US20070198372A1 - Philanthropy management apparatus, system, and methods of use and doing business - Google Patents

Abstract

A philanthropic donation management system and methods of use and doing business. The system includes a computing server in communication with a communications network, such as the Internet, a LAN, or a WAN. The computing server maintains information about charitable projects and provides remote users and others with management tools for inputting information about charitable projects, pre-approving or otherwise assessing them, and accessing and managing charitable project information, portfolios, user team member information and access. The system can provide a business based on, for example, providing system, access, charitable fund management, and charitable donation transaction fees.

Description

PRIORITY STATEMENT
• The present application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/290,556, filed Nov. 8, 2002, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/345,361, filed Nov. 8, 2001. The contents of both of these applications are incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF INVENTION
• The present invention relates to apparatus, systems, and methods for managing and/or assessing philanthropic donations, resources, and projects.
GENERAL BACKGROUND
• Philanthropy has been essential to advancement of society and betterment of the human condition for hundreds of years. Many of the very finest educational, health care, and religious institutions and activities have long been the direct result of philanthropic donations and activities. The resulting institutions, services, and products not only often fulfill substantial voids that have not been, and often cannot be met, by government, but also expand the range of options and competitive alternatives to institutions, services, and products provided by the government and non-philanthropic private activities and entities. The net result is not only a more efficient allocation of resources in the market and society as a whole, but also substantial increases in the quality of societal morals, education, human interaction, spiritual accomplishment, and life all across society.
• As the industrial and other economies have evolved over the past one hundred years and more, individuals and institutions in them have developed enormous amounts of capital that they often seek to allocate and donate toward philanthropic donations and other activities. The effort involved, however, in actually making and managing donations on behalf the philanthropers or philanthropic institutions owning or controlling the capital is often a sizable, costly, and time consuming challenge.
• Typically, those individuals or entities with particularly large funds or other resources for philanthropic activities set up their own foundations to identify charitable projects and manage their philanthropic donations. Each foundation then typically conducts investigations into the large number of potential recipients, such as charities, educational institutions, and religious entities, to determine those who will receive donations from the foundation. The foundation often also conducts its own oversight and management depending on the nature of the donation and the level of interest of the donors in ensuring proper use of the donated funds. Typically, each philanthropic foundation must itself conduct these types of activities, and set up attendant customized management and accounting systems and functions, at substantial expense to the philanthropic foundations and those who fund them. This substantial effort and expense can delay and consume resources that would otherwise be available for actual philanthropic or other uses. It also reduces the ability of potential donors to learn of all the potential philanthropic projects in which the donors might be interested in funding.
• For those individuals or entities seeking to engage in philanthropic activities without use of a foundation, the challenges are often even greater. In the applicants' view, this problem greatly reduces both the quantity and the quality of philanthropic activities.
• Nevertheless, the amount of funds available for philanthropic use has been growing rapidly over the past few decades in particular. The applicants have recognized these problems and their likely adverse consequences for those who would engage in philanthropic activities as well as for those who would benefit from them.
SUMMARY
• The applicants have invented apparatus, systems, and methods for managing and/or assessing philanthropic activities having a variety of different aspects. In one aspect, the invention preferably provides a system and method for managing or reporting the status and needs of one or more charitable or philanthropic projects and, most preferably, portfolios of such projects.
• The system preferably provides access to information about potential projects and organizations seeking charitable funding. Most preferably, the system also provides searching capability for searching potential projects and organizations and reporting those that meet the search criteria.
• In another aspect, the invention may preferably provide a system for assessing or qualifying philanthropic projects and organizations according to one or more criteria. Most preferably, the qualified projects and organizations are then searchable or otherwise accessible to users through other management and/or reporting functions in the system. The qualified projects and organizations are preferably also accessible through the managing and reporting system.
• Most preferably, the system provides philanthropic fund qualification, transfer, deposit, and/or reporting functionality.
• In another aspect, the invention may preferably provide a system that makes philanthropic project management, reporting, and/or assessment activities more efficient, thorough, economical, and/or widely available to users.
• Most preferably, the system is readily and widely available to philanthropic donors, managers, and consultants by remote access, including through the Internet or private or virtual private networks or combinations thereof.
• In a particularly preferred embodiment, one or aspects of the invented system or method can provide revenue generation for an entity for providing access to or use of the one or more aspects. In this fashion, a business (or method) may most preferably help fund the development, deployment, and/or use of or access to the one or more aspects.
• Most preferably, such a business (and method) can not only possibly expand philanthropic activities but also provide additional incentives and opportunities to further improve and expand philanthropic activities and projects in the future.
• It can thus be seen that there are many aspects of the present invention, including particular additional or alternative features that will become apparent as this specification proceeds. It is therefore understood that the scope of the invention is to be determined by the claims and not by whether the claimed subject matter solves any particular problem or all of them, provide any particular features or all of them, or meet any particular objective or group of objectives set forth in the General Background or Brief Summary above.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• The preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings in which:
• FIG. 1 is a schematic of a network architecture for a web-accessible version of the philanthropy management system;
• FIG. 2 is a schematic of an alternative network architecture for a web-accessible version of the preferred philanthropy management system;
• FIG. 3 is a flow chart for the “login” and “main menu” procedure in the portfolio management portion of the preferred philanthropy management system;
• FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the “managing clients” procedure in the portfolio management portion of the philanthropy management system;
• FIG. 5 is a flow chart of the “edit existing client” procedure in the portfolio management portion of the philanthropy management system;
• FIG. 6 is a flow chart of the “team member” procedure in the portfolio management portion of the philanthropy management system;
• FIG. 7 is a flow chart of “find projects” procedure in the portfolio management portion of the philanthropy management system;
• FIG. 8 is the “user options” procedure in the portfolio management portion of the philanthropy management system;
• FIG. 9 is the “view project details” procedure in the portfolio management portion of the philanthropy management system;
• FIG. 10 is the “fund project” procedure in the portfolio management portion of the philanthropy management system;
• FIG. 11 is a screen shot of the “login” web, or browser, page provided by the “login” procedure ofFIG. 3;
• FIG. 12 is a screen shot of “main menu” browser page provided by “main menu” procedure ofFIG. 3;
• FIG. 13 is a screen shot of the “client menu” browser page provided by “managing clients” procedure ofFIG. 4;
• FIG. 14 is a screen shot of the upper portion of the “new client menu” browser page provided by the “managing clients” procedure ofFIG. 4;
• FIG. 15 is a screen shot of the lower portion of the “new client menu” browser page ofFIG. 14;
• FIG. 16 is a screen shot of the “client summary” browser page provided by the “edit existing clients” procedure ofFIG. 5;
• FIG. 17 is a screen shot of the “client contact info” browser page provided by the “edit existing clients” procedure ofFIG. 5;
• FIG. 18 is a screen shot of the upper portion of the “client goals” browser page provided by the “edit existing clients” procedure ofFIG. 5;
• FIG. 19 is a screen shot of the lower portion of the “client goals” browser page ofFIG. 18;
• FIG. 20 is a screen shot of the “client portfolio” browser page provided by the “edit existing clients” procedure ofFIG. 4;
• FIG. 21 is a screen shot of the “client account” browser page provided by the “edit existing clients” procedure ofFIG. 4;
• FIG. 22 is a screen shot of the “client reports” browser page provided by the “edit existing clients” procedure ofFIG. 4;
• FIG. 23 is a screen shot of the “team” browser page provided by the “team member” procedure ofFIG. 5;
• FIG. 24 is a screen shot of the “new team member” browser page provided by the “team member” procedure ofFIG. 5;
• FIG. 25 is a screen shot of the “edit team member” browser page provided by the “team member” procedure ofFIG. 5;
• FIG. 26 is a screen shot of the “email my team” browser page of the “team member” procedure ofFIG. 6;
• FIG. 27 is a screen shot of the “find projects” browser page of the “find projects” procedure ofFIG. 7;
• FIG. 28 is a screen shot of the “automatic search” browser page of the “find projects” procedure ofFIG. 7;
• FIG. 29 is a screen shot of the “manual search” browser page of the “find projects” procedure ofFIG. 7;
• FIG. 30 is a screen shot of the “browse all projects” browser page of the “find projects” procedure ofFIG. 7;
• FIG. 31 is a screen shot of the “project/organizational profile” browser page of the “view project details” procedure ofFIGS. 7 and 9;
• FIG. 32 is a screen shot of the “give to a project/organization” browser page of the “fund project” procedure ofFIGS. 7 and 10;
• FIG. 33 is a screen shot of the “options menu” browser page of the “user options” procedure ofFIG. 8;
• FIG. 34 is a screen shot of the “edit personal info” browser page of the “user options” procedure ofFIG. 8;
• FIG. 35 is a screen shot of the “change password” browser page of the “user options” procedure ofFIG. 8;
• FIG. 36 is a flow chart for the “login and main menu” procedure in the project assessment portion of the philanthropy management system;
• FIG. 37 is a flowchart for the “my projects” procedure in the project assessment portion of the philanthropy management system;
• FIG. 38 is a flowchart for the “edit existing project” procedure in the project assessment portion of the philanthropy management system;
• FIG. 39 is a flowchart for the “my team” procedure in the project assessment portion of the philanthropy management system;
• FIG. 40 is a flowchart for the “search for projects” procedure in the project assessment portion of the philanthropy management system;
• FIG. 41 is a flowchart for the “options menu” procedure in the project assessment portion of the philanthropy management system;
