The good old Victorians knew a thing or two about how to motivate people to engage with community activism. However shamefully complacent, condescending and patronising British 'do-gooders' of the Victorian age appear to us now, they knew one thing for sure: that having projects *in* a community owned *by* another community was an essential element in ensuring long lived commitment. Some of that continues today of course - not least through long lasting philanthropic programmes - but was is generally missing now is the long lasting commitment of *people* to the cause. Like having generations of Balliol College, Oxford students make more than financial contributions to the development of communities in the east end of London.
Why not create an exchange for 'community compacts' between social, work, educayion or other groups and geographic communities in need of real, practical help?
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I voted for, but I am not sure exactly what you have in mind. Do you see a web site or two?
I recall the perception that top-down federal charity is relatively ineffectual compared to local charities. Some thing the local/religious part is the key, but I think it is being local, more than religious, that makes the difference.
Just raising cash is nice I suppose, but if we could connect real people together then the "lift" from helping is 10 times stronger. Soemwhat like the pictures of the kid you get for some famine-relief efforts... but it might be far more satisfying to help a real person in a nearby community. The Big Brother program comes to mind...
Anyway, I think this has promise.