GlobalGiving

GlobalGiving
Name	GlobalGiving
Type	Nonprofit organization
Founded	2002
Founder	William (Bill) H. Shaw, Mari Kuraishi
Location	Washington, D.C., United States
Area served	International
Focus	Disaster relief, community development, humanitarian aid

GlobalGiving GlobalGiving is an international crowdfunding platform that connects donors to grassroots projects led by nonprofits, social enterprises, and community-based organizations. Founded in 2002, it facilitates philanthropic giving for disaster relief, development programs, and capacity building across multiple regions including Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. GlobalGiving works with partners ranging from local NGOs to major institutions to scale fundraising, transparency, and monitoring of impact.

History

GlobalGiving was established in 2002 by William (Bill) H. Shaw and Mari Kuraishi following initiatives inspired by post-9/11 philanthropy and models emerging from the Clinton Global Initiative, Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and Carnegie Corporation of New York. Early pilots involved partnerships with organizations such as CARE International, Oxfam, Mercy Corps, and World Vision to test online fundraising mechanics akin to platforms used by eBay and PayPal. During the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami and the 2010 Haiti earthquake, GlobalGiving scaled its disaster response tools, collaborating with actors like the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Red Cross, and USAID. Over time, governance and operational practices evolved under influences from philanthropic research by the Center for Global Development, evaluations by GiveWell, and standards promoted by the Charity Navigator and Independent Sector.

Mission and Activities

GlobalGiving’s mission centers on democratizing philanthropy by enabling direct donor support to community-led projects and improving transparency for funders such as foundations like the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, corporations like Google, and institutional donors like the World Bank and European Commission. Core activities include vetting partner organizations similar to practices by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch for due diligence, hosting campaigns comparable to initiatives by UNICEF and Save the Children, and providing capacity-building services inspired by programs from Ashoka and TechSoup. The platform runs thematic funds and response mechanisms linked to crises such as the Syria civil war, the COVID-19 pandemic, and natural disasters affecting regions like Puerto Rico, Nepal, and the Philippines.

Funding Model and Operations

GlobalGiving operates as a marketplace: vetted nonprofits create project pages while donors give via credit card systems akin to Mastercard and Visa networks and payment processors similar to Stripe and PayPal. The organization charges a platform fee and processes donations with administrative practices paralleling those of charities assessed by BBB Wise Giving Alliance and audited by firms like PricewaterhouseCoopers or KPMG. Funding streams include individual giving, corporate partnerships with firms such as Microsoft, Cisco Systems, and Salesforce, foundation grants from entities like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and matching campaigns modeled after corporate matching programs used by Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase. Operational safeguards draw on compliance frameworks from international standards such as those promoted by OECD and anti-fraud norms enforced by regulators like the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Impact and Evaluation

GlobalGiving emphasizes monitoring, evaluation, and learning; its approaches reflect methodologies used by Development Assistance Committee members and evaluation bodies like the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation and the Overseas Development Institute. Impact assessments have referenced indicators common to programs by UNICEF, World Health Organization, and UNESCO for health, education, and livelihoods projects. Independent evaluations by think tanks including the Brookings Institution and the Center for Strategic and International Studies have examined effectiveness of donor-directed crowdfunding versus traditional grantmaking, while research collaborations with universities such as Harvard University and London School of Economics have analyzed giving patterns and local accountability. Transparency tools include project updates, financial reporting, and beneficiary stories modeled after disclosure practices from Transparency International.

Governance and Leadership

GlobalGiving’s board and executive leadership have included individuals from philanthropy, finance, and international development sectors with backgrounds linked to institutions like Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Clinton Foundation, and Relief International. Governance structures draw on nonprofit best practices promoted by Independent Sector and are subject to oversight comparable to standards advocated by Council on Foundations and national regulators such as the Internal Revenue Service. Executive directors and senior staff commonly engage with networks including the Skoll Foundation and speak at forums like the Skoll World Forum and the Milken Institute Global Conference.

Partnerships and Campaigns

GlobalGiving’s partnerships span multilateral agencies like the United Nations Development Programme, corporations such as Intel and Facebook, and philanthropic initiatives including the Gates Foundation programs and the Schwab Foundation. Notable campaigns have mobilized funds for crises including the Nepal earthquake (2015), the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa, and relief for refugees from conflicts such as the Rohingya crisis. Collaborative initiatives include corporate employee-matching similar to programs at Amazon and Apple, affinity campaigns with nonprofits like Doctors Without Borders and Habitat for Humanity, and innovation challenges akin to those run by XPRIZE and MIT Solve.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C. Category:Philanthropic organizations Category:Crowdfunding platforms