Keeping It Real: Case's Approach to Online Voting

I was sitting in the Case Foundation's conference room, listening to the staff describe the Make It Your Own Awards^TM , a citizen-centered grant-making program that opens for public voting on March 25. Hearing them describe the online voting process, tossing about terms like widget and fuzzy captcha (yeah, I didn't know what it was either), it hit me: Philanthropy has come a long way, baby.

To look at Case's Make It Your Own Awards, one would wonder if the top-down, organization-centered approach often associated with private philanthropy might one day be a thing of the past. In what's been coined participatory philanthropy, real people are helping foundations decide where the grant money goes. Philanthropy has come out of the boardroom and onto the Internet -- and the public is now a part of the conversation.

According to the Case Foundation, participatory philanthropy is nothing new. Community foundations and grassroots funders have involved citizens on advisory groups and grant review teams for years. More recently, organizations like Changemakers, Razoo, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and NetSquared, a project of TechSoup, have given the public a role in directing their grant dollars. Before designing its program, Case talked with these organizations, as well as scores of other corporations, governments, experts, and real people, to get advice on how to proceed.

What they came up with is a process that uses technology to make it as equal, fair, and supportive for grant applicants as possible. "We've taken the best tactics from traditional philanthropy, combined it with cutting-edge technology, and then marketed it through more than 200 partner organizations -- on their websites, blogs, listservs, and more," said Michael Smith, Director, Social Investment.

Easy for them, you might say. After all, not every foundation has the benefit of being started by the founder of AOL. But Case itself didn't even have a website three years ago, and according to Smith, the Foundation was cautious about using blogs and allowing public comments. "We realized that if the causes and issues we care about were going to get much-needed support, we couldn't hide them under a bush," said Smith. "We had to change the way we did business."

I talked with Smith, along with Brian Sasscer, Senior Vice President of Interactive Strategies, about the thinking that went into the online grant-making process. Here is what they said they learned.

Keep It Fair

Some have referred to elements of participatory philanthropy as American Idol grant making, comparing it to the trendy television show that prompts the public to pick the next big star. But this goes much deeper than American Idol, according to the Case Foundation.

"We want people to take this seriously, and see that it's much more than a popularity contest where people come to the site and bullet-vote for their friends," said Smith. "We're telling voters, it's not all about fun and which picture you like the best. You are directing our philanthropic dollars. You now have the same power as our board."

As part of the rules, voters are required to choose four projects, not one. But they are not asked to rank their four selections. These tactics will hopefully encourage more voters to read the stories and make an informed decision. "We're asking people to really think through who has the best plan for their community, rather than playing favorites," said Smith.

Additionally, Case programmed the voting ballot so that each time voters enter or refresh the page, the order by which the Top 20 appear will randomize. According to Sasscer, this helps level the playing field, and ensures voters are less likely to be swayed by those who happen to fall at the top of the list.

Keep It Interesting

The Make it Your Own Awards highlight small community projects on a local level. "In some cases, we're talking about community BBQs that promote dialogue," said Smith. "We think these stories are worth hearing because they can inspire others to do similar things in their own communities and create change." But will others?

Case had to figure out a way to get people to the page -- and keep them there. So they're sweetening the deal. The foundation is giving $2,500 to the first 10 people who pick all four charities chosen as the winners. The money can be used as a gift to any charity of the person's choice (charities need not be candidates for the Make It Your Own Awards). This incentive is also designed to make it more likely that voters will read all 20 finalist profiles and make an informed decision.

As another way to get people more engaged, the Foundation is creating a viral video and giving voters a chance to upload their own videos to share their dreams for their communities.

Keep It Real

It was important to Case to ensure the integrity of the voting -- so that only one vote is submitted per e-mail address, and that real people, not computer programs, are participating. This is where fuzzy captcha and e-mail confirmation comes in.

Captcha stops voters from creating a program that votes over and over again. "We are trying to make barriers to entry as minimal as possible, but make sure real people are casting the votes," said Sasscer. To double check, they will send voters a confirmation e-mail asking them to open their e-mail and click on a link. Only then will their vote count.

In addition, the Case Foundation is working with an outside vendor to verify all the votes. They met with several firms that do big elections, and chose Election-America -- a full-service elections company that has been involved in elections on four continents, including the recent presidential primaries in France. "We chose them because elections are a big deal to them, and we know our voting process will be efficient and secure," Sasscer said. Election-America will review the votes, one by one, and if anything looks suspicious, they will disqualify it.

Keep It Marketable

Everyone who sent in an application received a widget -- an interactive online marketing tool -- that can be distributed infinitely on Facebook, MySpace, blogs, or other online profiles. "They might not be getting any money from us, but that doesn't make their story any less important to tell," said Smith. "So we gave them the technology to tell it."

For the Top 100, Case worked with a partner to build fundraising widgets and webpages, where people can customize their story and upload videos and photos. And the Top 20's widgets will automatically turn into voting banners, allowing people to vote in just a couple of clicks.

Keep It Supportive

Beyond technology, Case is also giving applicants other tools, along with some good old-fashioned moral support. They assigned each of the Top 20 applicants a volunteer Outreach Ambassador, a friend of the foundation who understands how to network, mobilize, and talk to the media. This is a person applicants can call on for advice any time during the process. In addition, they get what Case calls a Candidate Kit -- a customized mini-marketing plan that comes complete with press releases, flyers, bumper stickers, and more.

In the coming weeks, Case will be reaching out to more than 100 partner organizations to draw in supporters and voters. The Foundation will also release its viral video, and pitch all 20 stories to local media. Overall, it plans to work even harder than the applicants to try to bring people to learn about these programs and vote.

"What we're hearing from people is exactly what we had hoped: that even if they don't go any further in the Make It Your Own Awards, being in this process has helped them think through their idea and bring in new partners and supporters," said Smith. "They now have a platform to expand their idea and get others in their community involved, and they can do it with or without the Case Foundation."

To learn more about the Make It Your Own Awards, read this Q&A with the Case Foundation.

Thinking of inviting the public to support your grant making? According to the Case Foundation, an online grant-making process should be:

• Fair. Require voters to pick more than one candidate. Encourage them to read about the projects and decide, rather than playing favorites. Present candidate profiles in the same voice and clarity. Randomize the order in which candidates show up on your website, so everyone appears equal.
• Easy. Make it as simple as possible for voters. The less clicks, the better.
• Fun. Offer people incentives for voting.
• Legit. Use technology -- and an expert in elections -- to verify votes.
• Tech-friendly. Offer candidates technology, such as widgets, to spread the word about their projects.
• Supportive. Offer candidates a coach to help them market their project and gain support.