Information AboutCharityfocus |
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The principle focus of CharityFocus’s substantive Volunteerism is to attack the Digital Divide that keeps small Non-profit Organization s from taking full advantage of Information Technology , including the Internet . But CharityFocus is equally keen to show that the opportunity to serve is always present -- whether it is something as life sustaining as feeding a hungry person, as empowering as building a Website for a small non-profit organization, or something as small and personal as bringing a smile to the lips of a stranger with a kind or funny word. HISTORY No one can really pinpoint the seed that started CharityFocus, but we do know that in January 1999, the heyday of the Dot-com era, there was a gathering in a living room over pizza. It occurred in Silicon Valley, where greed was in the air, BMWs were being given as signing bonuses, and 18 hour workdays were considered routine. But this meeting was about something very simple -- something so simple that it was radical. It was about giving. Nipun Mehta invited a dozen of his friends to discuss a unique way to give. It would put their expensive educations and specialized skills to use for small nonprofits and, more importantly, would give them an opportunity to change internally. CharityFocus was born. There was no real agenda; it was all about learning to enjoy the journey, give selflessly, and love unconditionally. Since its earliest days CharityFocus concentrated on delivering web solutions for small nonprofits, who found themsleves on the far side of a rapidly widening digital divide. As they were quick to learn, compassion is contagious and new volunteers joined by the hundreds. In the midst of the materialist, acquisitive frenzy that marked the turn of the century, a new wellspring of Generosity was flowing. Since its first project, which entailed four volunteers making a cold-call to a nonprofit in San Jose and convincing them to let CharityFocus built them a website, the organization has received over 1,370 nonprofit requests, comprises 8,700 registered volunteers, has thousands of supporters worldwide, has been featured in the media (including press, radio, and a full half-hour show on CNN International television), and has been studied in colleges and business schools. As it has grown, CharityFocus had challenged and transformed many of the accepted paradigms of Volunteerism . Conventional wisdom in the nonprofit sector says that you need one hired staff member to manage every 50 volunteers. This, of course, entails a substantial overhead and requires significant fundraising activities. CharityFocus remains an all-volunteer organization that solicits no financial contributions, either from corporations or private individuals. The overhead of CharityFocus is minuscule. By staying true to the principles of pure volunteerism, both in program activities and organizational management, CharityFocus has been available avoid a common pitfall of successful, growing nonprofits: the need to self-sustain sapping energy from the desire to serve. When money is an issue, what begins with pure intentions is often overshadowed by the challenges of survival. CharityFocus took the road less traveled, keeping the organization fully volunteer-run -- no money to raise, no vested interests, no hidden agendas, no image to uphold. As long as volunteers continue to give their time and talents, the organization will continue to thrive. By its third anniversary, CharityFocus was garnering prominence and contributing over 25,000 hours per year to small nonprofits. It also made a bit of history in the merger-mad technology sector by being the first dot-org ever to acquire a dot-com. CharityFocus also launched a full-scale revision of its website, which brought our presentation into closer alignment with our philosophy and presented volunteers with sophisticated automated project management tools. There has also been a move to bring the CharityFocus volunteer experience out of the ether and back to the local level, providing more opportunities for existing volunteers to give of their skills beyond web development and building local chapters. In early 2003, CharityFocus launched a major new program, Community Shops , an community -- a service that had, until then, employed up to 14 full-time paid staff members. In 2004, CharityFocus began to spread the concept of service in everyday activities by unleashing a contagiously fun game of pay-it-forward tag called Experiments in Anonymous Kindness . And the number of programs continues to grow. Inspiring Messages , to create and provide inspiring banners to mainstream websites; Signs of Light , a good news portal; iJourneys , stories of individual journeys of service. In 2005 CharityFocus undertaking another major redesign of the CharityFocus website, developing new applications and online tools to further enhance the volunteer experience, creating a new emphasis on local action and new local programs, and continuing to find innovative ways for volunteers to make service an important aspect of their lives. Stay tuned. The journey is far from over. GUIDING PRINCIPLES These guiding principles are the touchstone of CharityFocus: CharityFocus is an incubator of compassionate action. CharityFocus provides opportunity for volunteers to give freely of their time and talents, without any expectation of material gain. In this way, CharityFocus creates an outlet for people to express their fundamental Generosity , Selflessness , and Compassion . CharityFocus is an agent of change. Service facilitates change in the heart of the giver. Volunteerism encourages greater selflessness and fosters a closer attentiveness of the world in which we live. These changes are enduring and infectious, touching both the volunteers and the greater community. CharityFocus volunteers are living the Gandhian precept, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” CharityFocus volunteers support the service journeys of others. The CharityFocus motto, Helping Others Help Others®, describes both the substance of our work and the organizing principle behind CharityFocus. Our efforts empower the nonprofit organizations that work to strengthen our communities and help those in need. By coming together collectively in the spirit of service, each CharityFocus volunteer also makes possible and nourishes the volunteer experiences of every other CharityFocus volunteer. CharityFocus celebrates the pure spirit of service. While the tangible accomplishments of CharityFocus are certainly significant – especially to the nonprofits we serve and to their beneficiaries – they are not as important as the act of giving itself. The joy is in the journey, not in arriving at the destination. CharityFocus shuns hierarchy. There is no Hierarchy within CharityFocus, and all volunteers are encouraged to define their own level of involvement within the organization. Managerial and administrative functions are handled by teams whose members are self-selected and whose meetings are open to all. The direction of the organization is defined through consensus. There are volunteers who have organizational titles, but these are merely labels for administrative purposes and for ease of communication. CharityFocus values commitment of time over expenditure of money. Money is an indispensable tool of philanthropy; and CharityFocus salutes those who give generously to nonprofit organizations. But CharityFocus esteems the commitment entailed in service above all else. Volunteerism is a transforming experience in a way that financial contribution is not. Giving of oneself is both intimately personal and inspirational to others, setting in motion a ripple effect of awareness, compassion, and beneficence that extends far beyond the gift itself. |
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