Supply Excellence — “Procure” for a Worthy Cause: A call to action!

“Procure” for a Worthy Cause: A call to action!

October 10th, 2008 · by Justin Fogarty · No Comments · On Demand/SaaS, enviro/social sustainability, sourcing

All too often, we have good intentions in life but aren’t quite sure how to put those intentions into action. The cynics among us (and are there any non-cynics left?) question whether petitions we’re asked to sign really mean what we’re told and whether or not donations end up going where they claim.

Enter the internet and a great idea from former school teacher, Charles Best. Charles started DonorsChoose.org, which allows people to search for school projects - submitted by teachers and validated by DonorsChoose - they feel are worthy. People can then “procure” (full disclosure - the system utilizes Ariba’s SaaS procurement solution) some or all of that project’s cost. It is a model that literally cuts out the middle man and connects “buyers” of charitable contributions with “suppliers” of underfunded education projects.

Aside from jumping in and “procuring” a specific project for a worthy teacher and students, there is something else we can do to help. For the second year in a row, DonorsChoose is one of five finalists in American Express’ Members Project competition, where the winning organization walks away with $1.5 million for their cause. Obviously, that’s a lot of pencils, text books and field trips. In fact, DonorsChoose estimates that money would “help 100,000 children thrive in the classroom!”

If you’re an AmEx card holder, you can cast your vote for DonorsChoose here. They finished 2nd last year and are currently in 2nd again…and well…we just can’t let that happen again.

And if you don’t have the privilege of AmEx membership but still want to lend a hand, you can search for a worthy school project here. Sourcing and procurement never felt so good.

Justin Fogarty is Managing Editor of Supply Excellence. For any questions or feedback on the blog or its contributors, Justin can be reached at jfogarty[at]ariba.com.

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