Home Depot Tries Crowdsourced Philanthropy on Facebook

Home Depot just launched a campaign on Facebook allowing users to decide where the company should spend its grant dollars and volunteer hours.

The program, Aprons in Action, was launched by The Home Depot Foundation, the company’s philanthropic arm. In 2011, the Foundation committed $30 million over three years to non-profit organizations dedicated to improving the homes and lives of economically disadvantaged veterans.

Aprons in Action will tap Home Depot’s 250,000+ Facebook fans to help place that money in worthy hands. Each month, the Facebook competition will feature four community improvement projects to be completed by company volunteers and a local non-profit. Users can then vote between those projects to determine which gets a $25,000 Home Depot gift card. All featured projects will at least receive $5,000 in gift cards.

Those monthly winners (11 in total) will then be put into another competition for a larger grant of $250,000. There will also be runner up grants worth $150,000 and $100,000. By the end of the program, Aprons in Action will have donated $1 million. It’s no small number, and adds to the $270 million the Foundation has already donated to non-profits since its formation in 2002.

“Social media and philanthropy are a natural fit,” said Kelly Caffarelli, president of the Foundation, in a release. “What we’re doing that’s a little different here is getting people to support a cause they feel good about, letting them use our money to do it and giving our associates a chance to amplify their impact in their hometowns.”

Crowdsourced philanthropy has become a trend in social good, but its effects are still unclear. Opening up competitions to the public is a great way to increase reach and turn your audience into evangelists. By canvassing for votes, your fans not only share your brand by also promote a good cause close to their heart. Crowdsourced voting, however, can sometimes overtake the cause at hand as organizations push for more votes in order to “win” rather than to “help.”

To be sure, this isn’t always the case. Home Depot is helping to alleviate this possibility by providing benefits and financial support to all its featured projects.

What do you make of using crowdsourcing as a tool for social good and online giving? What is Home Depot doing right? What could it do better? Sound off in the comments.

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