[nohate.gather.com]GATHER, HALLMARK, GATHERERS and the (RED) Campaign: What's the Deal?

I was excited and intrigued by the e-mail in my Gather inbox yesterday.  I hope you got it, too.  (If not, I have cut-and-pasted it at the bottom of this article.) But, it set off a series of questions that often come to mind when I am being solicited - whether it is for time/points/money.  I posted a short comment on the ARTICLE, but have not yet seen a response.

This morning, I decided to elaborate.  The comment got too long, and I thought that I should ask my friends - and friends-to-be, as well as people who may hate me - whether I was over the line.  Please read my comment, and then leave your own comments. 

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So, instead of setting up a "reward" on our Gather Points redemption page to allow us to contribute the monetary value of our points to the (RED) campaign (the Global Fund), Gather has set up a way to permit us to automatically donate the points to the Global Fund, THROUGH HALLMARK.

I'll repeat my questions in another way. Why? Why are we doing this this way? Is Hallmark simply advertising (garnering goodwill points in the minds of Gatherers), or are they actually contributing something thru OUR - Hallmark's advertising and our point-gathering - activities? I'd be much more interested in this if I felt that Hallmark was actually contributing something, too.

More questions, for Gather: Why? Is Gather simply collecting advertising money and letting Hallmark off too cheaply? Is Gather contributing some of its revenue to this worthy cause? I would also think that it is certainly possible that some of us may be inclined to spend more (time) at this site for a worthy cause, which would (hopefully) result in more revenues for Gather (short term and/or long term).

I see this as a four-legged stool: Project (RED)/The Global Fund, Hallmark, Gather, and Gatherers. Obviously, these types of arrangements are - at their heart - business negotiations. In this case, Hallmark and Gather negotiated some sort of arrangement. I don't know what the arrangement is, but I am VERY INTERESTED in making sure that Gather did not let Hallmark off too easily. And, the reason I feel that Gatherers have some interest in knowing the arrangement is because it is Gatherers who are being asked to join in the effort and work hard to donate the most dollars (points, time) possible.

I try to preach critical thinking in consumption of news. I try to preach critical thinking in the consumption of charitable appeals. When I shopped at the Gap in December, I was confronted (by the clerk) with their Project (RED) appeal. Before I committed, I checked to see what percentage the Gap was contributing - 50% of net profits. It took an extra minute, but I felt that was satisfactory. (I was already somewhat familiar with the project, and felt that it was not a scam.)

On the other hand, outside a Staples store and a supermarket the other day was a table set up by a marketing company, soliciting contributions for some missing kids organization, selling items and promising the proceeds to this organization. I took down the name and website address, and checked it out. They were not looked on favorably by the Better Business Bureau's charity watch. I also found a couple of articles elsewhere that did not reflect favorably on the organization. I went to the store manager and gave them copies of the BBB report and the articles. The marketing company moved on.

The companies that hook up with Project (RED) get to choose what amount they contribute to the Global Fund. I would expect that Project (RED) does negotiate a suitable contribution before allowing them to use the campaign to generate sales.

Hallmark - on its SALES of (RED) projects - donates the following, according to their webpage (mentioned above in their article): 8% of Hallmark (PRODUCT) RED^TM net wholesale sales will go to the Global Fund. HOWEVER, this partnership on Gather does not fit into that mold, and I am concerned that Gather did not negotiate the best deal on Gatherers' behalf.

I urge Gather and/or the Hallmark (PRODUCT) RED moderator to let us know the details on OUR arrangement, so that Gatherers can make an informed decision on whether or not to participate. Similarly, I would urge Gatherers to consider those details - or the lack thereof - before making a decision whether this is the best use of your time/points/money.

Again, I am a SUPPORTER of Project (Red) - my interest is in making sure that we are maximizing our efforts and our contributions.
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Here are a few links that I found while I was poking around:
1) Hallmark's page on their Red product

2) (Red)'s home page  (Caution: I typed in projectred.com, and came up with one of those questionable "referral" sites that was using (Red) products as their "free" giveaways!)
3) New York Times article last week on Project (RED) 
4) Video of discussion with Bobby Shriver (co-founder) on CNBC, and other guest 

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The e-mail from the Hallmark "moderator":  You're invited to participate in and support an exciting new program on Gather with Hallmark (Product) RED to help generate awareness about people living with AIDS in Africa.

If you choose to take part in this program, from February 4 to April 27 the Gather points you earn will be donated to The Global Fund, an organization committed to eliminating AIDS in Africa.

Please click here for details.

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(This article is part of "GATHER Discusses Tolerance", a group created in October 2007, located at nohate.gather.com.  Please check it out, join and participate!)