It's interesting that you cite the need for a forum as the main requirement -- here's one right here! You mention coordinating schedules, etc. There are other online tools for calendaring, etc. What do you think would be needed?

Beyond this, I could imagine the need to upload documents, such as web pages for review.

I wrote Take It Offline, so perhaps I can adapt it to what we'd need, as long as it's not re-inventing tools that are already out there. TIO's purpose is to be an extremely easy-to-use, single-topic forum that's web&email enabled.

Let's see.. the first thing you'd need was a way to match people up--some sort of searchable database. You'd go in either on the organization or the developer end, and put in your info.

Once you were matched on a project, though, I think it'd be really good to maybe include rudimentary tools for coordination, messaging. I bet putting up pages for review would be really great. Perhaps (although this is very ambitious) a version monitoring system of some sort.

Just curious, how would you validate the organizations
and ensure that they do what they say they do?

Edited by author 05-23-2000 06:01 PM
**Yeva**, it might be good to piggyback on a site that already does this, like AOL's charitable donation site <http://helping.org/>;

**mcfrank**, yes you'd need sophisticated matching once the project list became long enough. BTW, everyone interested should check O'Reilly's SourceXchange <http://www.sourcexchange.com/>; as an example.

As for project management, etc. Pyra <http://www.pyra.com>; might be a good tool. I know the developers there -- they might even want to be active in this, given that it would be good PR.

I'm interested in this idea. It was something I was discussing with a couple of friends a few months back (the banner ad depository). I've since heard that there's a website that publishes the affiliate codes of popular charities, so you can give your affiliate earnings straight to them by putting their codes in your site. I like the idea of a banner download site though, which can help get a message across even when the ad isn't clicked.

You can contact me through my website at www.sean.co.uk.

Sean McManus

Sean emailed me the following (posting it with his permission):

When I thought about it I imagined it working like this:
-webmaster visits site
-browses by cause category (eg third world / disease research / education)
-gets banner image plus link to download
-puts banner on site, linking directly to the charity.

I saw the biggest barrier being to get the charities to commit once the architecture was sorted. That's because it would require a lot of approaches to hard-pressed charities to start with, convincing them the idea was worth their time.

The sponsorship might make it easier to allocate time to the project, but I don't think it's necessary really for the resources given that domain names are so cheap and webspace is free. In fact, I could sort the hosting probably.

The main benefit of sponsorship would be bringing in traffic, potentially.

I had a couple of friends interested in helping me when I was looking at it. I think the first stage would be to get a dummy site together that explains the concept to charities and websites so they can sign up to participate when it launches and then try to get some banners from charities.

Once the dummy site is up, it's possible for someone to start promoting it through search engine registrations, someone else to start approaching charities, someone to start designing banner adverts for charities who don't have the resources to do it themselves.

I did consult a friend who worked for a major UK charity when I was researching this idea and she said that some charities are vary wary of people who try to help. I had already concluded that the only way for it to have credibility is if it's run as a non-profit venture, which makes it difficult to accept cash sponsorship I think although it might be good to get a company to give free webspace or something.

Edited by author 07-18-2000 09:51 AM
My ideas are pretty much the same regarding how it works, with the following extension: The site can also help with automatically rotating through the webmaster's selected set of banners; the banners are hosted at the charity banner site. The webmaster needs only to refer to a single gif file at the charity-banner site. This also allows tracking of click-throughs if that's of interest to the webmaster.

I like the "just do it" approach. There's nothing like having something already working to attract attention get some excitement going.

There are some organizations like http://www.helping.org
(sponsored by AOL) that have already vetted many charitable organizations. Fidelity Investments has a program where its customers can donate to a pre-selected set of charities too. Maybe we could get cooperation from one of them for the liaison-to-charities side.

There's a good chance I could get free hosting for the site.

Sean, I think I owe you a response to an email. Sorry, I've been swamped the past few days. I'll try to unearth it, but if you have it handy, please send it again.

Edited by author 07-31-2000 12:22 PM
I'm just posting this more detailed description, from the text of an old email, for reference:
-----
I propose a site that aggregates banner ads from hundreds of pre-vetted charitable organizations. A site builder can go there, see banners categorized by org type (with short descriptions and links to each non-profit site, naturally), select the ones she wants to show on her site, and finally arrange to have them auto-rotated by referring to a single .gif within her web pages. Further link tricks could allow tracking click-throughs.

