Philanthropy on The Huffington Post

Marika Holmgren: Give Until it Hurts: I Promise, It'll Feel Good

2009-12-28T14:39:45Z

You've got just a couple of days to sneak in those final contributions for 2009. And your favorite causes need you to stretch your giving.

While the recession seems to be, well, receding, non-profit organizations are still struggling to keep their staff, to fund their programs, and the outlook remains bleak for many organizations. 2009 saw the demise of countless non-profits and foundations that simply couldn't make it in a down economy. The void they leave means less progress, less work, and less funding for the most pressing issues of our time.

The foundations that do remain have, in many cases, curtailed their giving. And with the media proclaiming doomsday after the collapse of Lehman Brothers et al. last September, many individuals pulled their purse strings closed and kept their wallets tucked away. Making matters worse, corporate giving often suffers when times are tough on businesses, making it more difficult for non-profits to rely on traditional corporate sponsorships.

Even now, as stores are seeing increased sales and profits, non-profits are still not seeing the reward of an economy in recovery.

Americans are buying more holiday gifts this season than last, but that same spirit of generosity has yet to reach most charities.

In fact, a Chronicle poll of 395 charities conducted over the past week finds that one-third of charities expect donations to decline by 10 percent or more by year's end. Another 21 percent also expect donations to decline, although by smaller amounts. Charities of all sizes seem to be affected by the downturn.

Chronicle of Philanthropy, December 16, 2009.

Earlier this year, I was asked to serve as Acting Board Chair of an organization for whom I've sat on the board for nearly 8 years. As I got a closer view at our budget and cash flow sheets, I was able to see first hand how these meta-economic issues were affecting our day-to-day decisions. As the Board Chair, I was asked to make a "leadership gift." What exactly did that mean, I asked the organization's executive director? "Give until it hurts," he responded.

That was a fairly easy to understand benchmark. My annual gift needed to be something that was so meaningful that I felt its impact in other parts of my life. I made a pledge that represented about 5% of my after tax income. I tend to give to a variety of organizations, so my total giving is probably somewhere around 8% of my after tax income. As someone with an entirely non-profit client base in my consulting practice, and living in the San Francisco Bay Area, there's no big slush fund in my annual budget, so it takes some planning to reach this benchmark.

Amazingly, instead of hurting when I made my biggest pledge to date, it felt incredible. As a result, I'm able to confidently ask others to give at a leadership level, knowing that I've stretched my giving as far as I can.

For one person, giving $5 may hurt. For someone else, it may be $500, or $5000. For the wealthiest, of course, it's a much larger donation that truly makes an impact on their day-to-day spending. Interestingly, several studies have shown that those with the least tend to give the most.

In fact, America's poor donate more, in percentage terms, than higher-income groups do, surveys of charitable giving show. What's more, their generosity declines less in hard times than the generosity of richer givers does.

"The lowest-income fifth (of the population) always give at more than their capacity," said Virginia Hodgkinson, former vice president for research at Independent Sector, a Washington-based association of major nonprofit agencies. "The next two-fifths give at capacity, and those above that are capable of giving two or three times more than they give."

Indeed, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' latest survey of consumer expenditure found that the poorest fifth of America's households contributed an average of 4.3 percent of their incomes to charitable organizations in 2007. The richest fifth gave at less than half that rate, 2.1 percent.

"America's Poor are its Most Generous Givers", Frank Greve, McClatchy Newspapers, May 19, 2009

During a down economy, it's tempting to reign in spending, and in some cases, it's also wise. But non-profits are hurting right now. Whether you're more drawn to organizations that protect the environment, promote the arts, work to prevent cancer, or feed and clothe the hungry and underprivileged, most are feeling the pinch. They need your leadership gift now, be it $5 or $5 million. There is no back up, no safety net for these organizations at times like this. If you're not making a gift, there's no one else stepping in to fill that gap.

The end of the year is just a couple of days away. Giving is easier than ever before - you can give through traditional channels, or use new, innovative giving strategies through Facebook or even through a text message. (If you find yourself inclined to give but at a loss for where to start, feel free to look at any my favorite groups, all of whom I've carefully vetted and seen the good work they do: ForestEthics, Kiva, Amazon Watch, ASPCA, Green Corps, Breast Cancer Fund, I'm Too Young For This Cancer Foundation, or any of your local food banks).

Take a minute to consider which organizations the world can't - and shouldn't - live without, and give until it hurts. I promise, it will feel great.

Fashion Models And Philanthropy: No Longer Strange Bedfellows

2009-12-28T12:01:22Z

The allure of a fashion model, historically, is a result of their unattainability, their luxurious and elite facade. As a result, hypothesizes The New York Times, the fashion industry has been less concerned with philanthropy as have those in the film and music industries.

This trend, however, may be changing.

From The New York Times:

Yet, in recent years, as environmental concerns have pushed ecological and ethical luxury into the vogue, so, too, the fashion world has moved closer to the more practical side of humanitarian work. This new embrace was made all the tighter by celebrity models who are going back to their roots and by the global economic crisis, which caused many luxury brands to teeter as the public's values moved away from thoughtless spending and toward more frugal tastes.

"Nowadays, it is almost expected from celebrities to support some cause," said Marissa Buckanoff, the chief of Unicef's celebrity relations and partnership section in New York, pointing out that humanitarian work is now seen as a celebrity duty, regardless of whether the fame comes from music, movies or fashion.

Many of today's top models are not American-born, and thus have causes that stretch beyond domestic borders. Gisele Bündchen works to protect rainforests in Brazil, and Mozambique-born Tasha de Vasconcelos opened a maternity ward in Malawi this year.

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Trevor Neilson: Investing in Iran: Five Reasons Why American Philanthropists Should Support the Iranian Opposition

2009-12-28T11:28:40Z

The Iranian opposition has again taken to the streets, with increasingly violent clashes being reported via Twitter, Facebook and Youtube.

Reports that Ali Moussavi, a 35-year-old nephew of opposition leader Mir Hussein Moussavi, was killed during a protest in Tehran on Sunday have fueled the protests--protests that could be a tipping point for all of those who care about democracy--and the security interests of the United States.

The opposition desperately needs support, and wealthy individuals in the United States are well positioned to provide it.

Here are 5 top reasons American philanthropists should support the Iranian opposition:

1) They want to stop an attack on America or our allies using weapons of mass destruction. American intelligence experts believe that Iran has made major progress in the areas necessary to launch nuclear weapons: enriching weapons grade uranium; developing a missile capable of reaching parts of western Europe and Israel and developing a warhead for that missile. In September of this year Iran stated that it had test-fired missiles with the range to strike Israel, parts of Europe and American bases in the Persian Gulf. If the Iranians develop nuclear weapons, what's to stop them from giving them to terrorist groups who want to use them in the United States?

