ePhilanthropyFoundation founded

Howard Lake | 18 December 2000 | News

The ePhilanthropyFoundation.org is a charitable foundation that has been established in the USA “to advocate and educate non-profit organisations and their contributors for secure and ethical online philanthropy.” The partner organisations behind the initiative are planning “a full service informative website to guide you in your efforts to build an internet fund raising resource for your nonprofit.”

The impressive board of trustees suggests this could prove a significant initiative. It includes individuals from fundraising consultancies, Internet fundraising agencies, and fundraising software companies such as Hewitt and Johnston New Media, eTapestry, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Blackbaud, AOL Foundation, Donordigital, and the Alford Group. Unfortunately the site’s homespun design and appearance does not inspire confidence. Similarly, the organisation’s claim that US non-profits are plunging “headlong into a completely new medium” does rather ignore the Internet fundraising work of some of its trustees and non-profits over the past six years or so.

Nevertheless, the Foundation’s first initiative is welcome in that it offers a Code of Ethical Online Philanthropic Practices. The 18-point code is far from comprehensive, but it is a useful checklist for charities using the Internet to raise funds.

Visit ePhilanthropyFoundation.org.

About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale. He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.