• FIG. 42 is a flowchart for the “system administration” procedure in the project assessment portion of the philanthropy management system;
• FIG. 43 is a flowchart for the “edit existing organization” procedure in the project assessment portion of the philanthropy management system;
• FIG. 44 is a flowchart for the “manage organizations” procedure in the project assessment portion of the philanthropy management system;
• FIG. 45 is a flowchart of the “review projects” procedure in the project assessment portion of the philanthropy management system;
• FIG. 46 is a screen shot of the “login” browser page for the “login and main menu” procedure ofFIG. 36;
• FIG. 47 is a screen shot of the “main menu” browser page for the “login and main menu” software ofFIG. 36;
• FIG. 48 is a screen shot of the “my projects” browser page for the “my projects” procedure ofFIG. 37;
• FIG. 49 is a screen shot of the upper portion of the “new project” browser page for the “my projects” procedure ofFIG. 37;
• FIG. 50 is a screen shot of the lower portion of the “new project” browser page ofFIG. 49;
• FIG. 51 is a screen shot of the upper portion of the “edit project (general)” browser page of the “edit existing project” procedure ofFIG. 38;
• FIG. 52 is a screen shot of the lower portion of the “edit project (general)” browser page ofFIG. 51;
• FIG. 53 is a screen shot of the “edit project (organization)” browser page of the “edit existing project” procedure ofFIG. 38;
• FIG. 54 is a screen shot of the “edit project (description)” browser page of the “edit existing project” procedure ofFIG. 38;
• FIG. 55 is a screen shot of the upper portion of the “edit project (financial)” browser page of the “edit existing project” procedure ofFIG. 38;
• FIG. 56 is a screen shot of the lower portion of the “edit project (financial)” browser page ofFIG. 55;
• FIG. 57 is a screen shot of the “admin menu” browser page of the “system administration” procedure ofFIG. 42;
• FIG. 58 is a screen shot of the “manage projects” browser page of the “system administration” procedure ofFIG. 42;
• FIG. 59 is a screen shot of the “review projects” browser page of the “review projects” procedure ofFIG. 45;
• FIG. 60 is a screen shot of the “review project—general info” browser page of the “review projects” procedure ofFIG. 45;
• FIG. 61 is a screen shot of the “review project—description” browser page of the “review projects” procedure ofFIG. 45;
• FIG. 62 is a screen shot of the “review projects—financial” browser page of the “review projects” procedure ofFIG. 45;
• FIG. 63 is a screen shot of upper portion of the “review project—classification” browser page of the “review projects” procedure ofFIG. 45;
• FIG. 64 is a screen shot of the lower portion of the “review project—classification” browser page ofFIG. 63;
• FIG. 65 is a screen shot of the “review project—contacts” browser page of the “review projects” procedure ofFIG. 45;
• FIG. 66 is a screen shot of the “review project—media” browser page of the “review projects” procedure ofFIG. 45;
• FIG. 67 is a screen shot of the “review project—evaluation” browser page of the “review projects” procedure ofFIG. 45;
• FIG. 68 is a screen shot of the “manage users” browser page of the “manage users” procedure ofFIG. 42;
• FIG. 69 is a screen shot of the upper portion of the “new user account” browser page of the “manage users” procedure ofFIG. 43;
• FIG. 70 is a screen shot of the lower portion of the “new user account” browser page ofFIG. 69;
• FIG. 71 is a screen shot of the “change user password” browser page of the “manage users” procedure ofFIG. 43; and
• FIG. 72 is a screen shot of the “edit user account” browser page of the “manage users” procedure ofFIG. 43.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
• The preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments and can be implemented in numerous ways with varying features.
• For example,FIG. 1 shows one preferred PC-based system architecture, generally10, for a web-based version of the preferred philanthropy systems and methods.FIG. 2 shows an alternative PC-based architecture, generally12, to accomplish the same objects, but obviously the present systems and methods also may run on different architectures, such as LAN, WAN, Stand-alone PC, stand-alone, clustered, or networked mini or mainframe computers, etc. This is only one of many instances in which the invention, even as shown only inFIG. 1, is certainly not limited to the preferred embodiment of the invention. Again, the following disclosure is of the preferred embodiments, but not the only embodiments.
• In the preferred embodiment, a philanthropy support business preferably provides a philanthropy management web-site that can be accessed by philanthropists, their philanthropic foundations, assistants, counselors, and consultants, and by entities seeking philanthropic resources, such as donations from philanthropists. The web-site provides access to two systems. One is a browser-based charitable portfolio management system, shown inFIGS. 3-35, and the other is a browser-based charitable project assessment system, shown inFIGS. 36-72.
• With reference now toFIG. 1, the philanthropy management web-site and related systems shown inFIGS. 3-72 are hosted on at least twoprimary computers14,16. One primary computer, theweb server16, runsWindows 2000 Server SP2 and Internet Information Server 5.0. (Version numbers throughout this application were current at the time of original filing of this application, but it is contemplated that the present systems will be upgraded over time to keep them current and more readily maintainable.) The other primary computer, theSQL database server14, runsWindows 2000 Server SP2 andSQL Server 2000 database procedure.
• Preferably, afirewall system18 is located between theweb sewer16 andSQL database server14 in order to protect the database server from entities that access theweb server16 and general Internet traffic. Thefirewall system18 is configured to allow only connections from the designatedweb server16 and conventional administrative computing consoles (not shown).
• With reference now toFIG. 2, a thirdlogic server system20 can be placed between theweb server16 andfirewall system18 to communicate through thefirewall18 with the SQL database server13. The logic server hosts web services and components as needed, in order to reduce processing load on theweb server16 anddatabase server14. In order to support load balancing as network traffic demands, theweb server16 can be supplemented by yet additional web servers (not shown) arranged in a “web farm” or “cluster” configuration. The same strategy may be employed on thedatabase server14 side of theoverall system10 for load balancing of the database server functions.
• Allservers14,16,20 communicate with each other through HTTP and TCP/IP protocols. Preferably, theservers14,16,20 pass information as XML as much as possible.
• With reference to bothFIGS. 1 and 2, client computers of various types, e.g.,22,24, may connect to theweb server16 and any supporting web farm web servers (not shown) via thepublic Internet24 through HTTP and TCP/IP protocols. Also, PDA's (personal desktop assistant computers) and mobile phone computing devices, generally26, can connect to a special version of web pages specifically designed for smaller screens over the WAP (wireless access protocol).
• With reference now toFIGS. 3 and 11, the charitable portfolio management system provides a login and main menu procedure, generally28, that provides a user login browser page orscreen30. Through thelogin screen30, a remote or other user, e.g.,22,24, or26, can enter a prearranged user name or i.d.31 andpassword33 in order to gain access to the charitable portfolio management system.
• With reference now toFIGS. 3 and 12, once the password has been entered and validated35, the user is presented with a mainmenu browser page32. Themain menu screen32 includes with the choice of clicking on logoutweb page button34, a manageclients button36, a manageteam button38, a find projectsbutton40, anoptions button42, and areports button43. Themain menu page32 also includes a second listing and set of these same options (the “main menu options”) vertically on theleft side45 of themain menu page32.
• If the user clicks on thelogout button34, then, as shown inFIGS. 3 and 11, themain menu procedure28 presents the user with thelogin web page30.
• With reference now toFIGS. 3 and 12, when the user clicks on the manageclients button36, the manageclients procedure44 presents the user with the manage clients, also called “clients menu” browser page, generally46. Theclients menu page46 provides the user with choice of clicking on anew client button48, an importclient list button50, or a client name, generally52 (which calls up the edit existingclient web page53 ofFIG. 4). The clientsmenu browser page46 also provides the user the option of deleting aclient54 by right clicking on a client name and clicking on a pop-up delete query (not shown) and then confirming the intent to delete by hitting theenter key58. The clientmenu browser page46 also automatically presents the next appointment date for eachclient52 and the amount the client has gifted (i.e., donated) year to date62. The clientmenu browser page46 also presents the main menu options vertically on theleft side47 of the mainmenu browser page46.
• With reference now toFIGS. 4, 14, and15, if the user clicks on the addnew client button48 in theclients menu page46, the manageclients procedure44 presents the user with a new clients browser page64. The new clients browser page64, and manageclients procedure44, provides the user with the option of clicking on a cancel button84 to cancel the procedure and return to the preceding clientsmenu browser page46 described above. The newclients browser page46 also presents the main menu options on theleft side89 of the new clients browser page64.
• In order to enter a new client into the system, the manageclients procedure44 requires that the user must enter certainminimum client data80—at least a first name66, last name68,home phone number70,street1address72, city74,state76, andzip code78 for the new client—prior to clicking on the submit button82. The manageclients procedure44 cycles the user back85 to the new client browser page64 if the user hits the submit button82 without including at least this required information.
• If this required information is entered87, the manageclients procedure44 adds this information to theSQL database86 running on theSQL database server14 inFIG. 2 (or3). In that event, if additional information also has been entered (such as the new client's middle initial90, work phone92,mobile phone94,fax phone96,e-mail address98,e-mail format100,street2 address102,work address104, or notes106, this additional information to the extent entered by the user, is also stored in the SQL database. Upon entry of new client information into the SQL database, the edit existing client procedure commences and presents the user, as shown inFIGS. 5 and 16, with clientsummary browser page108 for the newly added client. Unlike the screen shown inFIG. 16, however, upon entry of a new client into the database, at first there will not be any data shown for the particular newly added client, as it will not yet have been entered into the database for depiction on the clientsummary browser page108.
• Note, however, that, as data is entered into the database for the client as further shown and described below, the edit existing clients procedure automatically retrieves from the SQL database data for depiction of the clientsummary browser page108 when accessed by the user in connection with a particular client also as further shown and described below. That automatically retrieved and depicted data on the clientsummary browser page108 includes a chart of the client's actual giving and goals for giving through the year as well as a listing of the projects and organizations to which the client has donated.
• The clientsummary browser page108 also includes the main menu options on itsleft side110. In addition, theclient summary page108 provides the user with the option of clicking on horizontally aligned file-like buttons for thesummary page110, the contact info page112, the goals review page114, theportfolio review page116, the accounts review page118, and the reports menu120 (the “horizontal client data buttons”). The user may click on these buttons to activate associated procedures, described below, in any order desired by the user.
