The metaverse will present vast opportunities for non-profit groups if they are able to adopt the technology and adapt their methodology to harness the power. Using Second Life as a platform, nationwide non-profit groups can begin to expand their relationship reach into new digital communities that exist in the ether. As shown through our Second Life Relay For Life the digital community is as vibrant and responsive as and small town or big city, and it should be treated as such.
There are tremendous opportunities to perform outreach, and advocacy through the digital worlds. Organizations can set up information outreach centers maintained by staff or volunteers who can provide information to residents. Development of fundraisers is already a proven issue. Yet there are still ways to build relationships and maintain them. The sale of digital music has become a major portion of that media’s sales, but is not the sole distribution channel. Similarly, I see that over the next 5 years that action through digital worlds will make up a notable portion of our fundraising, education, and advocacy activities.
More powerful yet is the resident’s ability to create micro events for personal causes. Using their meme, residents can collect their friends and tap their in-world social networks for causes very close to them. I feel that as the virtual world grows more material world causes will appear and we will see the growth of micro events. Geographically local events will draw donors from all around the world. This challenges the mantra ‘Think globally, act locally’ and flips it on its head. Through virtual worlds we will be able to ‘Think locally, act globally’.
Nice points Randy! I can definitely see organizations like the American Cancer Society, the Acceleration Studies Foundation, and etc. growing their effectiveness via the Metaverse/Web 3.0. How much do you think the SL Relay for Life will bring in when we hop to 1,000,000 SL users in 2007? Perhaps over $100,000. That would be wicked, I mean very good. :)
In addition to advocacy and in-world fundraising, I'd like to comment on the potential for coordinating crises response via the Metaverse, which may also soon become appealing to not-for-profits, and for-profits.
Imagine how targeted disaster relief efforts for earthquakes, tsunamis, and such will be managed when all of the afflicted residents have access to currency-based Virtual Worlds via wi-fi that can withstand the disaster. They might then form an embedded node array throughout the disaster location the that could be coordinated on a google Earth type platform. These nodes would communicate which areas need the most relief, disseminate strategic info back into the area, and transfer funds to the areas that need them most in real-time. Interestingly, this sounds a bit like the super responsive deployment tactics now being explored by the US military.
Posted by: alvisbrigis | October 14, 2005 at 01:11 PM
Randy, check out GBN's Future of Philanthropy report. Skimming it, a couple of passages immediately caught my eye in thinking about philanthropy in virtual worlds:
"Every philanthropic effort to promote social benefit takes place in a new ecology—a context deeply different from that in which many of today’s institutions, assumptions, and habits were formed. The pressures of this new ecology, and the need to respond to it, will shape both how philanthropy is practiced for the next generation and what philanthropy is called upon to do."
I like the phrasing, thinking about VWs as a new context and ecology for philanthropic behavior, that will no doubt take surprising forms and be called upon for suprising things.
"In 2003, more money flowed into Latin America through remittances (money sent home by private individuals working abroad) than the combined flow of all foreign direct investment and official development assistance to the region."
Micro payments coming from virtual worlds, as the SL Relay For Life showed, have enormous potential, and "remittances" from VWs is a powerful idea w/ incredible real world precedent.
At State of Play I was talking to Tracy Spaight who's looking for funding for to finish his Real People Virtual Worlds documentary. I asked him if he'd thought of doing a micro-donation campaign across all virtual worlds to try and get the funding--say a million dollars raised in virtual currencies or whatever he needs. He said he'd thought about it, but how would one go about doing it? Dunno, but I'm sure we'll see that sort of thing coming from VWs in the same way Firefly fans were able to lobby for the Serenity movie.
Posted by: Jerry P | October 15, 2005 at 06:52 PM
Alvis to answer your question about fund-raising projections in a SL community of 100,000 residents I can look to models of real world communities that have the same population and try and draw correlations. The challenge we face now is creating a baseline for in-world micro-donations as compared to real world donations in terms of size and frequency. If there are similarities we can use past events and predict / set goals for income.
On the same note as the community in SL grows we may need to create multiple events, just as large US cities have multiple Relay For Lifes to accommodate the huge number of people. I think that somehow the Dunbar number plays into the ability to hold large fund-raising events and keep their meaning very personal.
Posted by: Randal | October 17, 2005 at 07:14 AM
There is an obvious correlation between the population of a community and the amount of money that can be extracted from it. However, I don't think the virtual Relay is anywhere close to proving it. I believe we can at least double the amount raised during the past Relay, with no increase to the population, by making a few logistical changes.
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