CrowdFunding Tutor/Mentor Orgs in Chicago - Hive Chicago model

Yesterday I attended a Hive Chicago networking meeting, hosted at the offices of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, which supports Hive as part of its Digital Learning Initiative, launched in 2005.

I encourage you to browse the Hive Chicago site. There is a lot to like about what they're doing to support digital learning opportunities for teens throughout the Chicago region and in other cities. One obvious benefit is that organizations approved as members are able to compete for funds made available for these projects.

The graphic above is from a crowdfunding platform supported by Mozella, another partner in the initiative.

I like this because it's what I've been trying to build for many years, as part of an effort I launched in 1993 to help constantly improving tutor/mentor programs grow in high poverty areas of Chicago. This graphic is from a mock-up I created three years ago to illustrate how a crowd funding platform could work with the Tutor/Mentor Program Locator Interactive Maps, to help draw needed operating dollars to programs in all high poverty neighborhoods, not just to a narrow segment of programs, or to high profile programs.

A couple of weeks ago I posted a blog article showing how data visualization could be tied to fund raising efforts, pointing to the Boston Indicators Project web site.

Editor note: Since writing this article the Donors Forum of Chicago has launched a campaign to encourage grant makers to share their grant making on a map platform hosted by the Foundation Center. This will be available for members of the Donors Forum of Chicago. See info here.

In this section of the Tutor/Mentor web library I show challenges non profits face, which primarily relate to finding consistent, flexible operating fund, and the talent to innovate solutions to complex problems.

Crowd funding sites that raise money for non profits AND for profits who are working to help improve the world are a step in the right direction.

I describe what I'm trying to build on this wiki page. By sharing this I realize I'm enabling others to borrow (steal) my ideas and move ahead of me on doing this work. I sure this would not be the first time. However, as the people in the Hive Chicago meeting said, this problem is too big for any one of us to solve. If my ideas inspire others to do work that needs to be done, I'll go to my grave a poor man, but knowing I've helped make the world a better place.

However, if anyone wants to provide talent and/or dollars to help me do this work, I'm looking forward to hearing from you. This link shows social media pages where you can connect with me.