• When the user clicks on the contact info page112, the edit existingclient procedure100 presents, as shown inFIGS. 5 and 17, the client contactinfo browser page122. The clientcontact info page122 presents the data previously entered for the client into the database. The clientcontact info page122 also includes the horizontal client data buttons and the main menu options on the left side of the clientcontact info page122.
• If the user clicks on thecontact information bar124 the user can then edit that data in a client contactinfo browser page128 similar to that show for the new client page (64 inFIG. 14). The user can then revise the client data in the client contact info browser page and save data, if the required fields are included130, in a fashion similar to that described above for the new client page. Upon completion of the entry of revised data for the client, the edit existingclient procedure100 presents the user with the clientcontact info page122.
• The user may then, if it desires, click on the goals review button112, in response to which the edit existingclient procedure100 presents the user with the clientgoals browser page132 as shown inFIG. 18. The user may then click on the “edit goals”section134 of thepage132, and in response, the edit existingclient procedure100 presents the user with an edit goals browser page (not shown). Through this edit goals page, the user may enter and save client goal data, generally133, in the SQL database as described above for the client contact information. Upon entry of the goals data for the client in this manner, the user is returned to the clientgoals browser page132. Thispage132 depicts a bar graph and quarterly statement of current year giving goals, generally136, pie chart and listing of geographic distribution giving goals for the year, generally138, pie chart and listing of program type distribution goals for the year, generally,140, and as shown inFIG. 19, pie chart and listing of stage of growth distribution goals for the year, generally142.
• With reference now toFIGS. 5 and 18, theclient goals page132 includes the horizontal client data buttons and, also, the main menu options on theleft side139 of theclient goals page132. The user may then, if it desires, click on theportfolio review button116. In response, the edit existingclient procedure100 presents the user with, as shown inFIGS. 5 and 20, the clientportfolio browser page146.
• Theclient portfolio page146 has a fundedprojects list section148 and a potentialproject list section150. The user may click on a portfolio/funded project bar152 orresearch bar156, and in response, the edit existingclient procedure100 provides the user with an add projects toportfolio browser page154 and associated procedures for adding and saving project data as described above for other data entry and saving functions. The user may also click on any listed project, e.g.,158, and in response, the edit existingclient procedure100 calls159, as shown inFIG. 9, the view project details procedure, generally160.
• Referring back toFIGS. 5 and 20, the user may click on a remove label, e.g.,162, adjacent a listed research project, e.g.,158, in theresearch section150. In response, adelete project procedure157 deletes the adjacent project, e.g.,158, from thepage146.
• In addition, the user may right click on a listed research project, e.g.,158. In response, amove projects procedure168 moves the selected research project158 into the portfolioprojects list section148 of theclient portfolio page146.
• The user may, if it desires, click on the accounts review button118. In response, and as shown inFIGS. 5 and 21, the edit existingclient procedure100 presents the user with an accountsreview browser page110. The accounts reviewpage170 provides the user with funds management functions. These functions include transfer of funds from a third party financial entity into a third party foundationfunds management service172 associated with the business or entity providing the present philanthropy management system and services. Once the funds are received by the foundation funds management service as shown on thispage170, the funds can be managed from thispage170 in order to, for example, try to maximize the growth of the funds transferred into the foundation funds management service.
• The user can, if desired, click on thereports button120. As shown inFIGS. 5 and 22, in response the edit existingclient procedure100 presents the user with a client reportsbrowser page174. The user may then click on any listed report in order to download it (as either a PDF or Microsoft Word document) or have it displayed on screen and printed through conventional browser page printing commands. The listed reports include: (i) a currentyear portfolio report176; (ii) a year-to-date giving versus goals report178; (iii) year-to-date and prior-year givingcomparison report180; and (iv) acustom report182.
• With reference now toFIGS. 3 and 23, the user may click on the manageteam button38 on themain menu page32. The login andmain menu procedure28 then initiates the manageteam procedure38. With reference now toFIGS. 6 and 23, the manageteam procedure38 then presents the user with theteam browser page184. Theteam browser page184 presents a list of the management team members, generally186, and for each team member, e.g.,188, the number of clients for the team member, generally190, and the last login date of the team member, generally192. Theteam browser page184 also includes the main menu options on theleft side194, an add team member button196, an e-mail myteam button198, and animport button200.
• If the user clicks on the add new team member button196, the manageteam procedure38 presents the user with, as shown inFIGS. 6, 24, and25, the add new team member page and function202. The newteam member page202 allows the user to enter234 and save in the SQL database a variety of information, generally204, about a team member. The information includes: name,206,home phone208,work phone210,mobile phone212,fax number214,e-mail address216, biography notes218, and login user id andpassword220. The user clicks on the submitbutton222 in order to save information entered on this newteam member page202, and the entered information is saved by the newteam member function202 in theSQL database232 provided all required information is present in the enteredinformation230. The user may click on the cancelbutton224 to terminate saving of any information from the newteam member page202, and thereby return to the manageteam page184 shown inFIG. 23.
• With reference to bothFIGS. 23 and 24, the user also may return to theteam page184 by clicking on the my team indicia226. The my team indicia226 is a part of the browserpage history trail228 shown at the top of thebrowser page202. This same type of browser page history appears at the top of all browser pages provided by the present system except the main menu page as shown inFIG. 12. The user may click on any of the various page indicia in thebrowser history trail228 and thereby pull up the selected page.
• With reference now toFIGS. 6, 23, and25, the user may click on the name of a particular team member, e.g.188, and theteam procedure38 responds by presenting the user with the edit teammember browser page230. Thispage230 procures from the SQL database and displays information, generally233, about that particular team member. Thisinformation233 includes the particular team member'suser id235,name236,phone number238, ande-mail address240. The user may edit any of this information,233, and then click on thesave bar242 to save the information into theSQL database247 provided the required information as indicated on thepage231, is present. The user may also click on the cancelbar246, which returns the user to the myteam page184. The editteam member page231 includes the main menu options on theleft side248 of thepage231.
• With reference now toFIGS. 6, 23, and26, from theteam page184, the user may click on the e-mail myteam button198. Theteam procedure38 responds by presenting the user with the email team browser page andprocedure250. The e-mail page includes asubject field252 andmessage body field254, along withsend message256 and cancel258 buttons. Although not shown inFIG. 26, thispage250 may also include the main menu options on its left side260. The user may send261 an e-mail to the team members listed on theteam page184 by clicking on thesend message button256 provided at least one team member is listed onpage184 and there is data included in, e.g., thesubject field262. The user may also cancel sending ant message by clicking on the cancelbutton258 and thereby return to theteam page184.
• With reference now toFIGS. 6 and 23, the user may import data regarding one or more team members by clicking the importteam member button200. When the user does so, the importteam member function270 presents the user with a file import browser page (not shown) in which the user enters the name a file ofteam member data272. When the user then hits the enter key or import button on the file import page, the import team member function then parses the specifiedfile272 and imports the data from the file provided it is in the proper format. When the import is completed or otherwise terminated, the importteam member function270 reports the completed or otherwise terminated import and returns the user to theteam page184.
• From theteam page184, the user may delete any listed team member186 by right clicking on the name of the particular team member, e.g.,188. This presents the user with adelete query280, and if the user clicks on the delete query and then confirms thedeletion282, the particular team member, e.g.,188, will be deleted from the listing186 on theteam page184. If the user does not confirm thedeletion282, the user is presented with theteam page184 by the deleteteam member function280.
• If the user clicks on the find projects indicia288 on the main menu options on theleft side194 of theteam page184, the login andmain menu procedure28 ofFIG. 3 is called. The login and main menu procedure then calls the find projects procedure, which displays the associated findprojects browser page40 as shown inFIGS. 7 and 27. With continuing reference toFIGS. 7 and 27, the findprojects browser page40 presents the user with automatic search indicia290,manual search indicia292, and browse allprojects indicia294, as well as with the main menu options296. The automatic search indicia290 andmanual search indicia292 include associated text explanations, e.g.,298, of theautomatic search300 andmanual search302 functions that are called by clicking on the automatic search290 andmanual search292, respectively. The browse all projects function304 is called when the user clicks on the browse all projects indicia orlabel294.
• With reference now toFIGS. 7 and 28, if the user clicks on the automatic search indicia290, the find projects procedure, generally306, calls theautomatic search procedure300, which presents the user with the automaticsearch browser page302. Thispage302 presents two queries: (i) how much money the user seeks to give at this time (with associated minimum amount indicia307)308; and (ii) what is the target gift date310. When the user enters the requested answers into the associatedfields312,314 respectively, and clicks on the go bar316 on theautomatic search page302, theautomatic search function300 conducts a search of projects in the SQL database and presents the user with the searchresults browser page318. The search resultspage318 lists projects meeting the search criteria and presents the user with threeoptions320,322,324 for each listed project. By clicking on a particular listed project, a drop down menu provides the user with the three options: (i) add selected project to researchportfolio indicia320; (ii) fund selectedproject324; and (iii) view project details324.
