When you want to support charity, usually you (top right on the figure) give an amount of money to an intermediary organisation (left on the figure) – like Doctors Without Borders or the World Wide Fund for Nature – so they can offer a product or service to someone or something in need (bottom right on the figure). Possibly but not necessarily you get an experience or reputation in return for the donation to charity. The intermediary charity organisation is shown in blue on the figure as the leading actor in the Basic Charity business model. When non-profit, the organisation will utilise all donations after cost on a good cause. Although subject to many debates, social entrepreneurship can be for-profit as well though. In that case, the intermediary will keep a profit on top of supporting a good cause with the charity money.

Basic Charity examples

  • Docters Without Borders
  • Amnesty International
  • SOS Children’s Villages
  • World Wide Fund for Nature
  • The OLPC (One laptop per child) project is a good example as well. For simply $199 from you, the organisation will give one or more laptops to children in the developing world.