How does GlobalGiving decide which project appears at the top of various browse and catalog pages?

GlobalGiving has a public site, www.globalgiving.com, where anyone can browse projects in thematic or geographic areas. We also provide the following customized services:

• Development of customized giving websites like www.globalgiving.com/hp, which enable employees, members, or constituents of companies and other organizations to donate directly to projects.
• Project sourcing and vetting services for corporate, community, and family foundations, as well as other philanthropists.
• Co-marketing and retail-based giving programs that enable companies to promote their support of projects and engage their customers in giving programs at the register.

GlobalGiving was founded by two former World Bank executives who are using the Internet to create a highly efficient marketplace that enables more funding to reach projects throughout the globe and, at the same time, provides a more transparent, engaging way for donors to give.

GlobalGiving differs from other giving facilitators in the following ways:

• GlobalGiving connects donors directly at the project level, in contrast to organizations that run projects but maintain control over how contributions are allocated or spent.
• Enabling donors to give directly to projects offers them more choice -- donors can browse through a broad range of geographies and themes such as health, education, environment, among others -- and they know exactly how their money will be used. In addition, our highly-efficient online giving platform allows donors to connect and communicate directly with project leaders.
• By working through trusted partners, we are able to identify, vet, and promote projects that might not otherwise receive support because of distance, technological difficulties, or language barriers.

GlobalGiving is supported by leaders in philanthropy, official aid, and the private sector, including HP, USAID, The Skoll Foundation, The Omidyar Foundation, The Sall Family Foundation, The Hewlett Foundation, The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, and The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, among others.

GlobalGiving is a collaboration between two entities - the GlobalGiving Foundation and a socially-oriented enterprise called ManyFutures, Inc. The Foundation handles all due diligence on projects, along with disbursement of funds to projects and tax receipts to donors. The Foundation also provides a variety of services to project leaders in the field, including networking and training. ManyFutures is responsible for the development and operation of the web site, along with marketing to donors, corporations, and other organizations. To help launch the unique GlobalGiving service, the Foundation has also been a significant investor in ManyFutures during the start-up phase.

GlobalGiving's mission is to build an efficient, open, thriving marketplace that connects people who have community and world-changing ideas with people who can support them.

We work with a network of "project sponsors" to post projects on GlobalGiving. These project sponsors -- all established, reputable organizations such as Ashoka, IDEX, and the United Nations Foundation -- work with local "project leaders" to vet projects to ensure they are legitimate, well-run, and satisfy IRS guidelines for international grantmaking as well as the new voluntary guidelines for anti-terrorism set for the in the Patriot Act.

Once projects are submitted, GlobalGiving does a secondary review, prior to posting. As part of the posting process, the project sponsor or project leader must provide detailed background information on the project leader, the project's objectives, and expected outcomes once the project receives funding.

See a complete list of GlobalGiving's Project Sponsors.

GlobalGiving works with a wide range of established, respected international organizations such as Ashoka, IDEX, the United Nations Development Programme, and the World Bank as Project Sponsors, who authenticate the projects of their partner organizations working in the field, and ensure the legitimacy of each social entrepreneur. These relationships give GlobalGiving a unique portfolio of credible projects not found on any other site.

All projects on GlobalGiving are vetted for eligibility -- by GlobalGiving or its partner organizations -- to receive international grants. This means that these projects have satisfied the IRS guidelines for international grant making as well as the new voluntary guidelines for anti-terrorism set forth in the Patriot Act.

When you make a contribution to a project through the GivingStation, we receive your contact information from Create Hope, which supports the GivingStation and processes donations made by HP employees. If you provide your email address, we will add you to the project�s donor list so you will receive notice of project updates, as well as news from GlobalGiving. Donors may elect to remain anonymous, in which case GlobalGiving promises to maintain your complete privacy.

Yes. All projects on globalgiving.com have been pre-qualified for 501(c)3 equivalency status. Further, all donations go through the GlobalGiving Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, making them tax-deductible for U.S. taxpayers to the full extent permitted by law.

The GlobalGiving Foundation's tax-exempt ID number is 30-010-8263.

Many people choose projects in places where they have traveled or where there is an issue they care about. GlobalGiving allows you to browse through a wide range projects from around the world in a variety of themes such as health, education, economic development, and environment.

See our full list of project themes and geographies.

If you don't know where to start, use our Donation Wizard to help you select a project that is right for you.

Often projects listed on GlobalGiving have other sources of funding, including funding from their project sponsor organization or other donors that make up the remaining funding needs from the project budget listed on GlobalGiving. In addition, "donation options" listed on every project page provide an idea of what the project organization can accomplish with various levels of funding less than the total project need. Organizations warrant that funding received through GlobalGiving, even if less that their original project need, will be spent on the project activities outlined in the project page and they take responsibility for reporting on these activities through progress reports.

In rare cases, the funds donated to a project are insufficient for an organization to go forward with any part of their planned activities. If a project cannot go forward with the funds donated, the project will be removed from the web site and donors will be notified.

Every donor has a choice of becoming known to the project leader or remaining anonymous. For donors that choose to become known to the project leader, the donor's contact information is provided to the project leader. This may include the donor's mailing address and email address. In addition, each project listing includes the contact information of the project leader, which allows donors to establish a relationship with those running the project and to follow up on its progress.

Progress reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.com by project leaders as they are completed, normally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them, therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

The order in which projects appear on "browse" and catalog pages is dynamic and will change over time. GlobalGiving ranks projects according to the funding that the project has received to date, when the project was posted, and when projects were updated - either with new photos or new progress reports. This encourages Project Leaders to market and promote their projects actively, and keep them updated - increasing the overall visibility of these projects and helping them generate even more donations.