• If the user clicks on the view project detailsoption324, thefind projects procedure40 calls up the view project detailsprocedure160 ofFIG. 9. With reference now toFIGS. 9 and 31, thisprocedure160 accesses from the SQL, database data for the particular listed project and presents the user with the viewproject browser page326. Theview project page326 displays for the particular listed project: adetailed project description328; project location andprimary contact data330; project focus details (economic, infrastructure, social, and spiritual)332;project growth stage333; and current and expectedbudget data334. Thispage326 also presents the user with afund project label336, a save thisproject label338, and buttons providing the user with access tophotos340,videos342,articles344,news346, and reports348 for the particular project shown on thepage326. Other information and functions that can be included are (i) a listing of people involved in theproject347, and (ii) other donor recommendations for thisproject349. Theview project page326 also includes the main menu options on itsleft side356.
• If the user clicks on the fund theproject button336, thefind projects procedure306 calls thefund project procedure350 as shown inFIGS. 7 and 10. Thefund project procedure350 first checks the SQL database to determine if the identified project requiresfunding378. If so, thefund project procedure350 presents the user with the fund project (give to a project/organization)browser page352 for the particular projects shown on the project/organization profile page326, as shown inFIG. 31. If not, the fund project procedure displays an error message indicating that the project is funded380.
• With continuing reference toFIGS. 10 and 32, thefund project page352 displays the brief project description information360, a donation amount field362, and payment method query section364. The payment query section364 allows the user to select, by clicking one among three payment options: by deduction from the user's (or donor's)account366; by wire transfer from anaccount368 identified on thepage352; or bycheck370 to an address identified on thepage352. After entering an amount and identifying the payment method, the user may click on the submitbutton372, which causes this amount to be recorded in the SQL database as adonation376 to the identified project on thepage352. Thefund project procedure350 then issues a donation/funding confirmation message page orwindow382. The user may instead click on the cancelbutton374, and thefund project procedure350 responds by presenting the user with the prior project/organization profile window326 ofFIG. 31. Thefund project page352 also includes the main menu options on itsleft side384.
• The user may click on theoptions button384 on this page352 (or on the edit options label42 themain menu page33 ofFIG. 12), and the login andmain menu procedure28 is called, which in turn calls theoptions menu procedure392 ofFIG. 8. With reference toFIGS. 8 and 33, theoptions menu procedure392 displays the optionsmenu browser page394. Theoptions menu page394 presents the user with an editpersonal information label396, anedit preferences label398, and achange password label400. Thispage394 also displays the main menu options on the left side402.
• If the user clicks on the editpersonal information label396, theoptions menu procedure392 calls the editaccount information function404, which displays the edit personalinfo browser page406 as shown inFIG. 34. With reference now toFIGS. 8 and 34, theoptions menu procedure392 procures the user's account information from the SQL database and displays that information in the editpersonal info page406. This information includes the user'sname408, address410,phone number412,e-mail address414, ande-mail format416. The user may then edit the field, e.g.,414, and click on the submit button418. The edit account information function404 stores in the SQL database the updatedinformation426 shown in thepage406 provided the minimally required fields are included420. The user can instead click on the cancel button422, and theoptions menu procedure392 returns the user to theoptions menu page394 ofFIG. 33.
• With reference now toFIGS. 7 and 27, if the user clicks on themanual search label292, thefind projects procedure306 calls themanual search function302 and presents the user with the manual search browser, or web,page462 as shown inFIG. 29. With reference now toFIGS. 7 and 29, themanual search page462 includes a search field464 in which the user may enter a search term. The user may then click on thesearch bar466, and themanual search function302 will search the SQL database for one or more projects including the search term in the text fields for them467. The results of the search are then presented to the user via the search results function318 as discussed above.
• In themanual search page462, the user may refine the search by clicking on a listedgeographic region468, a listed project focus ormain objective470, and a listed stage of growth of theproject472. The user may initiate a SQL database search for projects and organizations meeting the selected criteria by clicking on thesearch bar466.
• With reference again toFIGS. 7 and 27, if the users clicks on the browse all projects label294, thefind projects procedure306 calls the browse all projects function304. With reference now toFIGS. 7 and 30, the browse all projects function304 displays the browse allprojects browser page474. The browse allprojects page474 presents the user with a listing of projects and organizations seeking charitable funding in the SQL database. For additional projects in the SQL database (not shown), the user may click on the next page480 andprevious page482 bars on thepage474. The user may view the details of any listed project by clicking on the box adjacent the project name, e.g.,483, and clicking the add to my research bar484. The user may also choose to give to selected projects, e.g.,483, by clicking on the give to selected projects bar486. Clicking on the add to my research bar484 calls the add selected projects function320 in thefind projects procedure306, and clicking on the give to selected projects bar486 calls the fund selectedprojects322 in thatprocedure306.
• With reference now toFIGS. 8 and 33, if the user clicks on theedit preferences label398, theoptions menu procedure392 calls the edit preferences function424 and presents the user with the edit preferences browser page (not shown). The edit preferences page may include information indicating the user's donation preferences in order for the SQL database to utilize this preference information in ordering projects when the user conducts project/organization searches for possible giving as described above. If the user enters requiredinformation430, the edit preferences function424 stores the preference information for the user in theSQL database432 and returns the user to theoptions menu394 ofFIG. 33. Otherwise and with reference toFIGS. 8 and 34, the edit preferences function424 does not store the information and continues to present the user with the editpersonal info page406.
• With reference again toFIGS. 8 and 33, if the user clicks on thechange password label400, theoptions menu procedure392 calls thechange password procedure435 and presents the user with the change password browser page434 inFIG. 35. With reference toFIGS. 8 and 35, the user can change the password by correctly entering and re-entering anew password436,438 and then clicking on the save label440. If the user has correctly entered theinformation442, thechange password function435 stores the changed password in the SQL database. If the information is incorrect442, thechange password function435 continues to display the change password page434. If the user clicks on the cancel button446, theoptions menu procedure392 returns the user to theoptions menu394 inFIG. 33.
• The user may logout from any page, e.g.,394, by clicking on thelogout button448 in the main menu options.
• Business and operational functions or features that can be provided by the above-described charitable portfolio management system (either as described above or by modification of the above-described systems) are:
• • secure, password protected access;
  • web-based, browser independent and accessible from any Internet-enabled device;
  • provides alternative text for images presented on web pages, making the site more user friendly including to those who may need to have web page text read to them by automated readers in order to maneuver through the site;
  • ability to input giving goals that specify objectives such as: geographic giving objectives; types of projects sought; and acceptable levels of risk, all of which can be entered by or for the philanthropist;
  • ability to view giving goals in chart format, such as a pie chart showing the percentage of giving the donor seeks to donate to various geographical regions, or a bar chart depicting planned giving by quarter for the year;
  • ability to conduct general or detailed searches for projects or organizations that seek funding, from simple browsing through projects, to advanced criteria-based searching, to fully automated searching using giving goals as the criteria;
  • ability to create and maintain at least three giving portfolio categorizations: (i) funded portfolio listing of links to “project profiles” for projects or organizations to which the user has donated in the current calendar year; (ii) research portfolio containing link to “project profiles” of projects or organizations the user can research; and (iii) ready to fund portfolio containing links to “project profiles” for projects or organizations that the user has researched and selected for funding;
  • ability to freely move project links from the research portfolio to the ready to fund portfolio;
  • ability to deposit links to “project profiles” in the research portfolio and/or ready to fund portfolio at any time;
  • ability to sort folder contents for the funded, research, and ready to fund portfolios alphabetically (both ascending and descending);
  • ability to run browser viewable and downloadable reports (as PDF or Microsoft Word files) depicting giving portfolio allocations and positions;
  • ability for users to receive e-mail notification when news is released for a project or organization that is in a user's funded portfolio, with a link to the news appearing beside the name of the project/organization;
  • ability to input transactions into the system if completed outside the system;
  • ability to submit comments on projects/organizations so that others using the system can view them;
  • ability to track and manage money (including using a variety of investment options) that the user may donate in the future, as well as ability to track, including through downloading of PDF or Microsoft Word reports, financial transactions with the system, including transaction date, amount, type, and status;
  • ability to view, and download, as PDF or Microsoft Word documents, project profiles for each project or organization to which the user has donated funds;
  • ability to request project or organization assessment reports from system administrators, such reports can then be e-mailed to the users when available;
  • ability to indicate a coach for the client on the client detail page;
  • ability to manage a list of their clients in the system, including ability to add, edit, and delete clients, with each client having personal portfolios manageable by the user and others to whom the user has given permission;
  • ability to view and export philanthropic prospectus and other reports that are co-branded with the user's business name and logo;
  • ability to manage (add, delete, or edit information about) a team of users, each of whom can maintain their own list of clients in the system;
  • a team member's clients can be inherited by the team manager when the team member's account is deleted or diverted; and team managers can manually reassign clients among team members or themselves at any time;
  • ability for team managers to assign a commission percentage to the manager for transactions by team members;
  • ability for users to designate a commission fee to them from their clients when they perform transactions with the system;
  • automatic advising of coaches when new reports are available for projects or organizations that their clients have funded;
  • ability to restrict team managers from editing team members or clients unless permissioned to do so by the team members; and
