Causewired: Plugging In, Getting Involved, Changing the World

It probably happens to you once or twice a year. A well known charity knocks at your door during its annual fund raising appeal. You make a donation and in return get a receipt. This brief encounter speeds your money off somewhere to help someone somehow. Or you might donate regularly to an aid agency that sends out an annual letter about a sponsored child in the third world. This remote control philanthropy - where your donation helps someone but you're unsure who or how - is set to change according to US author Tom Watson. In his book Cause Wired he argues that Web2.0 technology is arming not for profit organizations with "weapons of mass collaboration" and transforming how people support good causes. Watson believes that social networking applications like Facebook, MySpace, Linkedin etc are evolving from personal promotion into important fund raising, activist and political tools. And it seems internet users of all generations are welcoming the change. Members of Generation Y find that digitally supporting the issues they believe in is a natural extension of living their lives in public, online. And Baby Boomers are attracted because the new ways of online giving allow them to be personally involved and see results for themselves. Watson explains how pioneer charities are beginning to use the power of Web 2.0 to gather, sort and distribute information to donors in a way once reserved for only their very wealthiest supporters. kiva.org is probably Cause Wired's best example of online fund raising. This digital not for profit allows small scale donors to use their credit cards and laptops to help struggling entrepreneurs in developing countries. For a $25 upwards you can join with others to loan money to specific individuals in specific countries such as a group of women needing sewing machines for their garment start-up or impoverished taxi drivers urgently after car repairs. Kiva works through established non government organizations (NGOs) and the web to provide the loans, monitor repayments and continually report back to donors through reports and images from the field. Watson also cites other cases where digital philanthropy is achieving equally impressive results but he tempers his enthusiasm. While a campaign on a social networking site like Facebook may raise awareness of an important environmental, human rights or other issue, the actual fund raising figures for many charities still remain modest. Cause Wired also explores how Web2.0 can empower political organizations and community movements to connect with citizens and consumers. Perhaps Barack Obama's Presidential election campaign is among the most powerful example of new media technologies helping to win a cause. While Watson's 236 page book is enthusiastic about the new possibilities it acknowledges its limits. Online causes can get tens of thousands even millions of people talking. But they still need online leaders. Just like the bricks and mo

It is a very well written and researched look at how these tools have been are being leveraged for social change in way that is new and will continue have major implications. The book is a cogent analysis of the past, current, and future of online activism and fundraising using social networking tools. It's the perfect book to hand an executive director or board member or Communications VP who may not be as hands on with these tools as we are - and needs to understand the big picture. Beth Kanter Beth's Blog http://beth.typepad.com

This book is well written (by a journalist, so that should be a given), and well thought out. It has tons and tons of examples of both big companies and "unknown" or "underground" individuals who are making massive contributions to the good of society. They're act, driven more by altruism and less by money. This book is a great temperature gauge of trends and models that are becoming more and more prevalent with new technologies.

The nonprofits I advise are all concerned about fundraising in a scary economy while managing on shrinking budgets. And they recognize they need to expand their pipeline of future donors. What they'd love, they say, is to raise money online as Obama did. Yet many fail to harness the true power of online social networking - the very key they seek - because no one's provided the roadmap, until now. Tom Watson's book is full of examples that inspire action, and a very readable guide to making sure your own cause is wired. Get it and get ahead - or risk falling further behind.

I just finished reading CausedWired by Tom Watson[...]. Tom writes about how individuals and institutions are changing the face of philanthropy using new media tools. We are living through an exciting time where you don't have to be a socialite or a fortune 500 CEO to be a philanthropist. You can be a high school student with a facebook account or a young professional that connects using Twitter. The book is a great study on how Gen X and Y are being philanthropic and how nonprofits are changing how they interact with the public to be more accessible using these tools. This is one of the few books that I read that immediately caused me to do something I said I would never do. After reading the first two chapters I opened a Facebook account and connected with my organization's donors and volunteers. CauseWired made me rethink that position. Multiple access points helps individuals get to know your cause and while we aren't using those tools as a fundraising method right now, being accessible better connects you to supporters and makes your work more transparent. CauseWired is a great study in how these web 2.0 tools are being used, who is using them effectively, and what the true potential is of these mediums. This book is a must read if you are developing strategies for reaching new donors and supporters using web tools. Trista Harris [...]