Join Causes on Facebook: Support the ASPCA, the Prem Rawat Foundation, and More

If you use Facebook, you've likely used some of its "Applications," which are basically mini-programs within the site. While many of these are merely games, one, entitled "Causes," is a place to make a difference.

Causes, in a nutshell, is an Application, run by a nonprofit organization, that allows users to donate money to, educate themselves and others about, and connect with like-minded people for a movement in which they believe. Are you the new kid, and wondering where to start? The causes are divided into ten categories, namely: "Animals"; "Arts & Culture"; "Education"; "Environment"; "Health"; "Human Services"; "International"; "Political Campaigns"; "Public Advocacy"; and "Religion." From there, to use the cliché, the sky's the limit!

Under "Animals," for example, there are such causes as "Fight Animal Cruelty," which has 1,723,293 members at present and has raised $59,333 to date. Donations go to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), whose basic positions are:

"1. We must put an end to animal cruelty.

2. Every pet deserves a loving home.

3. By lobbying for animals, we can be their voice."

So, even if you don't enjoy the Sarah McLachlan commercials, you can still join the Cause and help out: Causes: Fight Animal Cruelty.

A relatively new Cause, that is still growing in its membership and effectiveness, is entitled "Support Individuals with Developmental Disabilities," founded by Evan Pearson, Director of Community Relations at Georgia Community Support and Solutions (GCSS). GCSS states that it "consistently delivers innovative, well managed and high quality services to people and their families with needs related to disabilities...mental health, and/or aging."

Unfortunately, this Cause has not received some of the widespread attention that other Causes have drawn. Personally, "Support Individuals with Developmental Disabilities" is one that I support and to which I contribute. If you happen to be on Facebook, and are interested in learning more about developmental disabilities, I would love for you to join this Cause and help in any way you can. It's understandable that in hard economic times, not everyone is able to give a financial contribution, but even if you simply have a story to share or are willing to help spread the word, that alone is valuable!

This particular cause is located at Causes: Support Individuals with Developmental Disabilities.

Yet another Cause which is relatively new, but constantly growing, is called "TPRF: Food for People." "TPRF" stands for "The Prem Rawat Foundation," a nonprofit created in 2001 to provide necessary humanitarian aid to people around the world, as well as to spread the message of Prem Rawat, a teacher who travels worldwide speaking of how to find peace within oneself.

At the moment, "Food for People" has 8851 members, and has raised $226,096. The Prem Rawat Foundation has a number of initiatives, including providing nourishing food to people around the globe, using local recipes; providing clean water; enriching the quality of life for both children and adults worldwide; assisting children in learning necessary social skills for adulthood; and improving the economy of desperate cities and countries.

Prem Rawat, the organization's founder and namesake, has been speaking his message of peace for over four decades. It is not attached to any particular religion or philosophy, and is now available in over 90 countries and 70 languages. Any monetary contributions, through Causes or otherwise, go directly to TPRF's charitable work, rather than to Prem Rawat, who supports himself and his family through independent investments.

Find out more about TPRF and its initiatives here: The Prem Rawat Foundation: Food for People.

Criticisms of "Causes"

Despite its well-intentioned nature, Causes has met with disapproval from those who say it is an ineffective way for nonprofits to raise money. In the words of an April 22, 2009 article in The Washington Post, "Only a tiny fraction of the 179,000 that have turned to Causes as an inexpensive and green way to seek donations have brought in even $1,000, according to data available on the Causes' developers site."

The article goes on to say that according to research, the Internet and e-mail are proving to be the least successful method of fundraising for nonprofits in general. Perhaps this isn't surprising, as seeking funds for a humanitarian cause often requires that donors be personally affected in some way. While this isn't to say that people who use the Internet are uncommitted to social and economic change, it may not be the first thing on their minds while at their computers.

Despite this reaction, organizations such as the abovementioned Prem Rawat Foundation have raised $146,554 in one week alone. Due to this overwhelming success, TPRF was a $25,000 winner in Causes' "Giving Challenge," the 1^st prize winner of which was OCEF (Overseas China Education Foundation). OCEF received $50,000 as a result.

In a sense, however, Causes, as an online experiment at least, recalls some of the Snopes-debunked e-mails claiming that "If you forward this to 20,000 people, $20,000 will go to UNICEF, because we can track the number who actually read it!" While Causes, at the very least, is legitimate, there are many organizations that simply slip through the cracks, because they lack the clout of the Tibetan Freedom Movement or Atlas Corps, who promotes the strength of other nonprofits worldwide.

From Someone Who Knows

Allison Fine, author of Momentum: Igniting Social Change in the Connected Age, had some strong words for The Washington Post in response to its somewhat cynical attitude, on a blog post entitled "Wash Post Disses Causes on Facebook."

"Let's begin by deconstructing the article itself, which according to my friends at Network for Good, contains a number of inaccuracies," she snaps, "...One huge point of ongoing misinterpretation about the number of Causes on Facebook requires clarification. There are around 250 causes on the Causes platform. A cause does not have to be associated with a specific nonprofit, and most of these, over 200,00 [sic], aren't. That leaves about 46,000 nonprofits that are connected to a cause." Fine goes on to say that out of that number, only 8000 are making use of Network for Good, a nonprofit in and of itself whose mission is to help other nonprofits. So, using the figures quoted in the Post creates a distorted picture of how effective the application has been.

Fine also criticizes the Post's assertion that Causes is "largely ineffective," because although Causes displays the overall amount of money raised as a measure of its success, the application has clearly done much more. Such concepts as "Amount of Knowledge Gained" or "Number of Minds Affected" are virtually impossible to measure in mathematical terms.

Causes and Effects?

Just as it may be easy for Associated Content writers, photographers, and videographers to measure their success in number of page views or number of fans, so can the same be said of Facebook Applications in general.

While it will, of course, take more than a few hundred members on a Facebook page to truly make a difference in an issue, Causes can be a great starting point.

So the question becomes: what's your issue of concern? And what are you going to do about it?