  • ability to restrict coaches or donors from gaining access to secure projects until approved.
• With reference now toFIG. 36, the preferred system, apparatus, and method includes a project assessment system, apparatus, and method, generally510. This system, apparatus, andmethod510 is initiated by a login andmain menu procedure512. This procedure includes alogin function514, a main menu function,515, a my projects function516, a myteam function518, asearch function520, anoptions function522, and anadmin function524. When the user first accesses the project assessment, such as by clicking on project assessment label (not shown) on one or more introductory web-site page (not shown) for a business or entity supporting this system, the user is presented with the login browser, or web,page526. Thispage526 operates similarly to thelogin page30 ofFIG. 11, and upon entry of an appropriate user name and password approved by the SQL database, the login andmain menu procedure512 ofFIG. 36 calls themain menu function515. In turn themain menu function515 displays the main menu browser page528 as shown inFIG. 47.
• With continuing reference toFIGS. 36 and 47, the main menu page528 includes a horizontal, upper main menu bar530 that includes myprojects532, my team534, search536, options538, admin menu540, logout550 (not shown), and help551 indicia (collectively the “assessment main menu options”). The main menu page528 also includes lower, vertically aligned new project indicia542, my projects indicia544, my team indicia546,search indicia548, andlogout indicia550.
• The main menu page528 (and other pages shown inFIGS. 48-72) includes alogout label551 and help label553 (on which a user may click to logout or procure help information in a fashion well known to those skilled in the art). These logout and help features may also be included in the pages in the charitable portfolio portion of the overall system explained above.
• If the user clicks on the myprojects indicia542, the login andmain menu procedure512 calls the my projects function516, which calls the myprojects procedure552 ofFIG. 37. Thisprocedure552 displays the myprojects browser page554 ofFIG. 48.
• With reference now toFIGS. 37 and 48, the myprojects page554 includes the assessment main menu options, generally556, and a my projects listing, generally558, a team projects listing560, an uppernew project button559, an upper delete checkedprojects button561, and a lowernew project bar562. The my projects listing558 lists all project or organization names previously selected by the user through the SQL database as well as project status, generally564, and project action, generally566, adjacent the project name listing, generally568. By clicking on project box, e.g.,570, adjacent a particular listed project, e.g.,571, and then clicking on the delete checkedproject button561, the particular listedproject571 and its associated information is deleted from the user's myproject listing558 when the user confirms the intention to delete thatproject571. By clicking on thenew project button559 or the lowernew project bar562, the myprojects procedure552 calls the addnew project function574. Thisfunction574 displays the new project (general)browser page576 ofFIGS. 49 and 50.
• With continuing reference toFIGS. 37 and 48, the user may take action for a listed project by right clicking on the project action label or area, e.g.,578 adjacent a listed project, e.g.,571. Right clicking on thislabel578 causes a drop down window (not shown) to provide project action options such as check status or edit/submit. If the user selects the check status label for example, the check status indicia appears in this label, e.g.,578. If the user then left clicks on the check status label, e.g.,578, the check status function is called582, and the user is presented with a status display (not shown) for the project.
• If the user instead selects the edit/submit label, e.g.,578, in the drop down window, the edit/submit status indicia appears in the label area, e.g.,586. If the user then clicks on the submit indicia, e.g.,588, myprojects procedure552 calls the submitproject function580. The submit function marks the project as submitted and submits it for review by project assessment personnel.
• If the user has selected the edit/submit label for a project, and if the user then left clicks on theedit indicia590, the myprojects procedure552 calls theedit project function592. This procedure calls the edit existing project procedure594 ofFIG. 38, which displays the edit projects browser page596 ofFIGS. 51 and 52.
• Still referring toFIGS. 37 and 48, ateam projects section560 of the myprojects page554 lists all projects selected by team members for listing on thispage554. For each listed project in thissection560, thissection560 also includes input by indicia (which team member)598 and status and action indicia, generally600. The status and action indicia, generally560, operate as set forth above for the identically named indicia and labels in the myprojects listing section568 of the myproject page554.
• If the user clicks on thenew project bar562 in the myprojects page554 or instead clicks on the new project indicia542 on the main menu page528 ofFIG. 47, the myprojects procedure552 calls the addnew project function574. The add new project function displays the newproject browser page576 ofFIG. 49.
• With reference now toFIGS. 37, 49, and50, thenew project page576 includes the assessment main menu options and (i) a newproject instruction paragraph604, (ii) a requiredproject name field606, (iii) a required project security field and associated drop downmenu608, (iv) a projectmailing address section610 with certain required fields, (v) aproject shipping address612, (vi) and generalproject contact information614 including website, phone, and fax numbers. Thenew project page576 also includes a create or next label616 and a return to myprojects label618. Thenew project page576 also includes ageneral info label626, anorganization label628, adescription label630, afinancial label632, aclassification label634, acontacts label636, and a media label638 (collectively called the “edit project menu”) on the left side639 of thepage624.
• In order to enter a new project into the SQL database and thereby make it available to others using the project assessment system and the above-described project management system (shown inFIGS. 3-35), a user must enter at least the required information on thispage576 and then click the next label616 or thegeneral label626. The user can instead click on thereturn label618 to return to the myprojects page554 ofFIG. 48.
• If the user clicks on the create or next label616 or thegeneral label626, the myprojects procedure552 saves the entered information to theSQL database622 provided the required fields are entered620. After the save to the SQL database, the myprojects procedure552 calls theedit project procedure592 ofFIG. 38, which displays the edit project (general)browser page624 shown inFIGS. 51 and 52.
• With reference now toFIGS. 38, 51, and52, thispage624 includes the assessment main menu, the edit project menu, and apage indicator arrow627 showing that this general info, or edit project (general),page624 is displayed on the user's screen. The edit project (general)page624 also includes the project data, generally640, entered and stored for the project through the prior data entry on thenew project page576 ofFIGS. 49 and 50. The edit project (general)page624 also includes thenext label642 and return to myprojects label644.
• In thispage624, the user may edit the information shown on thepage624. If the user clicks on thenext label642 or clicks on any among theorganization628,description630, financial632,classification634,contacts636, ormedia638 labels, the information remaining on thepage640 is stored in the SQL database provided the required fields are entered on thepage624. If the user has clicked on thenext label642 or theorganization label628 and theinformation640 on thepage624 is stored in the SQL database in this fashion, the edit existingproject procedure592 calls theedit organization function644. Theedit organization function644 displays the edit project (organization)browser page646 as shown inFIG. 53.
• With reference now toFIGS. 38 and 53, the edit project (organization)page646 includes the assessment main menu and the edit project menu as well as a organization selection field and associated drop downmenu648 of available organizations in the SQL database. By clicking on the drop downmenu648 and the desired organization in a drop down menu (not shown) that appears in response, the thus selected organization is saved to the SQL database for the project being edited as shown in the prior edit projectgeneral page624 shown inFIGS. 51 and 52. The user may instead click on either: (i) theedit button650, which calls the edit existingorganization procedure652; (ii) thenew button654, which calls the new organization function653, which calls the manageorganizations procedure970 ofFIG. 44; or (iii) thenext button655, which calls thedescription procedure656. Of course, the user may instead click among other labels in the edit project menu on thepage646. Also, the user may click on the cancel, return to myprojects page button658, which returns the user to myprojects page556 ofFIG. 48.
• If the user clicks on thenext button655, thedescription function656 presents the user with the edit project (description)browser page660 ofFIG. 54. With reference toFIGS. 38 and 54, thispage660 includes the assessment main menu and the edit projects menu and also includes project detail fields, generally662. The project detail fields662 includes fields for: project overview664; a detailed description of the project for which funding is sought666; aproject problem statement668; project (organization)constituency670; activities and strategies detail672; organizationalauthority structure detail674; and project governance detail676. Thepage660 also includes anext button678, a cancel/return to myproject button680, and thepage indicator arrow638 indicating the identity of thepresent page660 on the user's screen.
• After the user has entered the data sought by the project detail fields662, the user may click thenext button678. As a result, provided required fields are entered682, the entered information is stored in the SQL database for the associated project andorganization684. If the user then clicks on thenext label678, thedescription function656 calls thefinancial function688.
• With reference now toFIGS. 38, 55, and56, thefinancial function688 displays the edit project (financial)browser page690. This page includes the assessment main menu and the edit projects menu. It also includes financial data fields and selections, generally692. The financial data includes fields for entry of: fiscalyear start date694, matchinggrant details696, total funds requested698, funding request period700,project budget702,annual expenses704,operations expenses706, program expenses708, andfundraising expenses710. This page also includes anext button712 and cancel/return to my projects button714.
• After the user has entered information692 in thispage690, including the requiredinformation716, and clicks on thenext button712, the information entered on the page692 is stored in the SQL database in association with the particular project to which the information relates694. Thefinancial function688 then calls theclassification function720.
• With reference now toFIG. 38, theclassification function720 displays a classification browser page (not shown) that includes the assessment main menu and the edit project menu as well as the next button (not shown) and cancel/return button (not shown) as described above. In this classification page, the user enters project classification information722. The project classification information includes classification data about the geographic region(s) for the project, project focus, and funding stage, of the types shown in the project report on themanual search page462 ofFIG. 29. If the user has entered all required information in thisclassification page724, the user may click on its next button (not shown), and the entered classification data is stored by the SQL database in association with the particular project for which data is being entered726.
