NEW YORK CITY: 21 September 2005 - GreaterGood South Africa has been awarded the International ePhilanthropy Award for 'Best Online Donations/ Fundraising (Revenue Generating) Campaign'.

 

The ePhilanthropy Foundation announced at a function in New York City that this South African innovation competed against the likes of the American-based Mercy Corps and the UN Fund for UNICEF, and came out tops.

 

www.GreaterGoodSA.co.za is not quite a year old – yet this website has already had 453,892 page visits by 163,342 unique individuals, and has distributed more than R1,022,000’s worth of donor funds to the SA non profit sector.

 

Tamzin Ractliffe, founder and Executive Director of GreaterGood South Africa, says the beauty of ePhilanthropy is that it’s not just about the donation of money. Portals, such as www.GreaterGoodSA.co.za provide valuable directories of bona fide causes enabling businesses and individuals to source specific development or charity organisations that have particular meaning to them.

 

“People can also choose how they would like to support good causes,” comments Ractliffe, "They can use membership rewards points as currencies for donations; they can give away their surplus or unused goods; they can volunteer skills, expertise or time; they can even make responsible lifestyle choices by shopping for the greater good. By allowing for wide range of personal choice, www.GreaterGoodSA.co.za involves everyone in the development effort and fosters long-term, sustainable giving."

 

Key to this is that GreaterGood South Africa optimises the rich feedback loops offered by internet technology to connect givers and receivers in philanthropic relationships that are both accountable and mutually-satisfying. The Causes registered on the website respond to every donation they receive through the site with feedback reports that tell donors how they made a positive difference to the people the Causes support. In this way, givers have that sense of well-being that we experience when we give and know we’ve made a real difference to a 'greater good'.

 

Credit for this globally-recognised website also has to go to Generator New Media who design, develop and maintain the website in partnership with GreaterGood South Africa. This Cape Town business has demonstrated its significant corporate social investment by enabling a non profit endeavour to access world class internet media and technology services.

 

Ted Hart, President and CEO of the ePhilanthropy Foundation said the aim of the International ePhilanthropy Awards is to encourage and support best practices in the ePhilanthropy arena. There were 23 finalists representing organisations from Australia, Canada, Italy, South Africa and the United States across four award categories. 

 

GreaterGood South Africa was only African finalist and the panel of judges declared it to be the ‘Best of the Best’ when it came to online giving solutions.

 

Speaking in Cape Town, after the announcement of the award, Ractliffe said, "We are thrilled with this prestigious recognition in our very first year of operation and really believe in the power of www.GreaterGoodSA.co.za to make a significant impact in enabling all South Africans to support the wonderful work of our development sector."