We want to let you know about our DTI initiative to increase the impact of your donations on Good Today. Along the way we’ll explain the background of why we are doing this.
Essentially,
We are bringing greater transparency, accountability, and impact to the donation model on Good Today by giving directly to end recipients.
Here is the traditional model where Good Today gives to a nonprofit that helps people:
Here is the DTI model where Good Today works with verified nonprofits and other partners to give directly to vetted people:
Let’s back up for a minute to explain
Impact through Process: At Good Today we always think about how we can increase our impact. One way is by increasing our community size and dollars given. Another way is by doing more with the money we already have. We do both. This post is about the latter: an approach to take existing dollars further.
Transparency through Impact: We see this impact not as a one-way from donor to recipient, but a virtuous cycle. Dollars given that transform not just the recipient, but the donor as well. For that to happen, there needs to be visibility on the ‘supply chain’ of impact. The donor needs to know how the money is used, who it is going towards, and the recipient needs to know the flipside.
While anonymity in the donation process can serve a purpose, at Good Today we seek the opposite: transparency. We want the mom struggling to pay her son’s medical expenses to know that a community of thousands contributed to her son’s treatment. We want her to know that she is not part of some statistic to pity and solve, but an equal partner with us in making the world a better place. We want to establish equally transparent communication from the mom to our community as well.
Yet for most nonprofits, giving is a one-way street, an opaque supply chain without a closed impact loop. Not due to any negligence, but because it can be difficult and may require changing how systems and long-standing processes operate.
So how are we solving this?
By going direct to the end recipient. Instead of strictly giving to two nonprofits that address an issue, we are working with verified nonprofits and other partnered organizations (such as hospitals, crowdfunding sites) to find, properly vet, and give to people directly. And as we do so, establishing a meaningful relationship between us and the person. While vetting in the DTI model differs from our traditional approach, we maintain the same rigor in line with our vetting philosophy. And in bringing transparency to the process, we also create the space to more effectively vet potential recipients.
We are joining other organizations that have approached this issue from various angles (ex. DonorsChoose.org, Watsi, GoFundMe), and hope to partner with similarly-minded organizations.
What does this look like?
Let’s say the cause of the day is “multiple sclerosis”. Instead of giving to two organizations that are addressing the issue in different ways, we work with one nonprofit who identifies a research group that needs funds, and a family that needs help with medical expenses. “Research Grant” and “Medical Expenses” would be the two choices of the day.
In addition to bringing transparency to the donor and recipient, the DTI model opens up new areas of impact that we previously were unable to address. The three main ones we’ll mention here are: rare diseases, geographic limits, and partisan limits.
Rare Diseases
There are many people with rare diseases who are not supported in the nonprofit ecosystem. In this DTI model we do not need to wait for two properly vetted nonprofits to address a rare disease, but instead can work with a verified partner (such as a hospital) to find, verify, and give directly to the patient.
Geographic Limits
There are many people and local institutions (clinics, schools, etc.), both domestically and overseas, that are not part of the nonprofit ecosystem. We do not need to wait for two vetted nonprofits to set up shop in a town in a rural part of the country or a village in Namibia to help people there. We can give directly.
Partisan Limits
There are many nonprofits addressing important issues that we do not feature because they are affiliated with a political stance. By going directly to the recipients, however, we can address these issues in a bipartisan way. (And while our mission isn’t exactly to heal democracies, by showing how polarizing issues can be addressed in a bipartisan way, we can help bring divided people together.)
In Summation
Both the traditional and DTI models of giving serve important roles in a resilient nonprofit ecosystem. The DTI model discussed here is being introduced slowly as we integrate it with the coevolving traditional model — building upon a robust search, verification, and donation engine to maximize the impact of the community.
It is as important to establish the transparent and accountable flow of goods and communication from the donor to the end recipient as it is in reverse. It increases impact and opens up opportunities to give. The DTI model is a recognition of the fact that we are neither donors nor recipients, but equal partners in bringing good to the world.
We’d love for you to be part of this. Email hey@goodtoday.org to get involved.
— Joe Benun
Team Good Today