2) They want to save the lives of American troops in Afghanistan. According to intelligence experts the Iranian government is helping kill Americans in Afghanistan, providing training assistance and some weapons to the Taliban. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2009/12/mil-091217-rferl04.htm

3) They want to prevent the possibility of a future war with Iran. This week in the New York Times Alan J. Kuperman, the director of the Nuclear Proliferation Prevention Program at the University of Texas at Austin wrote an op-ed entitled "There's Only One Way to Stop Iran." which argued for military action. Whether or not you agree with Kuperman, the fact that the New York Times is featuring his opinion should make clear that this is a very real possibility. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/24/opinion/24kuperman.html?pagewanted=1

4) They believe others who fight for democracy deserve our support. America stands as an inspiration to all those who fight for democracy around the world. Our country was formed through revolution and it is our responsibility to stand up for democracy around the world.

5) They care about saving Israeli lives. Many American philanthropists donate to Jewish causes. The Iranian government is one of the primary sponsors of Palestinian terrorist groups as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah, the greatest threats to Israel's security. http://www.cfr.org/publication/9362/
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It's time for American philanthropists to think about how they can help. An investment in a peaceful change of leadership for the Iranian people is an investment in the national security of the United States.

Mort Zuckerman: God Bless America

2009-12-24T18:38:55Z

The end of a year always provides an opportunity to think about the true joys of living in this wonderful country we call America.

One quality integral to the American sense of community is giving. It has traditionally been a key characteristic of our society -- "the spirit of mutual helpfulness" that so impressed the young French visitor Alexis de Tocqueville early in the 19th century. Private philanthropy in the United States has long been far greater in proportion to either our population or our total economic output than philanthropy anywhere else in the world. Last year, the gifts of Americans across the whole range of income groups added up to approximately $308 billion or 2.2% of our annual gross domestic product.

Twenty-one individuals or couples have made philanthropic pledges in excess of $100 million, and we have observed the largest single pledge ever made -- the $30 billion ($30,000,000,000!) to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation from Warren Buffett. The Sage of Omaha might have left his fortune to his family, but he pithily explained why he didn't: He wanted to give his children "enough money so that they would feel they could do anything, but not so much they could do nothing." Amen to that.

The urge to give and to be seen giving is almost as universal as our urge to acquire, something else de Tocqueville noted. Sometimes this urge goes overboard--witness the excesses of Wall Street. At the heart of American capitalism there seems to be an unwritten contract that those who acquire the most wealth will share it with those who have the least. We give to causes ranging from medical research to scholarships for disadvantaged minority students, from supporting opera houses to preserving our historic landmarks. And we do this not only for our citizens but also for those of other countries-witness the extraordinary work of Bill and Melinda Gates to wipe out malaria in Asia and Africa, and the millions of dollars raised here to halt the rampant AIDS epidemic in Africa.

We are blessed by our history. The early immigrants came mostly from countries with a strong, central government, a dominant church, and an energetic aristocracy. Central government assumed the responsibility for the public good, with its costs underwritten by taxes. America, by contrast, was a young, frontier society with no tradition of strong, central government, with no state religion and no established aristocracy. When American pioneers wanted to raise a church or a school or a hospital in their new communities, they had to build it themselves. One farmer couldn't put up a barn by himself, so individual farmers called on friends and neighbors, and when they needed help, the favor was promptly returned. The party the farmer threw for his neighbors after the barn was completed lives on in the wonderfully American phrase "raising the roof."

Other rich countries have a far higher proportion of hospitals, libraries, and universities-all funded by the state. This reduces the sense of community. The commonplace cry is "Why don't they do something about it?" instead of "Why don't we do something about it?" Many Europeans believe that simply paying taxes absolves them of any further responsibility to their fellow citizens. It is an attitude that is beginning to change somewhat, given the American successes-the "thousand points of light" that the elder President Bush commended. But European governments vary from the stingy to the downright mean in their attitude to philanthropy.

Of course, government has hardly been rendered redundant in the United States, but its role in relation to philanthropy is a positive one. Our government, irrespective of political control, encourages giving, with indirect subsidies and tax exemptions for cultural institutions and tax relief for individuals. This jibes with the American instinct for individualism. We don't want government to make all moral or aesthetic judgments. But studies have shown that the tax relief Americans enjoy from giving doesn't explain the impulse to give. Happily, that is something deeply ingrained in our national psyche.

It has to be admitted that this system works well for middle -- and upper-income Americans who can take advantage of tax deductions and arts subsidies but functions less well for lower-income groups. That's why our universities, hospitals, and art museums are among the world's finest, while healthcare and preschool education for poor Americans are below European standards. Here, still, is a challenge to the American spirit we celebrate as we give thanks for our blessings.

Thomas Wolfe put what America is all about well:

"So then, to every man his chance... his shining golden opportunity... to live, to work, to be himself, and to become whatever thing his manhood and his vision can combine to make him -- this, seeker, is the promise of America."

This is the very promise that binds into one society so many races, languages and national cultures. The vision of what we might become enables us to endure the injustices and inequalities of American society today. We do not feel embedded in the past or trapped by the present. We feel we have a future, not for the purpose of glorifying the state, but rather to realize our private ends in peace and freedom.

At this time of celebration of family and community, we can all sing " America! America! God shed his grace on thee."

Shari Arison: On The Spirit Of Giving: Connecting Business To Spirituality

2009-12-24T16:58:00Z

The spirit of the holiday season is now spreading all over the world. For most people, this is a time of good will. I believe that we should take the good will of the holiday season into our everyday lives. It is possible to give back to the community, to inspire the spirit of giving in all of us through everything we do: personal, business, philanthropic - in every aspect of our lives.

Many years ago, I tried to understand what my calling was and arrived each time at the same answer: world peace. I am not a prime minister and I do not intend to be a prime minister, so what is my connection with world peace? How can I contribute to world peace? But then I received a message: to achieve peace in the world, each one of us must achieve peace within ourselves and with our surroundings. Peace begins within us.

I commissioned an international study to check the means by which to facilitate this change. We examined programs for rehabilitating prisoners, educational programs in schools, drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, and more. After about a year and a half of searching and review, I realized that all of the methods--both conventional and alternative--are used in Israel. Since I believe that each of us can attain inner peace, and is personally responsible for this, I understood that my contribution is to spread the message and to make the path to change more accessible.

Which path, however, do we choose? Each person is entitled to choose the path that is most suitable and correct for themselves. Therefore, I decided to create a pluralistic organization that includes representation of and references to these numerous methods and various paths. Through this organization, each person can choose what best suits him, can find his path to inner peace, and thus plant the seeds for world peace. This is how the Essence of Life organization was created. It is a non-profit organization that is entirely financed from the family's funds via the Ted Arison Family Foundation, and works to raise awareness and provide tools for inner peace, in accordance with the vision we have formulated.

