Human Tribe Project: Social Media Meets Charitable Giving

Despite the promises of health care reform, many people who face catastrophic illness also face massive medical bills and the threat of personal bankruptcy. These financial concerns compound emotional burdens that they face. The Human Tribe Project is a website that provides both financial and emotional support to a loved one in crisis.

The Human Tribe Project allows "tribes" to give money directly to a beneficiary in need. There are no parameters stipulating how money raised is spent. And all those who donate receive a wearable token of support in the form of a "Tribe Tag" in return.

Founded by Phoenix attorney Jaclyn Foutz in memory of her friend Kindra McLennan. When McLennan was diagnosed with cancer, her friends and family came together to raise money and to offer emotional support. Although McLennan lost her battle with cancer, she inspired the founders of the Human Tribe Project to create a website that combined social networking and charitable giving.

How the Human Tribe Project Works:

A "Tribe Leader" sets up a website on behalf of a beneficiary, who in turn has a space to blog and share her or his experiences. The blog can be viewed by invited members of her or his Tribe. Tribe members can provide financial support by purchasing the Tribe Tags and provide emotional support by reading, commenting, and sharing the site with others. As the Human Tribe Project website argues, "As the Tribe evolves, the personal networks of each of the Tribe Members can become Tribe Members as well. Human Tribe Project was founded upon the premise that all people belong to a larger Tribe, and that this Tribe can be a powerful resource when one of its members faces a personal or health-related crisis." As important as the financial support can be, this emotional support can oftentimes be just as sustaining.

Tribe Tags - much like a dog tag - are available for $20 or $100. The money raised ($15 of the former and $75 of the latter) is distributed to the beneficiary on a monthly basis. "Tribe Tags are the cornerstone of our site," said Human Tribe Project co-founder Jaclyn Foutz. "They offer monetary support to ease the Beneficiary's financial burden, enabling him to focus on getting better and act as a visible reminder of the constant encouragement and support the Tribe offers the Beneficiary."

Although health care reform promises to lessen some of the financial burdens for those facing medical crises, the need remains for projects that help with the fundraising and with the emotional support. The Human Tribe Project is an innovative site that tackles both.