is a great business book that chronicles the value derived from the confluence of ideas.

And so it goes with microphilanthropy - we have certainly discovered as much at the 1 Dollar Club. It is not neccessarily those that are our closest friends that appreciate the benefits of microphilanthropy, it is those tenuous links - people who we may have nothing else in common with apart from small giving on a large scale, that are driving this movement forward.

It is this committed troop of microphilanthropists who are the ones who will make microphilanthropy mainstream.

The Changing Face Of Philanthropy

David Parsley’s recent article on the changing face of philanthropy is very enlightening. The article talks about the seismic paradigm shift in the notion of giving. Where once the province only of the rich, the barriers to philanthropy are now non-existent. The Internet can mobilize millions of people from all income levels and nationalities, around any given cause.

Parsley’s quote from The Big Give Founder Jon Brooks hit the spirit of microphilanthropy on the head. In founding The Big Give, Brooks noticed, “It quickly became clear that even people with only small amounts of money to spare liked it because it gave them control over where their money went. It allowed them to donate intelligently and be proactive philanthropists.”

This is the essence of microphilanthropy – empowering individuals to make a difference to causes that matter to them. Today, our charitable contributions are not limited to the size of our pocketbooks, but by harnessing the power of each of our social networks.

At the 1 Dollar Club, we believe the power of our social networks needs to be leveraged for the common good. It is our ultimate goal to make microphilanthropy mainstream.

Stephen Collins on Microphilanthropy

Australian social networking guru Stephen Collins at acidlabs has offered a great take on the value of microphilanthropy:

"At its simplest, the emergence of microphilanthropy - philanthropic activity on a scale of small amounts - has made engaging with online causes almost trivial. Those of us who are in a position to engage with a cause we believe in can now do so in a way that was previously only truly available to the very wealthy. Sheer weight of numbers - potentially hundreds or thousands giving a little - means that the gathering community can provide just as valuable input as a Buffett or a Gates, with each giving just tens or perhaps a few hundred dollars".

Furthermore, he also frames the greater movement of online activism giving as clustering around three broad drivers:
* advocacy - the raising of awareness for a cause
* activation - the prompting of and creation of activity around a cause in those interested, and
* action - the ongoing and followup activity in relation to a cause

As with everything else, the web is a great enabler for making charitable giving happen. The greater connectivity that we all enjoy today acts as a catalyst for making the trickle of our small contributions cascade into an unstoppable waterfall. It is microphilanthropy mavens like Collins and Peter Deitz that are playing leading roles in making microphilanthropy maintream.

Bill Gates on Microphilanthropy

From Nicholas Kristof's article last week in the New York Times,
“The key thing is to pick a cause, whether it's crops or diseases or great high schools,” he said. “Pick one and get some more in-depth knowledge.” If possible, travel to see the problems firsthand, then pick an organization to support with donations or volunteer time."

Gates's comments speak to the subjective nature of how philanthropy affects us all. People give to causes or charities that matter to them. Generally people have a direct connection to the charity (a disease or cause that affects them or a loved one) in order for it to resonate stongly enough to trigger the action to donate.

That said, the premise of the 1 dollar club is so basic that is does not require the cause and effect scenario to take place. Anyone in the United States can afford 1 dollar. So can anyone in Australia, or Britain or any other developed country. It is the very existence of the 1 dollar club that provides people with an avenue for giving that simply did not exist before.

Just What is Microphilanthropy?

Wikipedia's definition is here. Here it is in a nutshell:

"Microphilanthropy is a model of philanthropy that is based on smaller, more direct interaction between "helpers" and "doers." Because of this finer level of granularity, it provides greater potential for feedback. It uses the definition of philanthropy as "love of humanity", which is broader than just charity or donating money. This opens up a broader range of activities such as volunteering, emergency response activities, mentoring, and many other patterns of uplift."

The phrase "love of humanity" is an apporpriate one here. Microphilanthropy is the fundamental belief that each of us cares for our fellow humans, that we are all neighbors on this planet and that by all contributing a little, we can create significant change.

Until now, we believe that microphilantropy's problem has been lack of focus. No doubt, people are aware of the problems that exist in the world, they just don't know where to begin solving them... By creating a simple and focused vehicle for microphilanthropy, the 1 dollar club is lowering barriers to charitable giving. It is our ultimate goal to make microphilanthropy mainstream.