I also worked to promote a policy of contributing to the community -- through mobilization, of course, and not through coercion. I brought Matan, an organization that encourages businesses to give back to the community, into Bank Hapoalim. I wanted everyone to understand how important it is in my view to give back to the community in which we live, because we are the community and the community is us -- and to understand that giving is more than just a supreme value and obligation. Giving promotes a feeling of camaraderie among the workers and a knowledge that they are working for a place they can be proud of, a worthy place that has important messages and principles. Today, in my tours of the bank, when I see employees for whom each customer is important, who sit in branches that have a uniform and orderly appearance, who are proud of their giving --I feel great joy.

I began to understand that the business world is no less important than philanthropy, and perhaps even more so. It means investment in the State of Israel, creating employment for thousands of people, livelihoods for countless families. I realized that the bank is part of my mission, that there is a reason I am here, that I have a platform from which I can create change that can influence, in ever-expanding circles, the country and the world. It is perhaps a difficult burden, but I have a purpose, and I must fulfill it. However, I am not alone. We all can contribute to this cause.

In my new book, Birth, my goal is to share the path I have traveled in the spiritual sphere and in the business and philanthropic sphere, in order to reveal the essential connection between the two. In Birth, I explore the nature of the new world we are approaching with my business-spiritual model, a new model for a new world. This view will enable individuals, companies and even nations to move from collapse to positive change, and bring together the spiritual and the material, giving birth to a new future.

The State of Israel is not unique. Every country in the world faces the same issues we face here, either physically or morally. I feel we all have a stake in our community as much as we do in our own spirits, and seeking avenues of generosity is the direct path to peace among us. Whether it's an anonymous donation to charity, or a face-to-face, hands-on gift like helping a person in need in your neighborhood, we can each transfer a little of our positive energy toward greater ends.

About Shari Arison:

Shari Arison is an American-Israeli businesswoman and philanthropist. Arison is repeatedly ranked by Forbes Magazine as one of the world's wealthiest women, and was also ranked by Forbes among the world's 50 most influential women in 2008. In both 2007 and 2009, Shari Arison was chosen as Woman of the Year by Globes, one of Israel's leading financial newspapers.

Arison heads the Arison Group, a business and philanthropic group made up of leading corporations including Israel's leading bank, Bank Hapoalim, Shikun & Binui, one of the largest real estate and infrastructures companies in Israel, and Salt Industries Ltd. She is also the founder of Miya, the Arison Group's global water company.

To learn more visit www.arison.com and www.eolife.com

Susan Smalley, Ph.D.: Rejecting Willful Ignorance

2009-12-23T13:18:08Z

Last night I pulled a down comforter over me in a five-star Dubai hotel as I sank luxuriously into the 1000 thread sheets and feather-soft mattress. We arrived in Dubai for a one night stopover en route to Paris from Malawi.

As I lay in that extreme comfort I thought of the mother I had met in a rural Malawi village who was likely pulling a blanket upon herself as she fell asleep. But her blanket and bed were in stark contrast to the lap of luxury of our hotel. This mother of five lived in a small village on the outskirts of Lilongwe, Malawi one of the poorest countries in the world. Her home was a small mud hut consisting of a single large room with a straw mat upon which her five children slept while she and her husband shared a mat in an adjacent room (next to the goats). They washed and dried daily their two blankets (one for each room), tattered and worn to keep the cool of night at bay. The only furniture was a single pot of water kept in the corner for drinking.

My mind wandered to the images of others going to bed and the circumstances that change our experiences in that simple endeavor. In the Dubai paper I read of a young Manila women rescued from a sex-slavery operation working in Dubai. The authorities had saved 9 victims from the abuses perpetuated on young females in this affluent city. I thought of these rescued females in the 'safe-house' awaiting return to their homeland, fearful but at least safely going to bed.

The simple and daily act of going to bed was a reminder of the extremes of inequality in the world and as we sleep in our comfort, the horrors of poverty and gender inequality affecting half of the world's population conveniently ignored.

It is hard to imagine that I may forget the pain and suffering I saw on this trip when I return to the comforts of my Los Angeles lifestyle. But the holidays, Christmas, and day to day activities back in LA will likely make the vividness of the experience begin to fade into the background. It is easy to 'forget' the suffering of others on the other side of the world as I deal with the little burdens of my own life. But herein lies what James Carse called 'willful ignorance,' perhaps the worst sort of ignorance -- one that stems from a conscious ignoring of problems too difficult to solve or too difficult to handle.

I am committed to staying 'awake' to not succumb to willful ignorance again. I see how easy it is to do, lulled into ignorance by the cushion of pleasure. But from the comforts of luxury, we in the West have a capacity to awaken ourselves and make global change. I think of the vast majority of Americans now awash in the virus of affluency, an 'affluenza' of sorts, a toxicity of wealth wherein obesity, diabetes, and chronic illnesses abound. It is a country that has somewhat lost its ability to connect within, to connect to the planet, to connect with one another. But we each have the capacity to 'wake up' -- to jog ourselves out of slumber, and make conscious choices to improve the quality of our own lives and that of others. We can turn it around if we choose to reject such 'willful ignorance'.

In our rejection of willful ignorance, we need look for ways to give back to those less fortunate than us and to make changes in our own lives that can directly improve the quality of life for ourselves and that of others. Choosing willful awareness does not mean you need to give up your lifestyle. We are over-consumers, and can easily reduce to becoming merely 'consumers.' It means making positive changes for self and others.

For example: obesity is now a national epidemic, with over two thirds of Americans classified as overweight or obese. Changing our eating behavior and increasing exercise are two simple behavioral changes that could directly impact ourselves and others around the world. If we were to reduce our food consumption (and perhaps reducing meat consumption as well), we can reduce our carbon footprint, create more food resources for others on the planet, and improve our own health and well-being. And, Americans discard 40 percent of our food on a daily basis! Make less food, eat less food, buy less food (smaller proportions and by food sharing), and discard less food.

Whatever steps we take, the first step is a commitment to stay aware of the problem, to not escape into willful ignorance.

I'm reminded of the family I met in the Malawian village whose Christmas celebration consists of every member in the family getting an Orange Fanta soda. As I return to our affluent lifestyle and the Christmas exchanges likely to take place, I'm thinking of putting an Orange Fanta in my Christmas stocking -- as a reminder to stay awake.

Joe Favorito: Everyday "Rudy"'s Find Ways to Inspire and Remind All About the Value of Sports

2009-12-23T11:56:53Z

Kei Harris should be either on his way to prison or dead. Kei is a young man who was abused by his step father during his childhood and is a student at La Joya Community High School in Avondale, AZ. Evan Lawson has struggled with weight problems and ridicule from his peers during his early years at Minot High School in Minot, North Dakota. Bobby Keeney witnessed the unspeakable tragedy of seeing his young sister killed in an accident at a very young age, and then struggled with learning disabilities in school in Tuckerton, New Jersey. Kyle Muka has exemplified amazing leadership skills despite being undersized at Pioneer Valley High School in Northfield, Massachusetts. And that's just a few of the stories. A new reality show? Well its not a show, but it is certainly reality. They are some of the national semi-finalists for the first ever High School "Rudy" Awards.

