October 10, 2008 | Read Time: 1 minute
TripAdvisor, a Web site that helps visitors book airplane tickets and hotels, is the most recent grant maker to get into so-called participatory philanthropy, that is, allowing the public to vote online for which cause the company supports.
The company, in Newton, Mass., is asking people to choose between five large charities: Conservation International, Doctors Without Border, the National Geographic Society, the Nature Conservancy, and Save the Children. TripAdvisor will divide $1-million among the organizations based on the percentage of votes each garners. Polls close November 9.
American Express and several nonprofit funds have created similar grant-making programs. Read about The Chronicle’s article about public participation in philanthropy.
Critics of the strategy, which some deride as American Idol-style philanthropy, argue it will lead to giving that takes less risks and focuses only on well-known causes.
What do you think of such giving programs? Which nonprofit group would you vote for?