Doing this would not only be a great thing in itself -- it would be great PR for the company that hosted it. If this company sold web-building tools, it could have tie-ins with site-building tools. Those who've gone "post-economic" via startups (others too) might be interested in working on it, in association with the hosting site. A list of credits down one side would be good.

Sorry, can we clarify a couple of things?

For the banner referral service (perhaps a better name is in order), where will the banners take you? Is this a hunger site type of gimmick, where a backer will donate money or the site host will donate money? I don't know where that money would come from, realistically. Or is it just a normal banner ad that takes you to the organization's site? In that case, are we only dealing with organizations that are large enough to have their own full site?

Edited by author 07-31-2000 02:15 PM
My idea was that banners would take you to the charitable org's site, and yes, that does limit it to orgs that have a site. It's an interesting idea that this site could at least host brochure-ware for orgs that don't have it yet. I could imagine making this very easy via web form input -- this could be free, and we could farm out to site designers for others that want it.

Click-through tracking would be useful for sites that host the banner ads, giving them a quantitative idea of how much "good" they're doing by hosting the ads on their site.

Hmmm, maybe we could list the sites that use adsforgood (the ones that host the ads), in order of their clickthrough rates (they probably wouldn't appreciate numbers posted publicly). I'm trying to think of ways to add buzz to the site.

Dear friends.
Administrator of website "DETON, St.Petersburg paediatric oncological service" and
charitable association "Children and parents against cancer" seek for native English-speaking person,
who help us to correct English text and promote site (the main thing!) to find sponsors, to
contact with charity funds to save our children suffering and die of terrible diseases: leukaemia,
solid tumours, sarcomas etc.
http://deton.blood.ru/

Hello, I am a high school student in need of earning volunteer hours. I am interested in volunteering in web design for a non-profit/commuminty/etc group. I am experienced in HTML, JavaScript, and have some experience in working with installing Perl scripts. If you would like me to help, please email me at: mr_t@dr.com

Hello, my name is Michael Vaysman, and I run my own web design business. I am interested in volunteering my services to various charitable or non-profit groups and organizations. Please e-mail me at mvaysman@hotmail.com

I speak both English and Russian fluently.

I'll be travelling from July 9th until Christmastime. I'm reading email while I'm away, but I may be a little late in responding.
best,

tD: Mike.

Dear friend

I ask you to read this letter till the end! Don't treat to my words with
indifferens. On Your understanding it will depend my fate and the fate of
my
child!



I am Byalik Oleg , date of birth 1964 , pssport No 313690364 ,
repatriated
to Israel in March 1999 with my family from Ukraine(Kiev).

The beginning of the absorption wasn't simple. It must rise from zero.

However on 28 of September 2000 my wife Byalik Alla passport 313690372 ,
left me with with child and went to other man in Kiev.

Burdens of immigration , pecuniary difficulties forsed her to do this
loathsome step.

She robbed me with child , took money from personal savings , left us
with
our debts and went out Israel.

I seven years have suffered from diabetes (diabetes mellitus type II) ,
got
per day three injection of insulin. After the endured stress I find
myself
in hospital with diagnosis : diabetic ketoacidosis (hiperlipidemia).

With unerstanding that we can be thrown out the hired flat , being in
state
of depression , the child became reserved , stopped regulary to go to
school
, lost the perspective in the life. Since , he is now treated by
psychologist.

Now I am legalizing the divorce and disablement.

In situation , I found myself , I was never. We have no relatives and
friends in Israel.

I shall struggle for our with child surviving till the last breth. But at
present moment I am not imagining how I with my child can go out this
financial bankruptcy.

Therfore I apply to you , help me as you can.

My data: Bank Leumi. Israel

Branch 886

Account : 517044\94

Haifa. Israel.

Byalik Oleg

All information can be gotten by the worker of the Department of
absorption
in Haifa who helps me , social worker:

Ella Buhtnik tel.(972) 4-8625840 fax:(972) 4- 8623415



With respect Byalik Oleg

contact telefon (972) 58788899

My adress : 34613 Ben-Yeuda 8/4 . Haifa . Israel