Most know the "Rudy" story. A person who overcame great odds to achieve his goals, and achieve them through athletics. It is such a poignant story not just because of this time of year, but because in this TMZ obsessed world perhaps many have forgotten about why people play team sports. Not for the NFL, but for the core values that are attached and the life lessons that can be learned.

So a few weeks ago, as Michael Ingram accepted the Heisman trophy, the finalists for the High School "Rudy" Awards were announced. They are a group of real life overachievers who deserve a bow. In addition to those mentioned, the "Rudy" honorees come from all over the country, all walks of life, and all have amazing stories of how they have overcome great challenges to play high school football. A $10,000 academic scholarship and the inaugural RUDY Award goes to the winner, with $5,000 scholarships going to each runner-up. The selection committee included Jim Mora Sr., former Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints Head Coach; Andrea Kremer, NBC Football Sideline Reporter; Shaun Alexander, former Seattle Seahawks running back and NFL MVP; Drew Bledsoe, former New England Patriots quarterback and four time Pro Bowl selection; Jenn Brown, Inside the NFL Special Correspondent / ESPN GameDay Correspondent; Mike Smith, the 7th all-time winningest High School Football Coach in America; and Andy Beal, President CBS MaxPreps, Inc.

These kids never had to be the stars, but they inspired and led by example and made indelible imprints on all those who they touched. The award and the program is in its early stages, and naturally started with football, given the ties to the awards namesake and the sport. If the right brand support can be found, the ability to take the "Rudy" to other sports is a natural. It celebrates all that is good about competition at its base level, and hopefully with media support can grow beyond its first year. It is also very interesting that the awards come along at a time when interest in high school sports is at a premium. ESPN has launched its series of local stations covering high schools, MSG Network in New York has launched MSG Varsity, and others will soon follow. The "Rudy Awards" could be a great fit for any programming partner, locally, regionally and eventually nationally.

The fact that the award finalists are announced on Heisman Weekend should also not be lost. As the finalists paraded through New York and across CBS for college football's most coveted individual award, the "Rudy's" remain at home watching and enjoying. While the Heisman does involve both character and athletic ability, the "Rudy's" are all about character, with the biggest ability being inspirational. Are there parallels and potential connections between the two in the future? Perhaps. Are there awards already existing with similar platforms like the Arete Awards, shown on CBS every fall? Yes. But from a branding standpoint the casual sports fan and marketer understands what "Rudy" is, and the stories that follow make it a natural for those looking for a platform that transcend sport. There may be one Heisman winner, but the "Rudy" award could create a much bigger local footprint at a time when sports are becoming more and more local.

Just ask the kids who are on the list and those around them if they are worthy. You will get quite a number of inspiring answers.

Modest Needs Foundation Shows $10 or $20 Donations Can Change Lives

2009-12-22T14:48:37Z

Charitable giving doesn't need to equal large dollar amounts -- 10 or 20 dollars can go a surprisingly long way towards assisting someone in need, CNN reports.

Last spring, Gary Ribble, who has chronic lymphocytic leukemia, needed new glasses but couldn't afford them after losing a job he'd held for more than 40 years.

Then he found out about the Modest Needs Foundation. The grass-roots charity pools thousands of small donations to help people get through short-term financial crises. Donors direct their dollars to the requests they want to fund.

Eleven visitors to modestneeds.org pitched in, and within a week Ribble, who lives in a trailer in Nappanee, Indiana, received a $364 check that changed his life.

The site was founded seven years ago by college professor Keith Taylor, whose own life was changed when he found himself short on rent due to a car repair bill during college. His boss stepped in and paid his rent as a gift, and Taylor was inspired to create an organization to help the working poor.

Read the full story at CNN.

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Georgia Salon Gives 'Gift of Glamour' To The Deserving

2009-12-21T18:30:32Z

When Carey Carter of the Carter Barnes salon in Atlanta, Georgia, got a call from a longtime client who could no longer afford to get her hair done because she'd lost his job, he decided to set aside a day of free coloring and styling for all, CNN reports.

Word spread, the salon was flooded with heart-wrenching stories, and stylists ultimately chose 250 of the submissions for a day of pampering. Goody bags and photographs to document the new and improved looks followed the complimentary cuts and coloring services.

One recipient of the beauty boost, Yvonne Simmons, had been so downtrodden due to the economic downturn and lack of job opportunities that she was literally losing her hair, as it broke off in clumps all the way up to her ears. Not being able to afford a haircut and her own attempts at remedying her locks resulted in her having to wear a scarf everywhere she went.

Now, with an elegant pixie cut, she can go to interviews with renewed confidence and a lack of self-consciousness.

WATCH THE VIDEO:

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Jane Wales: Information-Expectation Mismatch: Philanthropy's Story Continues to go Untold

2009-12-21T17:04:01Z

In a reminder that philanthropy's story goes untold, a recent survey of civically engaged Americans reports that only 19 percent had heard or seen anything in the news about philanthropy's response to the economic downturn.

Reflecting previous surveys from the foundation-funded Philanthropy Awareness Initiative (PAI), very few respondents could cite an example of how a foundation had benefited the community or an issue about which these citizens care. Yet PAI reports in High Expectations, High Opportunity that these engaged Americans, who represent the 12 percent of the adult population who are active in their communities as civic or business leaders, are looking to foundations to find solutions to society's problems. Specifically, they think foundations should voluntarily shift funding priorities to ease the pain of this economic recession. Given the fact that many foundations are already taking such steps, there is an information gap that needs to be filled, according to the PAI report. PAI notes that nearly 90 percent think foundations should be more open with the public about their activities, mistakes and lessons learned.

Points taken... I think.

Although they acknowledge the significance of PAI's findings, it is deep within the culture of most private foundations to shun the spotlight and instead direct attention to the issues that concern them or the grantees they support.

Among the topics on the agenda of the Aspen Philanthropy Group is the question of whether foundations can be truly effective in advancing the public good while falling silent on the strategies that guide and the unique role that foundations play.

As this and previous PAI surveys demonstrate, it is a conversation that is overdue.

Jane Wales: 'Change Philanthropy' Highlights 10 Funders Engaged in Social Justice Philanthropy

2009-12-21T15:18:52Z

A new book sponsored by the Center for Community Change and written by nonprofit and foundation consultant Alicia Epstein Korsten provides the inside stories of 10 funding organizations that have leveraged grant dollars, and in many cases endowments and influence, to transform systems in all sectors of society. Change Philanthropy: Candid Stories of Foundations Maximizing Results through Social Justice profiles a mix of national, regional and small funders, from the Ford Foundation to the Global Fund for Women to the Jacobs Family Foundation, have moved beyond a focus solely on services, such as homeless shelters and hospitals, to one aimed at helping people influence the context in which they live.

