The new face of philanthropy is yours, and your neighbor’s, and your best friend’s. The 21st Century has produced a boom of billionaires and many are using their enormous wealth to support causes around the world. But the real boom of cause-based support is from everyday people like you. Newly formed wealth has moved more people around the world out of poverty, and they are expressing great compassion for causes sensitive to their own interests.
21st Century technology has empowered people to establish micro-causes with very specific, meaningful goals. Social media and internet resources makes it easier than ever to share a cause and form a community of like-minded thinkers passionate about specific community needs. It goes way beyond the popular crowdfunding sites that set up temporary funds for individuals or small groups. The new breed of common philanthropists now has the power and the audience reach to establish a well-organized, sustainable program to make an impact like never before.
That same new technology enables these champions of causes to be selective about how they spend their money. They don’t want to settle for just making an online purchase for the lowest possible cost. They want that money to go to environmental and humanitarian issues they care about. Many retailers have responded by establishing programs that give back to the community by donating a percentage of the purchase price to select causes. A popular shoe company was an early pioneer in this business model by donating a pair of shoes to a needy child for every retail shoe purchased. This idea of shopping with a purpose has great appeal for this new breed of shopper, and now they look to expand their impact in other areas of concern. The concept has been adopted in some form by many leading retailers who give a portion of each sale back to communities and charitable causes.
Popular causes like environmental preservation, eco-friendly technology, equality for all people types, and curing deadly illnesses have led to many new charity organizations. The donor class for these issues is broad, powerful and very engaged. The entrepreneurial spirit that has produced the new wealth of the 21st Century also empowers the same people to found new causes and grow the passion for others. Whether the issue is homelessness or hunger or forest preservation, the 21st Century philanthropist is eager to support the cause and looking for new ways to empower it and promote it.
In the past, traditional supporters may have budgeted a percentage of income to allocate for charitable contributions and donated that portion during a fundraiser drive or similar specified time. Today’s donors are seeking to give as part of their natural spending habits. They may contribute to a fundraiser, but it’s much more spontaneous than traditional givers, and they are putting more money to work through very hyper-specific causes.
The most significant difference about these new cause crusaders is their passion and the speed at which they can spread the word for their cause. They have a social network of followers and friends that already share many of the same traits, so it is easy to grow the awareness for the issue, leading to a boom in giving — or purchasing, depending on the donation model. The growth of awareness and peer influence has always been crucial to successful fundraising efforts, so the new form of philanthropist is the perfect solution.
Human rights and dignity, health concerns, and environmental issues form the biggest umbrella of popular causes, but within each of these general categories there is an array of micro-causes to appeal to anyone. New technology of the 21st Century has led people around the world to more comfortable living standards and those who have benefited most are using their resources to help others still in need of help. That same new technology is being used to unite these people and empower causes that will make the world an even better place today and tomorrow.
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