A Memo worth a share to the new generation of tech philanthropists:
Technology is all about helping people. However, technology development is not driven to maximize all of society's goals. Applications that make money get built, while applications that don't make money don't get built. Bridging the gap between the possible and the profitable in socially beneficial applications of technology is critical, and it's an important effort that requires the attention of the technology community.
The social sector needs more technology tools, and the barriers to using technology in this sector are shrinking daily. Market failure is not the final word: just because something isn't financially lucrative is no reason not to do it. Technology is quite easy to replicate cheaply: that's why software companies are often so profitable. This same leverage can be put to use in social applications of technology. The need is acute for nimble social entrepreneurs to bridge these gaps: between possibility and profitability, between business and government, and between technologists and disadvantaged communities.
The opportunities are many and the needs are great. Technologists love to solve problems; it's what they do best. We need to provide new models for how to accomplish great things with technology. How many innovators have placed their ideas back on the shelf when it became apparent that their great social idea was not a great business idea?
Technology has generated tremendous wealth through the financial leverage of technology. For those of us who have achieved financial success, there is frequently a need to give back. We want to support the institutions and systems that made that success possible and create new opportunities for future generations. Although much technology philanthropy will be of a traditional sort, the drive to innovate doesn't and shouldn't stop. The socially beneficial applications of technology offer these philanthropists a new option to apply their wealth and the lessons of technology enterprise to new needs. Looking at the social sector as valued customers for technology tools changes the dynamic from charity to engagement: helping disadvantaged communities help themselves.
Please join this exciting movement in its early days. The world will be a much better place if you do.
- Via Jim Fruchterman