According to the book, these foundations ask why a social problem or need exists, not just how a foundation can help -- and then focus their grantmaking on the answers uncovered. All told, Korsten writes, foundations must be particularly strategic in the deployment of their various resources to have greatest impact: analyzing problems effectively, choosing partners and paths wisely and continually evaluating benchmarks along the way to assess progress. Korsten writes that many foundation trustees and staff she interviewed shared information and stories publicly for the first time, offering a rare glimpse into the "often soundproof halls" of foundations.

Books like these are valuable resources, offering concrete examples of what it takes for foundations to make significant change. We would all benefit were foundations and donors to share more often their most effective programs and strategies, including reporting the steps, even mistakes, made along the way. Not only can this potentially improve the work of other organizations, it instills hope that no matter how daunting a challenge, change is possible.

So as to practice what we preach, the Global Philanthropy Forum has partnered with foundations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Humanity United and Fundacion AVINA for just this purpose -- so that these experienced grant-makers will reveal their strategies, successes and failures with principals of family foundations choosing to pursue a similar path.

Susan Smalley, Ph.D.: The Susans I Met In The Slums Of Nairobi

2009-12-21T10:26:10Z

I visited Kibera last week - the largest slum in the world and the center of recent post-election violence in Kenya. We were guests of a not-for-profit organization called Comic Relief (our hosts out of the U.K.) that provide funds for multiple programs around the world to combat poverty with many centered in Africa. With local NGO leaders as our guide (and two soldiers carrying automatic rifles) we walked through a section of Kibera and an adjacent neighborhood slum of Nbuta to visit some families that live there.

I met three Susans on our travels amidst the winding dirt pathways cluttered with open sewage and mounds of garbage that weave among the million mud and tin structures of homes and businesses (tailors, barbers, stores, and toilets) that serve some 1.5 million inhabitants. Children were all around - as summer vacation is in full force - mostly playing (a few with marbles I noticed) or getting water from pumps (or waiting in lines to get water as it was sporadically on or off throughout the day). Women and men were going about their daily business and eyeing us with suspicion or a friendly hello.

The first Susan I met lives in Kibera and had been given a loan via Comic Relief to start a vegetable stand to raise money to buy one of the homes constructed by a local organization that are trying to upgrade the homes in the slums. The tin or mud huts could be replaced by concrete slab constructions at a cost anywhere from $700 U.S. to $5,000 U.S. The $5,000 bought a multistory concrete slab home with two bedrooms, a toilet, and cooking area. Since that cost was exorbitant to most, the lesser $700 purchase was more the norm (a foundation and four walls - no roof but potential to grow). The Susan I met had been one of the first 62 families to get a 'high end' home. She was awarded a home (one of the first 62) by a community council who determines which families are most eligible for homes. Awards are based on the person's capacity to save money and their contribution to the community through labor or leadership (digging sewer lines, construction, running community meetings) among other criteria. This Susan shared her home consisting of two rooms (each about eight by eight feet in size) with her husband and four children. And Susan was so proud of it, showing me her next design project - to be able to buy a piece of tin roofing to block the exposed hole in the ceiling of their bedroom to prevent the rain from flooding it all the time. I noticed her patch of dirt (about one foot by three) in front of her house which held some fresh vegetable plants and thought of my garden at home - just built last summer that spans 20 feet by 100 feet and might be considered small by U.S. standards.

The next Susan I met was part of a 'Grandmother' program by a local NGO and she lived in an adjacent illegal slum to Kibera. Research has shown that identifying a grandmother for youth who have lost their parents to HIV or violence is one of the more successful routes to their protection and future success. Since many children have no biological grandmother, the program trains grandmothers to care for multiple sets of kids. The next Susan I met was a grandmother to several families but one we had a chance to meet. Margaret (age 16) cares for her three siblings (11, nine, and seven) since her parents died when she was 13 years of age. Susan - a rotund woman probably about 60 with grey hair, bloodshot eyes due to the smoke from charcoal burners, and the kindest smile - took us into Margaret's mud hut. It was a single room, dark with an oil burner for light. Her three siblings sat on the floor while Margaret flipped through a small photo album. We asked her a few questions discovering that she loves math and biology and wishes to be a doctor some day. She said the only way she survived was because Susan helped her with food, water, and care when they were sick. I noticed a light bulb on the ceiling and said something about how great that she has electricity only to discover that it was merely a prop for 'decoration'. Her brother - little Kevin Minor was his name - flipped through the pages of a used and worn math workbook - the kind my kids grudgingly completed in kindergarten. We asked Margaret if she liked music but they had no radio or means of listening to it and the only reading material she had was a Christian handbook. I thought about all the books we have in our home leftover from the years of reading by our three now grown children....Harry Potter was definitely not part of Margaret's reading experiences.

The last Susan I met was an energetic leader in one of the Kibera communities. This time the Susan led us to a Muslim household in which a grandmother cared for eight or so grandchildren and great-grandchildren whose parents were killed or died of HIV. I don't remember the grandmother's name but I will never forget her face. At 89 she carried herself like the queen of a tribe or matriarch of a clan. Dressed in traditional garb and toothless, she smiled and talked with the authority and wisdom of someone who understands the value of love and family and humor. Her clan of some eight children stood nearby as she described their venture out of the slum when violence erupted after the election and homes were looted and burned. She had taken her brood of grandchildren back into the country-side to their tribal villages until the violence had settled down. With the support of the program we were viewing, she had returned to establish a vegetable vendor business and re-build her home. I thought of my grandmother who had died at 89 of Alzheimer's disease, alone in a nursing home, and how this grandmother would always be in the hub of her family when death arrived.

The poverty I saw was overwhelming and the Susans I met made it feel more personal in some way, bonded by the stamp of a name. But the experience just solidified my resolve to balance our resources better - to use less and share more. But I also realize that as we may export our resources to eradicate poverty around the world, we can't forget to import their 'technology' as well - a technology of human community - a reverence for family, a sense of pride in leadership and community involvement, and a shared vision to improve the lives of many not just one. Giving and Receiving always go hand-in-hand and meeting my fellow Susans living in Kenya helped me see that even more clearly.

Rahim Kanani: Exclusive: The Aga Khan, Women and Development: The Path of Education

2009-12-21T02:10:18Z

"I believe the message of Islam is the dignity with which we must treat women in society...and I think it is correct that education dignifies women," His Highness Karim Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the world's Shia Ismaili Muslims, explained to a BBC reporter at the turn of the century. Like his grandfather, Sir Sultan Mohamed Shah, who was once President of the League of Nations, the Aga Khan has been an ardent supporter of educating women in the developing world for decades. Recently celebrating his 73rd birthday, the 49th hereditary Imam and direct descendent of the Prophet Muhammad is still tireless in his effort, pragmatic in his approach, and strategic in his vision. As a religious leader, his moral obligation, rooted in the principles of Islam, holds him to both interpret the faith and improve the quality of life within the communities and societies in which his followers live. In his dual role, the Aga Khan is also founder and Chairman of one of the largest private development networks in the world, the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), active in over 25 countries and employing over 70,000 people.

