Satisfaction-Guaranteed Giving

Just in time for the holidays, GlobalGiving has officially raised the bar on accountability by launching GlobalGiving Guaranteed. According to their website, GlobalGiving Guaranteed “is a groundbreaking new program that guarantees GlobalGiving online donors a positive giving experience. The guarantee is the first program of its kind in the US and covers contributions up to $10,000. GlobalGiving Guaranteed is a way to increase accountability to donors, strengthen our own responsiveness, and create a critical feedback loop to find out more about what our donors want.”

GlobalGiving has placed great emphasis on accountability since its inception. They even have a “Project Accountability” statement: “GlobalGiving works with a network of about 40 highly respected partner organizations that vet, and vouch for, projects on GlobalGiving. Project Leaders go through a rigorous application process before they are allowed to post projects on the GlobalGiving website, and must abide by standardized compliance measures for the duration of the project” Donors can logon to the “See Results” page of the GlobalGiving website to find the impact of their giving. Project reports are posted every 3-4 months.

If you are looking for the perfect gift, satisfaction guaranteed, for that socially-conscious someone on your shopping list, GlobalGiving even offers biodegradable gift cards (they’re made of corn), with the pitch: “What to give people who want to give to people.” And if you are looking for good models of accountability, your search is over.

Caroline Heine