1. GlobalGiving
GlobalGiving is an online marketplace that connects donors with grassroots projects in the
developing world.[1] Potential donors can browse and select from a wide offering of projects that
are organized by geography or by themes such as health care, the environment and education.[2]
Upon choosing a project, a donor can contribute any amount using a credit/debit card, check,
PayPal, or stock transfer. Gift registries can be set up for special events, and donors can "give" any
project as a gift. GlobalGiving funds itself by requesting the donor add a 15% donation to
GlobalGiving to their gift or by taking a 15% transaction fee from the amount pledged to the
charity.[3]
These contributions directly support the entrepreneurial work of global project leaders who are
bringing innovative, empowering solutions to challenging social problems at the local community
level.[4] In order to create an interactive relationship between the project and donors, project
leaders send regular updates to their donors regarding the progress and impact of the project and
donors are invited to submit comments.
All donations made to projects go through the GlobalGiving Foundation, a registered 501(c)3
entity, and are fully tax-deductible in the United States.[5]
The GlobalGiving Foundation (GGF) is a non-profit organization that individuals and companies
can donate to through the website globalgiving.org. It is supported by a network of implementing,
corporate and institutional partners.[6] GlobalGiving was launched as collaboration between the
GlobalGiving Foundation and ManyFutures, Inc., and in December 2008 ManyFutures became a
formal subsidiary of the GlobalGiving Foundation and all operations were placed under direct
Foundation management.
Companies can use the GlobalGiving platform to allow their employees, customers, partners, or
foundation entities to donate directly to grassroots social and economic development projects
around the world.[5] And non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as Ashoka: Innovators for
the Public, and International AIDS Vaccine Initiative use the system to load projects designed by
grassroots groups that they stand behind.[7]
Major funding for the launch and early stages was provided by the Omidyar Network, the Skoll
Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Sall Foundation.[8]
Prior to founding GlobalGiving, Mari Kuraishi and Dennis Whittle were heads of strategy and
innovation at the World Bank. While in that post, they created the first-ever Innovation Marketplace
for Bank staff in 1998, an internal competition in which Bank employees pitched their own ideas
for fighting poverty worldwide. The winners received grants to make their ideas happen. The
competition resulted in some of the most innovative ideas and effective programs in World Bank
history.
In 2000, they took the concept and competition to the outside world. The Development Marketplace
enabled any social entrepreneur to compete for Bank funds.[9] The program was extremely
successful - finalists from all over the world gathered in Washington, D.C., and $5 million was
awarded to the 44 most innovative projects.
Based on the Marketplaces' success, Mari and Dennis created an Internet-based platform to
facilitate a broader range of social and economic investments in developing countries. In October
2000, they left the World Bank and on February 14, 2002, GlobalGiving (formerly
DevelopmentSpace) was launched.
GlobalGiving as a web-based fundraising platform is fundamentally different from the World Bank
Development Marketplace because it is based on social networks and real-time feedback between
donors and grassroots social entrepreneurs or "project leaders". Each organization pitches one or
more development projects to prospective donors on the website. The funding decision for each
project is crowd-sourced to the public, rather than determined by a team of experts, as in the
Development Marketplace. However, in practice, organizations that promote themselves through
email and social media campaigns vastly improve their fundraising potential. Each project depends
on evangelists (people who spread good news) in order to flourish. However, the funding and
project update history for each project is public and acts as a form of reputation system for the
organization implementing the project.

2. The world is full of problems. GlobalGiving is full of solutions. Solutions run by innovative,
grassroots projects and organizations that are working to educate children, feed the hungry, build
houses, train women (and men) with job skills, and hundreds of other amazing things.
GlobalGiving is a charity fundraising web site that gives social entrepreneurs and non-profits from
anywhere in the world a chance to raise the money that they need to improve their communities.
Since 2002, GlobalGiving has raised $65,520,959 from 265,634 donors who have supported 5,698
projects.
Our Vision
Unleash the potential of people around the world to make positive change happen.
Our Mission
Build an efficient, open, thriving marketplace that connects people who have community and
world-changing ideas with people who can support them.
Why give through GlobalGiving?
GlobalGiving is changing the way people give, offering donors a transparent, high-impact giving
experience. You choose where you want your money to go, and we get it there, quickly and
efficiently.
GlobalGiving enables you to fund the underdog. We give access to new sources of funds to creative
ideas and projects that might never be funded through traditional structures and development and
philanthropy approaches.
But just because you can fund the underdog, doesn't mean you're taking undue risk. We have a
tested due diligence process, and make sure donors get feedback about how their contributions have
been put to work and the results achieved - with satisfaction guaranteed through the GlobalGiving
Guarantee.
The projects on GlobalGiving go through a rigorous due diligence review, satisfy IRS guidelines for
international grant-making and tax deductibility, and follow Treasury Department guidelines for
anti-terrorism
Our history
In 1997, World Bank executives Mari Kuraishi and Dennis Whittle were asked to develop
innovative ways to combat poverty. They created the World Bank's Development Marketplace, a
first-of-its-kind event where people from around the world competed for World Bank funds. The
event's success unveiled the enormous potential of a global marketplace for philanthropy, and
participants asked for a real marketplace that was open year round and operated virtually. Mari and
Dennis saw the brilliance of this idea, left the World Bank and launched GlobalGiving.
Our structure
GlobalGiving was launched as unique collaboration between two entities: the GlobalGiving
Foundation (GGF), a US 501(c)3 registered non-profit and a Delaware corporation, ManyFutures,
Inc (MFI). In December 2008, GGF acquired over 98% of outstanding shares in MFI, making MFI
a formal subsidiary of GGF. To streamline operations and prepare for future growth, GGF has
consolidated all operations under direct Foundation management.