In an interview with Dr. Tom Kessinger, head of the Aga Khan Foundation and Deputy Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network, he asserts that "mothers are the primary nurturers of the family, and our experience and data shows that the more education women have the more successfully they play that role." Furthermore, he notes, "the daughter of a literate mother is more likely to finish school than the daughter of an illiterate mother." Education, therefore, has been a strong pillar of the Aga Khan's development efforts around the world. By targeting critical professions that tend to be highly populated amongst women such as nursing, midwifery, and pre-collegiate education, AKDN's strategic investment in the education of women also results in the delivery of essential public goods.

In Pakistan, the Aga Khan University's School of Nursing (AKU-SON), one of the many schools of AKU, has redefined the occupation's entry-level qualification. Building on the British-style diploma, AKU-SON has professionalized the field of nursing by offering undergraduate and graduate training. Moreover, establishing a leading institute of academic excellence nearly 30 years ago has raised the status of the profession in both remuneration and respect, and as a result, steadily increased the status of women. Calculated, long-term investments that tackle multiple issues at once through, for example, the path of education, distinguish AKDN from many other development agencies.

Another example of matching the key needs of women to the most urgent needs of a population focuses on AKDN's strategic involvement in the Badakshan province of northeast Afghanistan. Attempting to address one of the worst rates of maternal mortality in the world, AKDN has developed an initiative for young women--recruited by their villages--to attend midwifery training for 18 months. These and countless other ambitions realized by His Highness are progressively uplifting the status of women and providing them with access to social, economic and political opportunities otherwise unavailable in developing societies.

 "The AKDN has integrated initiatives in each of these professions [nursing, midwifery, and pre-collegiate education], and with clear direction by His Highness, the focus is to not only build competence in these fields through teaching, but to also build confidence within the trainees. While competence is important, it is confidence that allows one to undertake a larger leadership role in these settings," continued Dr. Kessinger.

In a fundamental shift of consciousness within the international development framework, women and girls are finally viewed as propellers of progress, rather than as impediments to growth. And while firmly placed on today's global agenda of development, and fully integrated into world fora such as the Clinton Global Initiative and the World Economic Forum, the value of investing in the education of women and girls is far from a novel consideration: in 1945, the Aga Khan's grandfather stated that "Personally, if I had two children, and one was a boy and the other was a girl, and if I could afford to only educate one, I would have no hesitation in giving the higher education to the girl." As women place a much stronger emphasis on educating their children--boys and girls--than men do, and invest their income accordingly, it is no longer a secret that to educate a woman is to educate a nation.

Today, the AKDN continues to reflect this measured approach in all its development efforts around the world, and recognizes women and girls' education as a vital component to building respectful, equal and stable societies. As development agencies integrate their efforts to reduce the massive inequalities plaguing women and girls worldwide -- an undeniable moral disaster of our time -- we must never forget the value of human dignity, and the power of education to dignify.

San Clemente Man Sends 4,000 Shoes Across The Border

2009-12-18T17:26:34Z

This week, we learned about a boy who collected 1000 socks for needy kids. But where would we be without shoes? A San Clemente, Calif. man has the answer. Don Glasgow's initial goal for helping needy families across the border was 200 to 300 pairs of shoes. What has resulted, amazingly, is nearly 2,000 pairs of new and used shoes, through donations from Glasgow's church congregation and residents of San Clemente, The OC Register reports.

"Thus far, 900 pairs have gone to Mexico ...300 pairs have gone to El Salvador," Glasgow said. "The balance will be picked up from my garage and taken to Mexico over the next few weeks. Then we are done for now."

Glasgow and his wife, Beverly, spent hours running every pair of non-leather shoes through their washing machine and then drying them on their back patio. To top it off, the couple collected nearly 60 bags of blankets, clothing, and necessities for families as well.

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Jane Wales: Sustained Strategic Philanthropy

2009-12-16T17:29:17Z

For philanthropists seeking to help meet the needs of lower-income Americans falling into poverty, the University of Pennsylvania's Center for High Impact Philanthropy argues that investing now in preventing foreclosures, sustaining primary and preventive health programs and ensuring access to food can prevent enormous costs and suffering later.

Philanthropists can get "the biggest bang for their (charitable) bucks" in the current economic recession by helping with these three basic needs, according to High Impact Philanthropy in the Downturn: Focus on Housing, Health & Hunger. The Center's guide indicates a dollar value on the aid that will, for example, help feed a family ($50 a week), prevent a family from losing its house ($300), or deliver health care to a newly uninsured person ($600). It also estimates how much more it would cost society if such aid were not to materialize now, arguing, for example that billions would be saved by greater investment in community health centers, avoiding more costly hospital- or ER-based care.

The Center's work was informed by direct interviews, site visits, academic research, data from nonprofits, and statistics on the nation's economy. The goal is to provide independent, practical advice. To this end, the guide includes examples of nonprofits working in these three areas, and follows on a preliminary "Action Agenda" the Center had released in April.

With sustained strategic philanthropy, donors seek to address the underlying causes of poverty, and to find sustainable ways of ensuring that each person can reach his or her potential. The Global Philanthropy Forum focuses its agenda on these long term solutions worldwide. In these times of extraordinary need here at home, there is an opportunity to leverage increased government investments. And, the Center would argue that the time to act is now.

Mark Goulston, M.D.: Just Listen -- Too Late For This Year? Try Next...

2009-12-16T10:52:05Z

I was too late to follow the example of my friend Teri Frankel of TCB Insurance (the TCB stands for Taking Care of Business). I won't be too late next year. Hope you agree.

To Our Clients and Friends,

As 2009 comes to a close, we want to take a moment to thank you for your continued loyalty and support. This has been a challenging but successful year for many, including the TCB family, and we have you to thank for our continued growth!

There is no more appropriate time to think of those whose lives have been affected by the events of this past year. The financial crisis has left many struggling to make ends meet and businesses have been forced to make cut backs. Many families have had an unexpected health crisis or even lost a loved one.

We have decided to use our holiday gift giving to help those less fortunate and we are asking for your help. We would like to make a donation in your name to a charity or organization that is near and dear to your heart. Please email or call our office by December 1^st and let us know which organization you would like us to support, so that we may consider them this year for our giving campaign.

We wish you all a healthy and prosperous 2010!

Teri told me that the even greater benefit of giving in this manner is that you find out not only the non-profits and charities that your clients support, but get to hear the story of how and why they chose them. Those stories can often lead you to a deeper and more authentic conversation than you've ever had with these valued people.

