A typology of disintermediated giving and asking in the non‐profit sector

Abstract Disintermediation is the ability to sell products and services directly consumers without these having pass or go through a ‘middleman’, such as travel agent record company. With no product service consumers, disintermediation in non‐profit sector has been conceived giving of money beneficiaries/end users, need ‘middleman’ charity—in other words, it disintermediated giving. However, there consensus definition what ‘disintermediated giving’ applies. Much academic literature focused on one form giving: crowdfunding, which generally conducted digital platforms. not all crowdfundraising/crowdfunding disintermediates charities from process giving; accomplished via crowdfunding Further, are examples various forms giving, particularly, but solely platforms, that have raised questions about its practices, ethics, regulation accountability. Finding robust sustainable solutions issues first requires coherent conceptualisation disintermediation/disintermediated sector. This paper attempts do by providing typology We examine phenomenon organisations adopt ‘traditional charity model’ (those ask for then convert donations into goods beneficiaries) look see functions processes subjected disintermediation. can be either whole part asking/converting process, replaced bypassed different entity (individuals, commercial fundraising entities, companies an alternative approach model’). Our contains three main types disintermediation: (A) disintermediated, with support given donors beneficiaries; (B) charity's function disintermediated; (C) provision beneficiaries disintermediated. Each raises ethical regulatory issues, we briefly explore.