Causecast

by JONATHAN HARRIS, Managing Editor

One of the biggest concerns most of us have when donating money is the insecurity of it all. Is this really helping? Where is this money going? What does this organization do?

Questions like this can undermine even the most well-intentioned events and fundraisers. Causecast.org is very proud to announce that Twestival Local will not be one of those events.

It is important that we know where the funds for each event are going and that we support local organizers in their efforts to have as much of an impact as possible. To make this job easier for everyone, Causecast and Twestival Local have joined forces. Together, we’ve created a special Twestival Not-For-Profit Vetting Process to make sure that each not-for-profit involved is legitimate, transparent and follows the criteria needed to become a Twestival featured organization.

This past February, you’ll recall, Twestival raised over $250,000 for charity: water, also a Causecast organization. The event connected tweeters from all over the world with all admission going to the nonprofit.

Twestival Local, September 10-13, is taking the same concept, but giving you the power to choose the nonprofit and raise money with your own party. Twestival global organizer Amanda Rose is working with teams of volunteers in cities around the world who will submit which not-for-profit they wish to support as a community. Twestival.com is still accepting new city registrations, by the way.

Causecast will be reviewing every nonprofit involved and ensuring that each organization meets a series of criteria to be considered a transparent and legitimate Twestival nonprofit.

So, what do we look for when reviewing a nonprofit?

•Collaboration: The last thing we want is competition between organizations working toward a common goal. A great nonprofit is an effective cooperator and collaborator, functioning in symbiosis with other likeminded groups. This trait is essential for success.

•Efficiency: As management writer Peter Drucker said, “Efficiency is doing better what is already being done.” This is true not only at Causecast or a nonprofit, but everywhere you look. It’s imperative that organizations use their money and resources as efficiently as possible, and Causecast looks for this level of productivity in a great nonprofit.

•Transparency: When you give money to a nonprofit, you want to know exactly what that money is being spent on. An effective nonprofit wants you to see how it works and hides nothing.

•Creativity and Innovation: It’s the 21st century and the world’s problems won’t be solved by old ideas. We need to have a fresh outlook, and the best nonprofit organizations are the ones that are inspired to create change with radical approaches.

•Sustainability: Any successful nonprofit should have completely sustainable functionality. Ideally, once programs are put into place they should be able to run themselves. We ensure that our featured nonprofits have long-term vision and can keep their systems working, just as successful businesses do.

•Measurable Progress: Once you know where your donation is going, you want to be sure it’s effective. If one strategy doesn’t work, you try something else. Just as we measure our progress here at Causecast, we like to see our featured nonprofits doing so as well.

•Empowerment: Do you feel like getting involved? If an organization is doing its job, you should. The best nonprofits are the ones that make both volunteers and impacted populations want to take action and make a difference. Development of empowering programs means taking work out of the office and going “in the field.” Empowerment is achieved through steady and effective face-to-face interaction.

Here’s what the documentation says about our criteria, so you’ll know what we’re keeping our eyes on (yeah, we know it’s like the fine print on a new stereo, but them’s the rules):

•Nonprofit must be a registered 501c3 organization, or equivalent; able to provide official “pending” documentation from the IRS/Government
•Nonprofit must be able to provide Guidestar, IRS 990 forms or equivalent for financial review
•A certain percentage of finances, being a majority of their funds, must go towards programmatic efforts vs. overhead/marketing, etc.—as reflected in form 990 and Guidestar
•Nonprofit must parallel Causecast philosophy on collaboration vs. division, transparency, creativity, and like-mindedness toward sustainable solutions regarding the issue they are tackling
•Nonprofit programs must deal directly with populations on the field, i.e. if a U.S. based nonprofit it serving a population overseas, they must be working with locals to address native needs, and show proof that funds are being directed appropriately. They must be working together with the people in need through training, job supply and development
•Nonprofit must be working to ultimately put itself out of business, or to shift focus on addressing needs as they arise and others diminish (not exploiting the need or people to sustain or maintain)
•Nonprofit must be relevantly reaching their audience and working hard to expanding their reach.
•Nonprofits must not discriminate based on gender, sexual preference, etc., or be proselytizing or evangelizing in ways that divide, or force someone to adhere to an ideology to receive service or assistance, be they religious or partisan
•Nonprofit infrastructure should be clear in terms of local chapters or affiliates vs. national/international ones, streamlined external communication and correspondence/transfer of content, etc.

If you’re confused about all the criteria above, don’t worry. Fill out the form to the best of your ability and we will contact you if more information is needed.

February’s Twestival was historic in its scope and broke new ground in using social media to spread change. Take a look for yourself at what charity: water was able to do with the Twestival money: