GlobalGiving Connects HHonors Members to Charity Projects

In 2002 GlobalGiving introduced a new model of charitable giving that connects individual donors with grassroots nonprofits around the world.

Through this crowdfunding website, you can choose the projects you want to support, knowing that your donations will have a direct impact on those communities. And thanks to Hilton’s partnership with GlobalGiving, you can give HHonors points to help support these causes.

Nearly 550,000 individuals have donated to over 15,000 projects by giving a total of over $235 million in the first 14 years of GlobalGiving’s existence. There are hundreds of ongoing charitable programs located in over 160 countries listed in GlobalGiving’s marketplace.

Projects range from humanitarian relief for natural disasters to education, healthcare and meals. Donations big and small are welcome, and you’ll know exactly what you’re buying:

• $15 can provide a week’s worth of food and care for raptors at a wildlife refuge in South Africa
• $20 can send a student to school for a month in Sierra Leone
• $50 can buy emergency supplies and provide long-term relief to Hurricane Matthew survivors
• $100 can establish a youth empowerment club to educate kids about HIV prevention in Uganda

Transparency and immediacy are part of what makes GlobalGiving so successful.

Projects that help women and girls are particularly popular right now. Ingrid Embree, Sr. Director of Strategic Partnerships at GlobalGiving, says that “Women work 70 percent of the world’s working hours, yet only earn 10 percent of the world’s income.” Access to better education, training and mentoring can make a big difference, and many of the projects looking for funding on GlobalGiving aim to do just that.

The Afghan Institute of Learning, for example, provides preschool through post-secondary education as well as healthcare to women in Afghanistan. A $25 donation is enough to teach 15 women to read, and a generous $1,000 can pay the salaries of 33 teachers for a month.

There are more modest projects too, including the construction of a girls’ dormitory in Uganda to help give students a safe and nurturing school environment and training for women in solar energy so they can bring power to their non-electrified communities.

GlobalGiving and Hilton

Hilton reached out to GlobalGiving after the 2011 earthquake in Japan. It was looking for a way for employees to give to the relief effort there. One reason corporate partners like Hilton choose to work with GlobalGiving is that each project is carefully vetted before it’s added to the marketplace.

Legal documents, financial records and other materials are reviewed, and the viability of completing the proposed project is evaluated. Nonprofits must also comply with local government and international standards, including international guidelines for philanthropy and anti-terror guidelines.

As part of the vetting process, most organizations have to raise around $5,000 from at least 40 different donors within a certain timeframe before being accepted by GlobalGiving. This shows the dedication of the project’s organizers and the potential of the nonprofit to succeed at raising funds.

After the organization joins GlobalGiving, they are required to provide quarterly reports covering the group’s activities and accomplishments, as well as the progress of the specific project it raised funds for. These reports are emailed directly to every donor.

Ongoing projects go through a due diligence renewal every two years. Local nonprofits are also visited and reviewed by a GlobalGiving staff member at least once every two years. In short, you know your donations are made securely, sent to the right place and used for the intended purpose.

As part of their philanthropy, many of GlobalGiving’s over 130 corporate partners give gift cards to employees, allowing them to choose the projects that they want to support. It’s a great way to get employees personally invested in the company’s giving.

Hilton goes a step further and encourages HHonors members to give points to GlobalGiving. Every 10,000 HHonors points that you give will be converted into a $25 donation. Those donations go to GlobalGiving’s general fund which supports tools and training for nonprofits and worthy initiatives like GG Rewards.

GlobalGiving goes beyond just giving nonprofits a way to raise money. Its local partners also have access to tools and information to help them improve. For example, GlobalGiving helps local organizations collect and analyze feedback from stakeholders and the local community, which is one of the most effective ways to determine what the nonprofit is doing right and what needs improving.

To further encourage innovation and promote effectiveness among local partners, GlobalGiving created GG Rewards. When nonprofits use the tools available to them and improve by serving their communities better, GlobalGiving promotes their success with donors. In the last year, GG Rewards has resulted in an extra $8.1 million given to local partners.

The World Is Full of Problems and GlobalGiving Is Full of Solutions

Donating cash to a grassroots nonprofit of your choice is a great way to have a direct impact on a community that needs your support. And while giving your Hilton HHonors points to GlobalGiving might be less direct, those donations are needed too. They support training and tools for local partners to help them become more effective at what they do. What do you have to lose? Send in those extra points.