Micro-donation or microphilanthropy is a form of

charitable donation Charity is the voluntary provision of assistance to those in need. It serves as a humanitarian act, and is unmotivated by self-interest. Various philosophies about charity exist, with frequent associations with religion. Etymology The word ''ch ...

that is small in the donated amount. In the past, micro-donations have been used most effectively by companies collecting spare change at registers and checkouts. Recently, this form of

philanthropy Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

has become more popular with the advent of online and

mobile donating Mobile donating refers to donating (to an organization) using a mobile device. Mobile donating is primarily done through an SMS or a phone call. Mobile donating process Premium SMS donations: Text messaging, or SMS, is the primary means of mob ...

. In addition to the more traditional forms of donating, like giving directly from person to person, both the internet and mobile-phones have become more accepted by the public for collecting donations. Micro-donations of $200 or less have made up an ever-larger share of nomination fundraising in the three

United States presidential primary Each of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and five territories of the United States holds either primary elections or caucuses to help nominate individual candidates for president of the United States. This process is designed ...

elections since 2000. (In this measurement a person who donates $190 twice to a candidate has given two micro-donations, but is not a micro-donor). Micro-donations accounted for 25% of the total donations for the United States presidential election in 2000. This figure rose to 34% in 2004 and 38.8% in 2008.

Supporting technology

Microphilanthropy requires the ability to deal with a large number of small interactions efficiently. If a successful approach also includes implementing a fundraising drive that utilizes microphilanthropic resources connected to a specific charity, the approach must also include a structure or "middleman" technology that allows for an effective, efficient aggregation and distribution of microphilanthropic donations. For example, the US-based nonprofit

Zidisha Zidisha is a peer-to-peer microlending service that allows people to lend small amounts of money directly to entrepreneurs in developing countries. It is the first peer-to-peer microlending service to link borrowers and lenders across internatio ...

offers an

eBay eBay Inc. ( , often stylized as ebay) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that allows users to buy or view items via retail sales through online marketplaces and websites in 190 markets worldwide. ...

-style peer-to-peer

microlending Microcredit is the extension of very small loans (microloans) to impoverished borrowers who typically do not have access to traditional banking services due to a lack of collateral, steady employment, and a verifiable credit history. The primar ...

platform, which uses internet and mobile phone technology to deliver services between lenders and borrowers directly across international borders without local intermediaries.

References

{{Reflist Micropayment Philanthropy Activism by type Giving Peer-to-peer charities Private aid programs

Supporting technology

See also

References