TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES FOR REDIRECTED EXPENDITURES FUNDRAISING

• US 20060235713A1
• Filed: 04/17/2006
• Published: 10/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Netfundz LLC
• Original Assignee: Netfundz LLC
• Inventors: Fox, Chad L., Reid, Chad B., Tobler, Brian D.
• Application Number:
  US11/279,938
• Publication Number:
  US 20060235713A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0279 Fundraising management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/10 Services

Abstract

In a charitable donation arrangement (300), individual members (302) select (702) a service provider (308) using one interface (202), select (704) a charity (304) using another interface (204), and specify how funds from their payments (214) of recurring bills from the service provider should be redirected (328, 334) to the charity. A personalized member portal (100) in a facilitator website (200) also provides the member in question with a detailed accounting (212) showing the total payments (214) made by the member to the service provider for the subscribed service (338), shows the pool (216) of funds available to be redirected from such payments according to instructions from the member, and shows the amounts (218) of redirected funds already donated to charity instead of being retained or obtained by the service provider as part of the monthly service payment.

Claims

1. An interactive member portal accessible by an alliance member to manage a charitable donation arrangement through a computer network, the member portal comprising:

an accounting showing at least one donation amount;

an interface for selecting at least one service provider from multiple identified service providers;

an identification of at least one selected service provider;

an interface for selecting at least one charity from multiple identified charities;

an identification of at least one selected charity;

wherein the at least one donation amount shows at least one amount which is redirected to the at least one charity from each of a sequence of payments of a recurring bill for at least one service which the at least one service provider provides to the alliance member.

2. The interactive member portal of claim 1, wherein the member portal is located within a website of a facilitator and the facilitator is not among the multiple identified service providers.

3. The interactive member portal of claim 1, wherein the accounting shows a non-aggregated donation amount, namely, a donation for the particular alliance member in question.

4. The interactive member portal of claim 1, wherein the accounting shows:

a total payment, namely, the alliance member'"'"'s recurring bill amount for a selected service provider;

an undistributed amount, namely, a portion of the total payment that has not yet been designated for redirection to any of the charities; and

a distributed donation amount, namely, a portion of the total payment that has been designated by the alliance member for redirection to at least one selected charity.

5. The interactive member portal of claim 1, wherein at least three charities are selected, and the accounting shows respective redirected fund donation amounts for each of the at least three charities from payment of at least one recurring bill of at least one selected service provider.

6. The interactive member portal of claim 1, wherein at least two service providers are selected, and the accounting shows respective redirected fund donation amounts for at least one selected charity from payments of respective recurring bills of the at least two selected service providers.

7. The interactive member portal of claim 1, further comprising at least one of the following:

an update directed to at least the alliance member from a selected charity, namely, charity-specific information from a charity selected by the alliance member to receive redirected funds donations;

a new charity field for receiving from the alliance member an identification of a charity for possible addition to the multiple identified charities;

a new provider field for receiving from the alliance member an identification of a service provider for possible addition to the multiple identified service providers;

an invitation interface for receiving from the alliance member an email address of a candidate member and sending the candidate member an invitation from the alliance member to become another alliance member;

a shopping portal for alliance member access to online shopping locations which make donations to the at least one selected charity in response to purchases made by the alliance member.

8. A method of interactive control of a charitable donation arrangement through a computer network, the method comprising:

providing over the network an interface for selecting at least one service provider from multiple identified service providers;

providing over the network an interface for selecting at least one charity from multiple identified charities;

providing over the network a description of the charitable donation arrangement which indicates that under the arrangement a donation amount will be redirected to at least one charity selected by an alliance member from each of a sequence of payments of a recurring bill sent to the alliance member from at least one service provider selected by the alliance member;

each of the providing steps occurring at least at an alliance member location, namely, a location which presents the interfaces to the alliance member.

9. The control method of claim 8, further comprising providing over the network an accounting which shows:

a total payment, namely, the alliance member'"'"'s recurring bill amount for a selected service provider;

an undistributed amount, namely, a portion of the total payment that has not yet been designated for redirection to any of the charities;

a distributed donation amount, namely, a portion of the total payment that has been designated by the alliance member for redirection to at least one selected charity; and

an aggregate funds amount, namely, an amount of total funds redirected by a group of people that includes the alliance member.

10. The control method of claim 9, wherein the aggregate funds amount shows total funds redirected by people in an affiliate organization which is identified to the alliance member over the network by the method.

11. The control method of claim 8, further comprising requesting a password from the alliance member and then providing over the network to the alliance member in response to entry of a correct password an accounting which shows a donation amount for the alliance member under the charitable donation arrangement.

12. The control method of claim 8, wherein the step of providing over the network a description of the charitable donation arrangement provides a description indicating that the alliance member can redirect a portion of payments of the recurring bill from a selected service provider to a selected charity without spending additional money.

13. The control method of claim 8, further comprising targeting at least one of the following defined groups:

involved and influential individuals, involved individuals, passionate individuals, influential individuals; and

wherein the targeting includes use of advertising that identifies a website through which the interface providing steps occur.

14. The control method of claim 8, wherein the step of providing over the network a description of the charitable donation arrangement provides a description indicating that redirected fund donations are not tax-deductible by the alliance member.

15. The control method of claim 8, wherein the step of providing over the network an interface for selecting a service provider identifies service providers from at least two of the following categories:

internet access service providers, wireless network service providers, telephone service providers, voice over IP service providers, television programming service providers, utility service providers.

16. The control method of claim 8, wherein the step of providing over the network an interface for selecting at least one charity allows the alliance member to change a current charity selection by selecting, prior to a cutoff date for an upcoming billing cycle, at least one different charity which is to receive redirected funds from payment of the recurring bill for that upcoming billing cycle.

17. The control method of claim 8, further comprising providing over the network an interface for subscribing to a service provider under the charitable donation arrangement.

18. A method for use by a service provider to promote customer loyalty by providing a service in a charitable donation arrangement, the method comprising:

agreeing to be one of multiple service providers that are identified to an alliance member as service providers who will donate to at least one charity a portion of each of a sequence of payments of a recurring bill for a service to be provided to the alliance member as a customer of the service provider;

providing the service to the alliance member;

billing the alliance member on a recurring basis for payment for the service;

authorizing payment on a recurring basis of a donation amount to the at least one charity as agreed; and

providing an accounting showing at least the donation amount per billing cycle and a total donation amount made up to a specified date, for the individual alliance member as a customer.

19. The service provider method of claim 18, wherein authorizing payment includes directing a portion of the payment from the alliance member into a trustee bank account from which a facilitator has a right to distribute funds to the at least one charity selected by the alliance member.

20. The service provider method of claim 18, further comprising paying an alliance facilitator an administration fee in exchange for assistance in administering the charitable donation arrangement.