While browsing through the booths at last week’s Development Marketplace (DM), I rediscovered an organization that had been inspired by the competition. GlobalGiving was founded by the same World Bank executives who created the Development Marketplace in 2000. Encouraged by its initial success, they decided to use the Internet to create a highly efficient online marketplace for international giving – basically a DM-like source of funds for innovative projects that runs 24/7 instead of just once a year.

GlobalGiving's vision is to direct the most funding to the best grassroots projects all over the world. They do this by: 1) providing project leaders access to funding - they are local leaders who are most knowledgeable about the needs of their communities, and 2) allowing donors to compare, contrast, and then select the best projects to be represented on GlobalGiving, thereby providing a more transparent, engaging way for donors to give.

Since its launch, GlobalGiving.com has been growing rapidly and is now seeking new projects to fund. Last month the organization launched a new initiative called the "GlobalGiving Open,” which allows project leaders to submit their proposals for a spot on the GlobalGiving website. The next deadline to submit projects is June 17. After this date, the GlobalGiving community will vote on which projects should be featured on GlobalGiving.com.

To learn more, check out the GlobalGiving website, or contact Saima Zaman with questions.