In closing, I may be too late to send this to my clients and friends, but I am not too late in wishing all of you and your families a happy and healthy holiday season and New Year.

AND to read an impassioned blog on this topic, be sure to check out Marty Nemko's Holiday Presents, Bah, Humbug! (There's a Better Alternative)

Sacramento Man On A Mission: Volunteer For 20 Causes In 20 Days

2009-12-14T19:09:52Z

Erik, a Sacramento man, is on a truly giving mission: he's dedicating himself to twenty causes over twenty days.

WATCH THE VIDEO:

He explains that he's never volunteered before, and that he'd like to challenge himself and live outside his comfort zone, which is part of the reason why he came up with 20 Causes, 20 Days.

I'd like to do my small part to help make our community - the Sacramento region - a better place. I have the time and ability to do this. I want to help people and create some great lifelong memories in the process. I've been inspired by my mom.

Erik goes on to explain how enduring of an inspiration his mother, Gale, is, in his life.

WATCH THE VIDEO:

Erik's calendar of causes has included delivering two Thanksgiving dinners to needy families in the Sacramento area, singing karaoke for senior citizens, and sorting donated coats for kids as part of a drive with the Salvation Army. He's thoughtfully chronicled each day of volunteering on his blog.

Today marked Erik's 14th cause. Erik volunteered with the Sacramento Area Emergency Housing Center to celebrate the birthdays of children whose families used to be homeless -- at a party complete with cupcakes and presents.

Founded in 1972, the Center is a program that helps families transition from being homeless and serves 500 people each day through 14 of its programs.

Follow Erik on Twitter and stay tuned for the final six days of of 20 Causes 20 Days.

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Jane Wales: Book Lays Out Plan for an 'Impact Index'

2009-12-11T15:55:53Z

Some of the best nonprofits have been prevented from growing as large or becoming as capable as they should be. What's needed, according to Steven Goldberg, a consultant to nonprofits and social entrepreneurs, is a new nonprofit capital market that would take the form of a prediction, or information, market, akin to political polls.

In a new book, Billions of Drops in Millions of Buckets: Why Philanthropy Doesn't Advance Social Progress, Goldberg argues that such a market, while not a silver bullet, would increase social impact by fundamentally restructuring the sector, turning philanthropy from being loyalty-based - guided by fundraising and relationships - to merit-based - guided by performance. The idea of a nonprofit capital market has been mentioned by many thought leaders in the sector, Goldberg acknowledges. Nonetheless, he feels it has not received sufficient attention to date. Such a virtual stock market or "Impact Index" would allow philanthropists to know what various nonprofits accomplish, through evaluation and transparency, and not just what nonprofits are trying to accomplish, through anecdotal reporting. Such data will help make the most promising nonprofits, with the greatest likelihood of "transformative social impact," stand out from the "weeds," he writes.

Goldberg is not alone. Most established foundations are making the case for improved impact assessment -- and for a decision-making process that is based on objective measures. And most organizations that study or support the sector -- including GEO, FSG, Independent Sector, the Foundation Center and UPenn's Center for High Impact Philanthropy -- have made the case as well. But, we may be better at devising viable metrics than we are at changing behavior. And so Aspen's program on Philanthropy and Social Innovation will convene thought leaders, practitioners and funders to consider how impact measures and other data can lead to field-wide learning -- and changed behavior. Engaging in this workshop series will be members and partners of the Global Philanthropy Forum.

Before detailing his plan for this Impact Index, Goldberg writes about the problems of the current financial structure governing the sector. Traditional fundraising takes too much time and offers too little money, as foundations offer too many small, short-term grants with lots of strings attached. This practice reduces foundations' risks of failure, he writes - but may also lead to less significant achievement. The sector's most critical flaw, he says, is the fact that funding is tied to relationships, not performance.

The release of Goldberg's book is timed to take place when the discussion of metrics and evaluation is taking place in all corners of the sector -- but has not yet exhausted us. Superb work has been done and is being undertaken by many organizations on both the local and the national levels. For some, this is the time to take the discussion the last mile, from thought and successful experiment to field-wide change. But, in trying to do so, we might want to bear in mind the resilience of human nature. Both performance and relationships will surely play a role.

Erik Ose: Why Won't Borders Donate Their Soon-To-Be-Trashed Books?

2009-12-11T14:48:36Z

Last month, corporate parent Borders announced they will be soon be closing 200 Waldenbooks book stores in communities nationwide. Current Waldenbooks employees have come forward to alert the public that the company plans to dispose of many unsold books in the cheapest, easiest, least responsible way possible - by trashing them.

"This is going to be happening in all the Waldenbooks stores at the end of their liquidation sales to anything left on the shelves," said Heather L., a Waldenbooks employee. "And it gives us all stomach aches to think about."

In response, these employees have helped organize a Facebook campaign asking Borders to work with publishers to find a way to donate any unsold books to libraries or other nonprofits instead of destroying them. More than 1,500 Borders customers & employees, public library supporters, and other book lovers have signed on so far to protest this colossal impending waste of unsold books.

The Waldenbooks locations are scheduled to close their doors in January, 2010. Meanwhile, libraries and nonprofits around the country have been hit hard by the Great Recession. Library branches are serving more and more people in the face of budget cuts. Nonprofits are struggling with decreased government and corporate funding and shrinking private donations.

There is enormous need right now for any kind of helping hand extended to charitable causes. And news of Borders' plans to destroy unsold books after its Waldenbooks liquidation sales has touched a nerve.

"Holy cow!! So many reasons that this is INSANE!," said Donna Higdon Hollenbeck of Montgomery, AL. "So many worthy places these books could go to. Come on and be reasonable." "This is a perfect example of the waste overwhelming our civilization," observed Myke Yeskewicz of Providence, RI. "I'm willing to cut my Borders Reward card in half if this is done," said Del Snow of Chapel Hill, NC.

Former Waldenbooks employees say they have previously witnessed and participated in the destruction of unsold books. "I used to work at a Waldenbooks and we would trash books, tons of books, like every two weeks," said Brooke Bennett, a former employee from Little Rock, AR. "It just killed me."

Known in the bookselling industry as "dumpstering," this method of book disposal is standard practice not only at Borders-owned stores, but at many other chain book stores and mass retailers.

"I work at a drugstore in New Hampshire where they do this all the time as well, 100's of books get tossed, it's crazy," said James C. "Ever wonder what they do with all those paperback novels that disappear from the shelves?" asked Cory Wilson of Huntington, WV. "Covers get ripped off and the text goes into the dumpster." "This is totally true," said Mary P. "I used to work at Walmart and they would tear off the front cover and throw the rest in the compactor."

Occasionally this practice makes headlines. Over the past few years, local TV stations have reported on dumpsters full of trashed books behind places like a Barnes & Noble in Dallas, and a B. Dalton Bookseller closing down in Ohio.

