Lynn Lee, Straits Times 21 Dec 07;
READERS always asked New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof how they could help fight poverty.
In a column in March, the writer, who focuses on human rights, suggested they do so online. He was speaking from experience.
At Kiva.org, which provides information about entrepreneurs in poor countries, he lent US$25 (S$37) each to the owner of a TV repair shop and a baker in Afghanistan, as well as a single mother running a clothing shop in the Dominican Republic.
They used the money to expand their business, hire staff and boost their inventory.
This unconventional deal is known as microfinancing.The best part: It can be done online - via sites like Kiva - making the process effortless. And you don't need to be rolling in money to play a part.
Set up by a young American couple, Kiva matches lenders with loan-seekers whose businesses could do with a cash infusion of around $1,000 or less.
Most would otherwise have no access to loans at reasonable interest rates.
Kiva is just one example of the many organisations in the United States which are using the Web to 'lower the barriers to do good', says American PhD student Fred Stutzman in an article posted on the AOL Developer Network site.
These organisations have struck gold - simply because they have found a new way to tap the vast pool of goodwill that sometimes evaporates because of inertia and ignorance. Sites like Kiva let the well-meaning participate in charitable giving from the comfort of their own homes.
Don't know which charity to give to? A few clicks of the mouse will give you the lowdown on the different charities, from what they do to the size of their coffers.
Indeed, Web-based philanthropy could catalyse more people in super-wired Singapore to 'pay it forward'.
It will allow targeted giving. People can look for a specific cause online and read all about it before deciding to donate.
They might want to put their dollars towards fitting out a Jurong housewife's kitchen so her home bakery can get off the ground. Or pay to help set up a home office for a wheelchair-bound young man, so he can offer accounting services.
They will also jump at a wealth of information on hand to aid them in picking the right cause.
This is especially useful after the charity scandals that have plagued Singapore, leaving in their wake hesitant donors who are sometimes confused by the tangle of local and foreign social causes vying for their concern.
Individuals whose fortunes run to tens of millions and more can easily pay professional bankers who can source, screen and select philanthropic causes that suit their preferences.
But for the ordinary Joe who wants to give maybe tens or hundreds of dollars, charity via the reputable online intermediaries will be a useful platform to help him navigate the terrain.
Some US-based sites deserve recognition for how they have done this.
There is Change.org, where people can find others with similar pet causes and pick from around one million credible charity organisations.
There is also Charity Navigator (charitynavigator.org), an independent site which rates more than 5,000 US-based charities on a four-star scale.
It looks at how financially strong the organisation is, and how much of the funds it raises goes towards its cause, rather than on administration and fund raising - in the spirit of transparency.
Can there be a Singapore version of these two sites, which will help people make informed donations? Are there interested citizens out there willing to do the initial work?
Some groups have already made some headway in Web-based charity.
The Boys' Brigade annual Sharity Gift Box drive is one example. In its 20th year, it lists the 'wishes' of the needy online.
Donors can choose to donate essential food items such as rice and oil at emart.com.sg. This will then be distributed to needy families.
Or they can scroll through requests by children or families - who may want street soccer boots or a washing machine - and tell the Boys' Brigade via e-mail before buying them.
The Web can also serve to liven up the process of charitable giving - it does not have to be a solemn transfer of funds between the haves and the have-nots.
This year, sportswear giant Nike got in on the act by urging buyers of its sports kit -which uses Apple's iPod Nano to measure running distance - to 'clock' their results online.
For every 1km run, Nike gave $5 worth of products to underprivileged children through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, an organisation which works to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses.
Singapore foodies could take a page out of chezpim.com, where food bloggers have put together a raffle, offering autographed cookbooks, food hampers and restaurant meals as prizes.
Donors pay US$10 for tickets. The money raised will provide lunch for school children in Lesotho in Africa.
More organisations and individuals here should see how they can better harness the Internet's potential to get people on the giving train.
In his column, Mr Kristof tells of how he went from being a columnist to a microfinancier via his laptop. It will not take much for others to do the same.