• Theclassification function720 then calls thecontact function728. Thecontact function728 displays a contact browser page (not shown) that allows the user to enter and store to the SQL database contact information for the then involved project in addition to the contact information editable in other edit pages729 such as shown inFIG. 65 below. Additional contact information can include bank wire instructions or information identifying how to contact other persons or entities possibly pertinent to the project.
• When completed, thecontact function728 calls theedit media function730. The edit media function730 then calls an edit media browser page (not shown) that allows the user to edit and store to the SQL database, in association with the particular project then involved, various types of media such as photos, videos. articles, news, and reports731 of the type that will then be retrievable for the project as shown in the project/organization browser page326 ofFIG. 31.
• The media function730 then calls the myprojects procedure552 ofFIG. 37. The myprojects procedure552 then displays the myprojects page556 ofFIG. 48. The user may then click on, for example, the my team indicia736 on the myprojects page556. This calls the login andmain menu procedure512 ofFIG. 36, and thisprocedure512 calls the myteam procedure738 ofFIG. 39. The myteam procedure738 then displays a team browser page (not shown) that looks much like, and operates much like, theteam page184 ofFIG. 23 andteam procedure38 ofFIG. 6.
• Referring now toFIGS. 36 and 47, if the user clicks on the search indicia436 of on the main menu page528 ofFIG. 47 (or on any other page containing the assessment main menu), thesearch function520 is called. With reference now toFIG. 40, thesearch function520 displays a search browser page (not shown) that includes the standard assessment main menu and that allows the user to search for projects bykeyword740 or user name742 (i.e., projects included in a portfolio of a given team member). When the user enters a keyword or user name and submits the search, the search forprojects procedure520 searches the SQL database for project(s), if any, meeting the search criteria (keyword or user name) and displays the names of the project meeting thecriteria744. This projectdisplay browser page744 presents the user with options of: editing a particular project746 (which calls the edit existingproject procedure592 ofFIG. 38); (ii) submitting a project forfunding748; (iii) checkingcurrent project status750; or (iv) deleting a selected project from the SQL database for the user's team.
• If the user clicks on a project to edit it, theedit project function746 calls the edit existingproject procedure592 shown inFIG. 38. If the user instead clicks on, for example, the admin menu indicia on the assessment main menu, the login andmain menu procedure512 is called, which in turn calls thesystem administration procedure752 ofFIG. 42.
• With reference now toFIGS. 42 and 57, theadministration procedure752 first displays an adminmenu browser page754. Thispage754 includes the assessment main menu and three action options: (i) a main projects label756; (ii) a manage users label758; and (iii) a return tomain menu label760. If the user clicks on the main projects label756, the main projects function756 displays the manage projects browser page762 as shown inFIG. 58.
• With reference now toFIGS. 42 and 58, the manage projects page762 includes the standard assessment main menu and three action options: (i) review projects label768; (ii) approved projects reportlabel770; and (iii) return tomain menu label772. If the user clicks on the review projects label768, the review projects function774 is called, which in turn calls thereview projects procedure776 as shown inFIG. 45.
• With reference now toFIGS. 45 and 59, thereview projects procedure776 first displays a review projectsbrowser page778. Thispage778 includes the standard assessment main menu and a list, e.g.,780, of the particular projects, e.g.,782, in the portfolio for the particular user's team and the particular user, e.g.,784, shown as logged in and using the system on thepage778. This list is drawn, of course, from the SQL database. Thispage778 also includes astatus column788 and anaction column790 for reporting status, and the next action required for each project780 listed on thepage778 in order to approve the project for receipt of donations by other users of the system, including the user's team.
• If the user clicks on a check-box adjacent one or more projects, e.g.,784, and then clicks on thedelete button786, the checked projects are deleted from thepage778 and from the portfolio for thatuser784 and for his team.
• If the user clicks on a “review” label, e.g.,792 for a given project782, thereview projects procedure776 displays. as shown inFIG. 60, the review project—generalinfo browser page794 for the given project782. With reference now toFIGS. 45 and 60, thispage794 presents general information for the given project entered as described above in conjunction with the myprojects552 and edit existingproject592 procedures ofFIGS. 37 and 38, respectively. Thisgeneral information page794 includes the project name795, input id (the user name of the user that entered this project into the system)796,input date797,project name798,brief project description799, project description800, project notes801,project mailing address802, project shipping address803, and website url804.
• Thispage794 also includes a vertical “review project menu”806 on itsleft side808. Thereview project menu806 allows the user the option of clicking on a general info label810, an organization label812, adescription label814, afinancial label816, aclassification label818, a contacts label820, amedia label822, and anevaluation label824. Thispage794 also includes apage indicator arrow826 that indicates the identity of theparticular page794 then being displayed on screen.
• In the example shown in the particular screen shot ofFIG. 60, many fields, e.g.,800, are blank—include no data, e.g.,800,801,803. The user can see that, in order to continue with the assessment of the project (in order to qualify it for charitable donations) the user should first enter the data sought in the empty field(s).
• The user may next click on the organization label812, and thereview projects procedure776 calls the revieworganizational info function828. Thisfunction828 displays a review organizational info page (not shown), which presents organizational informational fields for the project. As with thegeneral info page794 ofFIG. 60, the user can see the information that has been entered as well as fields that may not yet be determined and entered into the SQL database for association and display in connection with project on this organizational info page.
• The user may instead click on the description label814 (or instead click on the next label827), and thereview projects procedure776 calls the reviewproject description function830. The reviewproject description function830 then displays the review project-description page832 ofFIG. 61.
• With reference now toFIGS. 45 and 61, the review project-descriptions page832 includes the following information fields for the project: the project name and input data, generally831 shown also on thegeneral info page794 ofFIG. 60; the project's problem statement834; the project'sconstituency836; the project'sprogram description838; the project's goals, objectives, activities/strategies840; the project'sorganizational authority structure842; and the project'sgovernance844. This page also includes anext button846 and the review project menu.
• The user should also review this page to ensure that adequate data has been entered and stored for the project. When adequate information has been entered into all fields on thispage832, the user and others can use this information to assess the project and determine whether it should or should not qualify for inclusion an a giving portfolio for the user or his or her team members (or their clients or donors).
• If the user clicks on thenext button846 or the financial label, thereview projects procedure776 ofFIG. 45 calls the review projectfinancial info function848. Thisfunction848 displays the review projects—financial browser page850 ofFIG. 62.
• With reference now toFIGS. 45 and 62, the review projects—financial browser page850 includes the assessment main menu, the review projects menu, and the project name and input data, generally852. Thispage852, as all others in the project assessment system, also includes the bread crumb, or browser page,history854. By clicking on any page label, e.g.,856, in this history, that particular page in thishistory854 represented by the clicked page label is displayed.
• This page also includes the following information fields: totalproject budget amount858, project funds requested860, projectfunding request period862, matchinggrant information864, fiscalyear start date866, project totalannual expenses868, andproject expense breakdown870. The user may review and determine the adequacy and acceptability of this information and associated project as explained above in connection withFIG. 61.
• If the user next clicks on thenext button872, or instead on theclassification button818, thereview projects procedure776 calls the reviewproject classification function850. Thisfunction850 then displays the review project—classification browser page852 ofFIGS. 63 and 64.
• With reference now toFIGS. 45, 63, and64, the review project—classification page852 is structured identically to the review project—financial page850 ofFIG. 62, except that it852 includes the following project information fields: economic development focus percentages for theproject854; infrastructure development focus percentages for theproject856; social development focus percentages for theproject858; and spiritual development focus percentages for theproject860. The user may review and determine the adequacy and acceptability of this information and associated project as explained above in connection withFIG. 62, for example.
• If the user clicks on thenext button862, thereview projects procedure776 calls the review projects contacts function864. The review project contacts function864 then displays the review project—contacts browser page866 ofFIG. 65.
• Referring now toFIGS. 45 and 65, thispage866 is structured identically to the review project—financial page850 ofFIG. 62 except that it includes the following information project information field:contacts868. The user may review and determine the adequacy and acceptability of this information and associated project as explained above in connection withFIG. 62, for example.
• If the user clicks on thenext button870 on thispage866, thereview projects procedure776 calls the reviewprojects media function872. The review project contacts function872 then displays the review project—media browser page874 ofFIG. 66.
• Referring now toFIGS. 45 and 66, thispage874 is structured identically to the review project—financial page850 ofFIG. 62 except that it includes the following information project information field:media876. The user may review and determine the adequacy and acceptability of this information and associated project information as explained above in connection withFIG. 62, for example.
• If the user clicks on thenext button878 on thispage874, thereview projects procedure776 calls theevaluation page function880. Theevaluation page function880 then displays the review project—evaluation browser page874 ofFIG. 67.
• Referring now toFIGS. 45 and 67, thispage874 is structured identically to the review project—financial page850 ofFIG. 62 except that (i) it includes asave button885 rather than a next button and (ii) the following interactive project information field: a reviewer'snotes input field876. Thispage874 also includes the user/reviewer with the choice of: approveproject878,reject project880, or leave project as is for now882. If the user approves the project by clicking the approveproject click circle878,884 and thesave button885, the project administrator is automatically notified (preferably by e-mail) of theapproval886. Also, the approval is recorded in theSQL database888. This “approval” would then show up as an “approval” on the review projectspage778 ofFIG. 59 for the particular approved project. In addition, this approval process renders this project available for retrieval of the project information for this project in the portfolio management system described above in connection withFIGS. 3-35.
