CharityFocus.org: Incubator of Compassionate ActionCharityFocus is an experiment in the joy of giving. Our services enable inspired people to contribute in meaningful ways to the world around them. Together, we hope to be the change we wish to see in the world.McDonalds Numbers, 2008 Edition :)- August 29, 2008 Trishna asked for numbers the other day, for a Google.org survey, and it reminded me of a 2004 blog post titled, McDonalds numbers. :) So, here's a 2008 version of that table (most of which was shared at the last Tiger Team meeting): project subscribers quantifiables trends CharityFocus.org 226.2K total subscribers, 187.8K active, 48.3K members, 13.7K volunteers In 2008: 100K...http://charityfocus.org/blog/view.php?id=1912 Tragedy of the Anti-Commons- August 25, 2008 One of the biggest challenges for a gift-economy is the "tragedy of the commons." In today's society, though, we seem to have the opposite problem. Michael Heller, in The Gridlock Economy, present the Tragedy of the Anti-Commons: Start with something familiar: a commons. When too many people share a single resource, we tend to overuse it—we over-fish the oceans and pollute the air. This wasteful overuse is a tragedy of the commons. How do we solve such a tragedy...http://charityfocus.org/blog/view.php?id=1911 Using Money as an Incentive- August 24, 2008 From Mexico to New Jersey, educational institutions are trying to pay students to go to school. Conditional cash transfers (CCTs) is what they're called. For the short term, numbers show that it's working and now, people are using that strategy for across other sector like healthcare. By classic economic theory, performance is positively related to effort; and effort is unpleasant and money is good; so when money input increases, we expect effort and performance rise. But new..http://charityfocus.org/blog/view.php?id=1910 Quiet Soldiers of Compassion- August 22, 2008 Sriram, from Akanksha, forwards a wonderful article in honor of the Amte's winning their second Magsaysay award: Quiet Soldiers of Compassion. It's the story of Prakash and Manda Amte and the unflappable grace with which they serve: Life in Hemalkasa has always meant a continuous and present danger. A fraught tightrope between Naxal guns and state suspicion, nearfatal accidents and bouts of ill-health. Four years ago, while showing a poisonous Russel’s...http://charityfocus.org/blog/view.php?id=1909 Audrey's Pilgrimage To Santa Clara!- August 21, 2008 Emmanuel recently gifted me an autographed copy of a book -- Planet Walker -- about a guy who spent 22 years walking (after being deeply affected by a large oil-spill in the 70's) and 17 years in silence. Instead of me, though, Guri started reading it. :) On a Wednesday night, couple weeks ago, Guri shared couple of her inspirations from the book, with the 40-50 random folks assembled in that infamous family room. One of the people there was Audrey, a third year UC Berkeley...http://charityfocus.org/blog/view.php?id=1907 |