
…uestion whether an individual cause on GoFundMe — as Ms. Newman did in her essay — is as worthy as the old-fashioned giving paradigm, completely misses the spirit of why GoFundMe has gone wild. Can she be the arbiter of what is a worthy cause? Absolutely, but she discounts the power of the people and their social connections. In fact, it is this power that will judge the worthiness of a cause. Part of the character of the site is that the rare silly request for fundraising can coexist with t…
We are entering a new phase of philanthropy. Let’s call it “Giving Gone Wild”, where friction is removed, transparency is enhanced and causes around the globe will receive billions of dollars in a bottoms up model where people will choose who to give to, how much to give, and share that giving within their social circles. This giving is also different from the old established models in that it all happens online, via credit or debit cards, and in relatively small dollar amounts.