Jake Shapiro, the chief executive of Public Radio Exchange, along with Beth Kanter, author of The Networked Nonprofit, are voicing their frustration with Apple’s uncharitable ways. Quietly noted as one of the least philanthropic major corporations, the iPhone maker currently prohibits organizations from soliciting donations through apps.
Apparently the leading technology company is not set up for charitable accounting and prohibits any language that suggests all or some of the proceeds will verifiably end up in a particular charity’s hands (especially when 30% automatically goes to Apple). However, developers can suggest that users donate to a charity or direct users to a charity’s website. Despite, a growing popularity for micro-donating (ex. SMS text-to-donate, which has a $10 limit) and Google Grants example of new media benevolence, non-profits have reached a roadblock when it comes to utilizing one of the most popular mobile platforms to promote direct giving through 1-click payments.
Shapiro argues that it not just a simple matter of accountability, and more of an issue concerning information policies and competitive edge. In order to have access to the tens of millions of users with stored credit cards already accustomed to instant purchases (over 100 million if you add in iTunes users worldwide) and pass donations directly to non-profits greed because Apple would have to relinquish this information to developers and content providers. Currently app developers get zero data from Apple about who buys and uses their apps, just a flat report of total downloads and resulting revenue if it’s a paid app.
As non-profits begin to embrace emerging media, industry leaders hope to harness the “tremendous potential to connect people’s best charitable impulses to causes in the moment and on the go.” Let’s hope their attempts to do a lot with a little isn’t thwarted by corporate technology gatekeepers. If you feel the same, head over to Care2 and sign Kanter’s petition in support.
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Posted on November 29, 2010
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