Giving Till It Helps
(Page 3 of 3)
November / December 2006
Alex Steffen Harry N. Abrams Books
Giving Circles
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The virtues of helping a person in the global South jump-start a
small business are undeniable, but what do we do if we can't afford
to make a $200 gift on our own? We can turn our $20 into $200 by
coordinating our donations though giving circles.
Giving circles are easy to set up and easy to manage: We donate
a small amount of money and ask our friends and coworkers to match
our donation. Pooling our resources and directing the combined
donation to smaller, more specific causes is much more effective
than writing a small check to an organization that tackles 'the
environment' or 'human rights abuses.'
For example, One By One is building an online network to fight
obstetric fistula, an injury to mothers caused by long, obstructed
labor that can be debilitating if it is left un-treated. The
condition is relatively inexpensive (about $300) to cure, but women
in the developing world, particularly in Africa, rarely get the
treatment they need. One By One's network organizes individual
giving circles whose tax-exempt donations to the United Nations'
Campaign to End Fisutla go toward buying one woman the surgery she
needs.
Excerpted from WorldChanging: A User's Guide for the 21st
Century, a project of
WorldChanging.com, edited by
Alex Steffen and available from Harry N. Abrams Books;
www.hnabooks.com.
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