In an article in last weeks New York Times Sunday Magazine, bioethics professor Peter Singer suggests that if the top 10% of earners worlwide engaged in tithing (anywhere from 10% to 20% of their income) we could virtually eliminate world poverty. While his calculations seem a bit simplistic, and don’t address questions like what the impact such a movement of capital would have on global finances or how a one time capital infusion would address systemic poverty, it started me thinking about a global challenge for the rest of us…

Why couldn’t we flip the script and think about a bottom up approach? In other words, instead of just going after the rich and rich governements, what if all of us took responsibility for getting a billion people to each give between $1 and $100. We already know the power of what is possible through a smart mob approach…take rock band U2’s “One” campaign. During concerts, lead singer Bono told fans to take out their cell phones and text their support for OXFAM to a short code which then got flashed up on a big screen above the stage. Thousands did as Bono told. Now imagine if Bono told his fans to do the same thing only this time donating 99 cents or more to a global poverty relief effort?

Surely someone is already doing this as part of a grassroots effort to end global poverty? Just to be on the safe and proactive side, my New Year’s Resolution is to be part of the solution, and to encourage Smart Mobsters and others to do the same. To put my money where my mouth is, I am donating $50 to the People’s Campaign to End Global Poverty. I will attempt to raise $9,500 to help setup a larger platform for the People’s Campaign or donate the money to an organization that I think can effectively leverage grass roots resources and appropriate technologies to get the job done.

You can help by donating any amount here and/or spreading the word to everyone you know. Or if you know of folks doing good work in this area please just share what you know.

Let’s do more than just talk about ending global poverty in 2007. Let’s do it!!!

In an article in last weeks New York Times Sunday Magazine, bioethics professor Peter Singer suggests that if the top 10% of earners worlwide engaged in tithing (anywhere from 10% to 20% of their income) we could virtually eliminate world poverty. While his calculations seem a bit simplistic, and don’t address questions like what the [...]