• With reference now toFIGS. 42 and 57, if the user clicks on the manage users label758, thesystem administration procedure752 calls the manage users function758. With reference toFIGS. 42 and 68, the manage users function752 then displays the manageusers browser page890. The manageusers page890 includes the assessment main menu and standard user and user login information, generally892, at the top of thepage890. The manageusers page890 also includes an edit user field894, a newuser account label896, a changeuser password label898, and return toadmin menu label900.
• The edit user field894 includes a drop down menu button897. If the user clicks on this button897, the names of the team members on the user's team appear on a drop down menu (not shown). The user may then click on the name of any team member shown and then click on theedit button899. Theedit user function902 then displays with an edit useraccount browser page904 as shown inFIG. 72.
• With reference now toFIGS. 42 and 72, the edit useraccount browser page904 includes the assessment main menu and the following information editing fields for the selected user (i.e., the user/team member identified in the edit user field894 in the preceding manageusers page890 ofFIG. 68). These editing fields include:user name906; user phone and fax numbers908;user email address910;user biography912; whether the user has administrative privileges on the system914 (selected by drop down menu); whether the user is a team manager for others916 (selected by drop down menu); and the team manager for the user (if any)918 (selected by drop down menu). Thispage904 also includes a change password label920, a delete user label922, and a save button924.
• If the user clicks on the save button924 and the required information has been entered/edited on thepage904, theedit user function902 saves the information entered on thispage904 to the SQL database. If the required information is not entered, a warning message appears on screen (not shown). If the user clicks on the delete user button926, the user whose information is shown in the edit user fields is deleted from the SQL database.
• With reference now toFIGS. 42, 68, and69, if the user clicks on the newuser account label896, the manage users function758 displays the newuser account page928 shown inFIG. 69. With reference now toFIGS. 42 and 69, thispage928 includes the assessment main menu and presents the new user information entryfields including name930, contact information932,biography934, user id andpassword936, and whether the user has system administrator privileges, team manager privileges, orteam member status938.
• If the user has entered the required information in these new user information entry fields and then clicks on the savenew user button940, the information shown on thepage928 is saved to the SQL database (provided also of course that the password has been entered properly) for the new user identified on thispage928. Thenew user function941 then displays the manageusers page890 ofFIG. 68.
• If the user instead clicks on the cancelbutton942, the user is returned to the manageusers page890 ofFIG. 68 without any saving of any information entered on the newuser account page928 ofFIG. 69.
• With reference now toFIGS. 42 and 68, if the user clicks on the changeuser password label898, the manage users function758 displays the change user password browser page944 shown inFIG. 71. With reference now toFIGS. 42 and 71, in this page944 the operating user may edit the passwords of other users, which appear in a drop downmenu946 for theoperating user948 depending on the operating user's access privileges. If the operating user is an administrator, the operatinguser948 and all other users will appear in the drop downmenu946. If theoperating user948 is a team manger without administrator access, the team managers assigned to that team manager will appear in the drop downmenu946. If the operating user has properly changed the password fields950 for a particular other user and clicks on the save password button952, the new password is saved in the SQL database for the particular other user. If, on the other hand, the user clicks on the cancel button954, thechange password function958 returns the user to the manageusers page890 ofFIG. 68.
• If the user clicks on the options label972 on the assessment main menu, the login and main menu procedure ofFIG. 36 is called, which in turn calls552 the manageorganizations procedure970 ofFIG. 44. The manageorganizations procedure970 displays anorganization options page976, which presents the user with the choice of creating anew organization978 or editing an existingorganization980. If the user clicks on thenew organization label978, the user is presented with a new organization browser page (not shown) through which the user may enter and save information about a new organization. If the user clicks on the edit existingorganization label980, the user is presented with an edit existing organization browser page (not shown) through which the user may edit information, and save the edited information, about an existing organization. All of these pages include the assessment main menu and associated functions described above.
• It can thus be seen that the above-explained charitable project assessment system provides an automated system for input, editing, review, and evaluation of charitable projects and organizations for possible donations from donors or those who manage donations, preferably through use of the above-explained charitable portfolio management system. The project assessment also allows a user to create automated grant proposals that are maintained and updated on a regular basis. Regular updating of the proposals, according to the guidelines provided in association with the project assessment system, renders the funding process more informed and less risky for donors and those who manage, locate, or implement donations for donors.
• Once a user has input all data for a project sought by the project assessment system, the project is ready for review by the system administrators or other operator in order to determine if the project is qualified for funding. If qualified, the project is marked as approved, which renders it accessible, through a common or separate SQL database, to users of the portfolio management system.
• The above-described preferred philanthropic portfolio management system and the charitable project assessment system both consist of three distinct parts: (i) a browser and preferably web-based and web-accessible graphical user interface; (ii) server-side business logic; and (iii) central relational SQL database for storing, revising, displaying, and searching data.
• The graphical user interface consists of browser or web pages built using a combination of HTML, JavaScript, Cascading Style Sheets, and Active Server Pages. The web pages are served by Microsoft's Internet Information Server running on aWindows 2000 Server. Cascading Style Sheets are used to control the look of the text on the pages, and custom developed graphics contribute to the overall look and feel of the pages and the navigation system. The navigation system consists of a basic menu system that identifies the top-level categories of the application. Once a top-level category has been chosen from the menu, the sub-level categories are available for selection. Near the top of each page, there is a “bread crumb” trail that displays the history of the pages the user has moved through to arrive at the current page.
• The server-side business logic consists of a series of traditional components: .NET components and web services. Traditional components are built with Visual Basic and compiled into DLL (Dynamic Link Library) files that are hosted on aWindows 2000 Server. .NET components are created with the C# programming language and are hosted on aWindows 2000 Server that has the Microsoft .NET SDK installed. Microsoft .NET Web Services are also used to execute certain business processes. Web Services provide an HTTP interface for executing business processes in the philanthropic portfolio management system. The processes that are implemented as Web Services will be called by many of the Active Server Pages as users use this system. Additionally, the Web Services also may be called by additional systems that can be developed and added to the system in the future.
• The relational SQL database portion of the systems utilize Microsoft's SQL Database Server as noted above. This SQL database consists of a series of tables that contain rows and columns that identify and define the data in the SQL database. The data in the database consists of:
• • information about each user and team in the system;
  • portfolios for each philanthropist that uses the system (both direct and indirect users);
  • information about each of the charitable projects and organizations that are approved to receive funding in the system, including:
    • general project information;
    • organization information;
    • contact information for people or entities associated with the project;
    • project classification information;
    • project geographical involvement;
    • detailed project descriptions and goals;
    • media information, including pictures, movies, articles, and other documents.
  • information about each philanthropist's goal for giving;
  • transactional detail about each charitable financial transaction that is handled by the system; and
  • project assessment information for projects currently under review and others already reviewed.
    The SQL database also utilizes stored procedures for performing many database related functions such as inserts, updates, and deletions, as well as queries by the users and the systems. The inclusion of stored procedures provides an added level of security and performance to the database component of the overall system.
• The SQL database may be structured as one database, as described above, supporting both the portfolio management system and the project assessment system. Alternatively, the SQL database may be two separate databases, one for each such system. In the latter case, projects are transferred when approved from the project assessment system SQL database to the portfolio management system SQL database.
• While the preferred database consists of one or more SQL databases, other database systems and formats, including those that are not relational, may be utilized. The same is true of the other system components, such as the operating system for example. Although the applicants preferred embodiment is aWindows 2000 operating system, other operating systems may be used, such as Unix, Linux, or others that may run on Apple Macs or other types of computers.
• The foregoing systems and methods may be utilized in order to provide a method of doing of doing business. The business earns revenue in one or more of the following ways:
• • charging a periodic fee for access to, or operating or maintaining, one system or both systems or data maintained by the system(s) or their users;
  • charging a transactional fee for donation transactions that take place through one system or both systems or in conjunction with use of one or both of them;
  • receiving a commission or fee for money managed or donated through or with one systems or both systems;
  • charging a fee for the amount of time spent using one system or both systems; and
  • charging a fee for conducting a charitable project or organization assessment.
    The term “fee” may include forms of remuneration other than cash, including for example barter remuneration.
• It is to be understood that term “charitable project” can include “charitable organization” or other entity or activity pursuing charitable donations, resources, or funding.
• The system described above is generally architected as two application systems: the philanthropic portfolio management system and the charitable project assessment system. Both systems preferably access information from the SQL database(s). These two applications could be combined into one system provide much the same functionality, however. Similarly, these two applications could be divided up into more applications if desired.

