passgive

Passgive is a concept in social exchange describing a structured form of giving in which the act of donating is carried out by passing resources or influence along a chain of actors rather than delivered directly from donor to recipient. In passgive arrangements, value moves through successive participants, with each link in the chain playing a role in distribution, qualification, or amplification of the initial gift.

The term emerged in online discussions about distributed philanthropy, mutual aid, and collaborative funding in the early 2020s. It is used more as a descriptive framework than as a standardized practice, and its exact definitions can vary across contexts.

Usage and structure commonly involve a donor or sponsor providing a resource (such as cash, goods, or access) to an intermediary organization. That organization then passes the resource to a sequence of recipients. Each recipient may be required to meet predefined criteria, contribute a follow-on gift, or nominate the next recipient. Some campaigns add checkpoints, reporting, or public acknowledgment to maintain transparency.

Variants include micro-passgive, which uses many small, rapid gifts in a short time, and event-based passgive campaigns that coincide with specific causes or dates. Passgive is used in charitable drives, mutual-aid circles, peer-to-peer lending networks, and certain educational projects that emphasize participatory distribution.

Advantages cited for passgive include wider reach, increased engagement, and a sense of collective ownership. Criticisms focus on potential inefficiency, possible inequities in criteria or access, administrative overhead, and concerns about accountability. Effective passgive implementations typically rely on clear rules, documentation, and governance structures to balance generosity with oversight.

See also: chain gifting, giving circle, crowdfunding, mutual aid.