The Ambassador for Philanthropy project has relaunched today as a digital membership programme promoting philanthropy across the world.

The relaunched website is centred on a membership scheme, whereby philanthropists, charities, corporations and advisers sign up to join the Ambassadors for Philanthropy project. Companies and charities will pay an annual fee to promote themselves on the site to fellow members, and can broadcast donor or beneficiary stories via a video channel on the site. Members will also receive a web-stream invitation to the first Global Philanthropy Summit, due to be held in March 2013.

Governments in particular are the target of the ambassadors' message, with the organisation wanting to give philanthropists a voice in government to address issues holding back giving, but the site is hoping to influence a broad spectrum of players, from potential philanthropists to NGOs and companies.

The Ambassador for Philanthropy project was initially kicked off when the British government appointed ambassador Dame Stephanie Shirley as its first ambassador for philanthropy, but the new incarnation of the project is a web-based portal for promoting philanthropy across the globe and linking philanthropists with others stakeholders in ‘giving’.  

In an email to potential founding members, Dame Stephanie wrote: “Join with me as we embolden this giving movement, from our grassroots members up, to our government leaders down. Join with me to unleash philanthropy worldwide by giving philanthropists a voice. A digital ‘philanthropy spring’, if you will.”

Check the new site here.

Read Fundraising magazine’s interview with Dame Stephanie Shirley here.