The Design Fictions of Philanthropic IT

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the stories about philanthropic IT that circulate via product websites, marketing materials, and third-party news articles. Through a series of productcentered case studies, we surface these texts' implicit and explicit visions about the (near) future of philanthropy. We detail their prescriptions about how, why, and in service of what ends nonprofit organizations could, should, and ought to leverage IT. We also examine their underlying assumptions about philanthropy: how social good is accomplished, how philanthropic organizations are-and might be more-effective, to whom organizations and beneficiaries should be accountable, and the terms of that accountability. Analyzing these visions as design fictions, we argue that they help cultivate unrealistic anticipatory relationships to the present and entail concomitantly unrealistic imperatives for the philanthropic sector. We conclude by arguing for the crucial role of HCI scholars in disrupting these impossible futures, and by highlighting areas needing further, re-imagined, research.

Programmable Donations

“…In their envisioning of 'philanthropic IT', Harmon et al [19] take a critical stance on the moral imperative towards embracing new technologies often found within the non-profit sector. For charities, new technologies promise greater efficiency, accountability and connectedness with their communities (e.g.…”

“…On the part of the donor, these technologies tend to aim to support increased transparency and trust [4,29], or to smooth the process of donating itself via new payment mediums and platforms [26]. However, insitu studies of philanthropic IT systems recount a litany of shortcomings as they often poorly account for existing organizational practices, the underlying values of charities, and the diversity of philanthropic work [6,19,20]. These studies highlight how those involved in fundraising must practice 'legitimacy' [36] and 'accountability' work [29] through a variety of IT systems.…”

Digital Design Considerations for Volunteer Recruitment

“…Voida, Harmon, & Al-Ani (2012) describe the gap as surprising, given that volunteer recruitment co-ordinators are primarily engaged in the kind of 'bridgebuilding work' that translates well into the digital world. Indeed, those working in the non-profit sector frequently describe themselves as 'on the verge' of a transformation where some digital platform will improve future practice, but never quite reach that point of transformation [24], not least because the technological 'quick fixes' on offer do not reflect the complexities of the volunteer role and organisational infrastructure.…”

“…These new forms of volunteering are highly digitally dependent and rely upon mobile platforms and social networks that allow recruitment and coordination at scale and offer crowd workers the opportunities to make their actions known to others [34]. Such platforms allow for rich and very early communication between volunteers, but they remain somewhat removed from the 'traditional' world of volunteering where the relationships between host organisation and volunteer are more complex [24]. Researchers argue that such short-term forms of volunteering should not strictly be considered alongside volunteering in the more traditional sense (e.g.…”

“…Traditional volunteer recruitment practices remain relatively untouched by digital innovation, in part because they clash with the needs of volunteer coordinators and do not provide the required communication structures that are needed to build and cement relationships between volunteers and recruiters [24,62]. These 'traditional' practices are failing to provide new volunteer recruits with the information they need to make a proper judgement about the prospective volunteer experience, i.e.…”