Claims (20)

1. A method of providing charitable project management service for a fee, the charitable project management method including the steps of:

A. maintaining information about a plurality of charitable projects on a computing server system in communication with a communications network;

B. charging remote users a fee in connection with accessing said charitable project information on said computing server system through said communications network.

2. The charitable project management service ofclaim 1 wherein the communications network comprises the Internet.

3. The charitable project management service ofclaim 1 wherein the information includes financial information about said plurality of charitable projects.

4. The charitable project management service ofclaim 1 wherein the information includes project goal information about said plurality of charitable projects.

5. The charitable project management service ofclaim 1 wherein the information includes project assessment information about said plurality of charitable projects.

6. The charitable project management service ofclaim 1 wherein the information includes project goal information about said plurality of charitable projects.

7. The chartable project management service ofclaim 6 wherein the information includes financial information about said plurality of charitable projects.

8. The charitable project management service ofclaim 7 wherein the computing server system comprises the Internet.

9. The charitable project management service ofclaim 3 wherein the method also includes providing each among the remote users with a management tool for managing at least one portfolio of one or more charitable projects.

10. The charitable project management service ofclaim 7 wherein the method also includes providing each among the remote users with a management tool for managing at least one portfolio of one or more charitable projects.

11. The charitable project management service ofclaim 8 wherein the method also includes providing each among the remote users with a management tool for managing at least one portfolio of one or more charitable projects.

12. The charitable project management service ofclaim 11 wherein the method also includes providing each among the remote users with an project information upload facility, whereby a user may transfer to the computing server system information about a charitable project for subsequent access by other remote users.

13. The charitable project management service ofclaim 11 wherein the method also includes after the one or more projects has received approval allowing a user to transfer to the computing server system information about the charitable project for subsequent access by other remote users.

14. The charitable project management service ofclaim 10 wherein the method also includes providing at least one remote user the ability to donate to at least one of the one or more charitable projects.

15. The charitable project management service ofclaim 1 wherein the method also includes predetermining criteria for providing approval of a charitable project and wherein maintaining information about a plurality of charitable projects includes maintaining project approval data according to said predetermined criteria.

16. The charitable project management service ofclaim 1 wherein the method also includes charging remote users a fee comprises at least one of: charging a periodic fee for access to the charitable project information, charging a transactional fee for donations made through the charitable project management service, charging a fee for the amount of time spent using the charitable project management service, or charging a fee for conducting a charitable project assessment; charging a fee for conducting a charitable organization assessment.

17. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited inclaim 1.

18. The charitable project management service ofclaim 1 wherein the information about the plurality of charitable projects also includes information about at least one philanthropist associated with at least on charitable project.

19. The charitable project management service ofclaim 1 wherein maintaining information about a plurality of charitable projects also includes at least one of: maintaining information about the philanthropist's goal for giving to charitable projects, maintaining information about the philanthropist's acceptable level of risk for a project, maintaining information about the philanthropist's acceptable level of risk for a project, maintaining information about the philanthropist's geographical preferences for giving.

20. The charitable project management service ofclaim 1 wherein the information about the plurality of charitable projects also includes at least one transactional detail about at least one financial transaction and wherein maintaining information about a plurality of charitable projects further comprises maintaining information about the at least one transactional detail of the at least one financial transaction.

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