Disaster Donations: Haiti vs. Chile
Donations for relief efforts in Chile pale in comparison to those for Haiti. The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports in an interview that a mere $250,000 raised by Americans three days following the Chile disaster, which starkly contrasts the nearly $97 million raised three days following the Haiti earthquake. Despite experiencing a stronger earthquake, Chile’s existing building codes and infrastructure better prepared it to cope with damages. However, several other factors may have influenced the difference in donations:
Consumers Are Tapped Out – Many Americans responded to the Haiti crisis by taking part in the widespread text-to-give campaigns promoted by major relief organizations, through which the American Red Cross alone raised $32 million. Mobile giving was a fast and easy way to respond to the crisis, but some may simply be overwhelmed by donating to the second major disaster in a two-month period. In addition, there has seemingly been more media attention for the Haiti disaster, which continues to capture headlines amidst the Chile crisis.
Call To Action Was Less Urgent – The Chile government’s call for aid didn’t take place for several days after the disaster which influences donor urgency. According to The 2010 Cone Text-to-Give Trend Tracker, more than one fifth (22%) of respondents indicated they would donate to causes via text message only when the need was urgent.
Haiti Activated Grassroots – In Haiti, the need for donations was immediate and urgent. Individuals were activated to help not only through popular donation campaigns by organizations such as the American Red Cross and Yele Haiti, but also through their own grassroots efforts that utilized events and social media. The Wall Street Journal this week highlighted some of the more extraordinary methods for individual fundraising, such as a skydiving nun and pajama-clad office workers.
Celebrity Involvement – The star power that surrounded Haiti undoubtedly drew additional attention to relief efforts. Whether sports stars making a statement on the courts or a star-studded telethon, celebrities came together for the cause and inspired other Americans to do the same.
None of these factors are the responsibility of any one stakeholder. Governments, relief organizations, businesses, influencers and consumers need to work collaboratively toward a common solution for maximum impact, and we saw this collaboration in top form following the earthquake in Haiti. The sobering reality of the back-to-back earthquakes of 2010, however, made it clear that no two disasters, or their resulting relief efforts, are the same. What will you and your organization proactively prepare to do when another disaster strikes?
Tags: crisis donation currentevents cause fundraising global newmedia
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The Race is on to Catch Foursquare – Enter CauseWorld
Geolocation apps for mobile devices are one of the rising social media trends du jour and Foursquare is the undisputed leader of the pack. But Shopkick’s latest free iPhone app, CauseWorld, delivers geolocation technology with a philanthropic twist - it allows users to make charitable contributions just by walking into stores.
Launched in December of 2009, CauseWorld works in the same way as apps like Foursquare and Gowalla. Using geolocation, the app will show the user a list of nearby participating stores. The user enters the store, checks in on their phone, and earns “karma” – no purchase necessary. “Karma” is not measured in dollar amounts, but in actual deeds. There are nine pre-defined causes, with karma costs ranging from 2-100. Supported by a $500,000 fund donated by Citi and Kraft, CauseWorld is able to take action without any paid contribution from the app user.
With so-called “microgiving” on the rise, Shopkick seems to have stepped into an open mobile niche. But can CauseWorld compete with Foursquare? Let’s take a look at how they stack up:
CauseWorld vs. Foursquare
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Integration with Other Platforms. Both have wisely integrated with Facebook, allowing users to post their latest accomplishments in order to generate more interest but Foursquare also integrates with Twitter. Real-time updates rock – +1 Foursquare
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Prizes vs. Donations. Foursquare users earn badges for visiting participating locations. The most frequent visitor can become a location’s “Mayor,” entitling him or her to free promotional items. CauseWorld karma-collectors are able to make increasingly more large-scale charitable contributions as their visits pile up. Giving is in – +1 CauseWorld
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City Guide vs. Karma Guide. Foursquare serves as a neighborhood guide, showing lists of all businesses in the area. According to Michael Arrington at TechCrunch, CauseWorld lists only the businesses that offer karma. To-do lists and tips are good – +2 Foursquare
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Competitors vs. Do-Gooders. Foursquare may attract users with a desire to compete (looking to earn Mayor-status prizes). After the thrill of the chase has ceased, these users may move on to a new challenge: a different app. With only charitable giving offered in exchange for use, CauseWorld attracts users who have a desire to “do good.” As Marijane Miller of WhatGives writes, a CauseWorld user is “potentially more likely to be converted into a regular shopper” at a store that back his or her cause and values. Doing good and potential ROI – +2 CauseWorld
Winner: ?
CauseWorld is just the first of Shopkick’s soon-to-expand repertoire of offerings. However, bloggers such as Joe Waters have begun to speculate how philanthropy and microgiving can be more consistently incorporated into the Foursquare universe. Is it idealistic to believe that CauseWorld has a fighting chance to survive in the same arena as Foursquare?
- By Emily Coogan, New Media Intern & Marcus Andrews, New Media Associate
Tags: cause donation causebranding newmedia
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Disaster Relief in the Digital Age
All eyes are on Haiti this week, and before anything, we must say that the thoughts and prayers of the entire Cone family go out to the people of Haiti. As nonprofit organizations and government agencies quickly deploy their emergency resources to come to Haiti’s aid in the aftermath of this tragedy, American citizens are just as quickly responding through their own channels – digitally.
With laptops and smartphones at their fingertips, donors are setting records with lightning-fast fundraising tools. Convio, a company that provides donation software to charities, processed more than $20 million as of January 13th – more than it did on December 31st, which is typically the biggest fundraising day of the year. And it wasn’t just online donation that was successful, text-to-donate campaigns saw big numbers too. The American Red Cross has raised $8 million to-date through its mobile campaign, and Yéle Haiti, the nonprofit of musician and Haiti-native Wyclef Jean, has raised more than $750,000 through a similar mobile effort.
Cone’s research on cause and new media this fall found that Americans are using such tools for awareness, but not necessarily translating this into donations. This situation debunks the myth that they won’t donate – for now we know when the need is urgent and the request is easy, citizens will respond through every tool at their disposal. One lesson to emerge from this devastating tragedy is that having new media communications and fundraising capabilities in place before the need is urgent will help mobilize your cause when the situation is dire. And despite the urgency of a message, those that are clear, concise and show ongoing results are lessons all organizations can heed when developing new media communications in support of their causes.
To see Cone’s list of guidelines and resources for companies responding to natural disasters such as the earthquake in Haiti, please click here.
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