Dumpstered books behind Dallas Barnes & Noble, 2007

Yet there is surprisingly little consumer awareness of how the publishing industry's outdated business model results in unsold books literally being thrown away. By shipping books to retailers on consignment terms, thus allowing the return of unsold merchandise, the publishing industry operates unlike all other manufacturers. An estimated 30 to 40 percent of books are returned by bookstores annually. Between 65 and 95 percent of returned books are pulped - destroyed by publishers.

But it costs money to ship returned books back. Thus was born the practice of stripping covers from books, only sending back the covers, and book stores themselves destroying the remainder of the unsold books. Dumpstering happens every day in large chain book stores. But how many customers and citizens know the truth?

"One of the ways this effort is already making a difference is by spreading awareness," said Waldenbooks employee Heather L., who is one of the Facebook campaign's co-organizers. "If we are serious about living green, we need to pressure companies like Borders to change their ways."

So far, Borders' responses to consumers who have e-mailed in protest show they are unwilling to own up to their wasteful business practices.

"We do not expect to have any remaining product to donate once we complete clearance sales at the 200 Waldenbooks stores," reads one canned response from Borders Customer Care. "We sincerely expect to have virtually no product left - our goal is to sell everything. Therefore, we do not expect to have product to donate or to dispose of."

Not a mention of what current and former employees agree is standard operating procedure for Borders, Waldenbooks and other chain book stores. Dumpstering is a dirty little secret of the bookselling and publishing industries.

One concerned Borders customer e-mailed CFO Mark Bierley, only to learn he'd deleted her e-mail unread! Georgia resident Denise C. says she "used microsoft outlook to send the email and it gives you the option to have a delivery request sent and a read receipt." Here's the reply she received:

>>Your message

To: Mary Davis (Corporate Affairs); Ron Marshall (BGI); Mark Bierley (Finance)
Cc:
Subject: DON'T THROW AWAY THE BOOKS
Sent: Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:46:32 -0500

was deleted without being read on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:53:12 -0500<<

Borders corporate headquarters in Ann Arbor, MI

If you'd like to let Borders executives know how you feel about this issue, you can e-mail CEO Ron Marshall - rmarshall@bordersgroupinc.com. Or CFO Mark Bierley - mbierley@bordersgroupinc.com (try the subject line, "Why Are You Deleting Customers' E-mails Unread?"). Or call Borders corporate headquarters toll-free at 1-800-243-7510 (press 9 for customer care). Please visit the Facebook page and help spread the word about this campaign!

Erik Ose is a veteran of Democratic campaigns in North Carolina and blogs at The Latest Outrage.

Michael Macher: Room to Grow Revolutionizes Child Care Philanthropy

2009-12-10T18:41:52Z

As America's soft-bellied middle class struggles to adjust to the myriad inconveniences of a shifting economic reality, many low-income parents are left to face a challenge far more dire -- that of providing their newborn children with adequate medical care. Forced to contend with both the economic downturn, as well as a failing health care system in the midst of transition, our poorest citizens battle to provide even the most basic needs for their infant children.

Consisting overwhelmingly of single mothers who must choose between working full-time or providing at-home care, low-income parents are engaged in what seems to be an impossible balancing act. The decision is heartbreaking: either provide financial support at the expense of care, or sacrifice much needed wage hours and watch as the debt piles up.

Caught within the gears of a structurally unjust system, one wonders whether there is not some way to prevent low-income parents from having to make the impossible choice between economic stability and direct care for their children.

There is, however, one organization that offers a possible model for progressive change within private sector philanthropy.

Room to Grow -- a New York-based philanthropic organization aimed at providing a support network for low-income parents and their infant children--is revolutionizing what child care philanthropy can be in the U.S. Conceived 11 years ago by Julie Burns, a social worker and entrepreneur, Room to Grow was founded on a simple premise: to provide medical coverage and parental assistance for "babies born in to poverty throughout the critical first three years of their life."

Armed with an expert staff of social workers as well as volunteers, Room to Grow employs a holistic approach that tackles the emotional, financial, and medical needs of low-income parents and their babies.

I was able to catch up with Mrs. Burns at a Room to Grow fundraising event at Christie's Auction House in New York. She explained how the concept for Room to Grow came to her while working as a psychotherapist in the child and adolescent division of the Karen Horney Clinic in New York. "I was working as a social worker, and started thinking about those in our society who are most underserved -- and recognized a need for parenting and material support for struggling parents."

What sets Room to Grow apart is its unique model of direct assistance and one-on-one support. "Room to Grow is very much a holistic project," Mrs. Burns said, "We strive to offer the best information and counseling possible, in addition to financial support."

The organization's expansive support network constitutes a dynamic community of social workers and health care professionals dedicated to addressing a multiplicity of needs through personalized face-to-face meetings. Tired of the poor facilities and impersonal care that most low-income parents receive from bureaucratic social programs, Mrs. Burns felt compelled to create a safe, comfortable space for struggling parents to find refuge and solace from the travails of an exceedingly difficult, and often lonely existence.

It is the intimacy of these exchanges that makes Room to Grow a truly radical project: "Since the organization began we have served over 300 families, each of whom have stayed at our program. Every three months we get close to 1,200 visits for two hour sessions providing emotional support and information."

Also present at the fundraiser was Mrs. Burns's husband and Grammy award winning documentarian, Ken Burns. Mr. Burns first got involved with Room to Grow in 2002, "when I went on the first and only blind date of my life. That is where I met Julie." Mr. Burns continued: "She wanted me to see where she worked. We walked in to the Room to Grow Office, she turned on the light, and I was just stunned."

Mr. Burns emphasized that his personal involvement with Room to Grow has been largely informed by his experience as a father. "I have three daughters. Being a father is central to my life--I'd rather have my tombstone say 'father' than filmmaker.'"

Besides impressing famous filmmakers, Room to Grow has also garnered support from actress and activist Uma Thurman, who was present at the event and has been involved with the organization since its founding. "I've been involved with Room to Grow since its founding. At the time I was living in the same brownstone as Julie, who was pregnant with Room to Grow."

Thurman spoke passionately against those who would turn a blind eye to the problem of poverty in the U.S., saying: "It doesn't take a humanitarian to care about children and poverty. The diagnosis of being human is that you care for others. When I had my first child, if I hadn't had the benefits I did, I'd have been crushed."

Rejecting the notion that low-income parents are irresponsible and thus undeserving of our aid, Thurman condemned the political and economic system that allows families to exist in such impoverished circumstances. "We need to support those members of our society who are less fortunate," said Thurman. "It isn't a fair system."

Whatever your views concerning the future of health care, the economy, or public policy, our collective failure to address issues of poverty and child care on the most basic levels has only further perpetuated the unnecessary suffering and marginalization of our poorest citizens. Organizations such as Room to Grow can help forge a path, but ultimately it is up to each of us to contribute in our own way to the alleviation of the poverty right in our own backyard.

If you would like to donate to, or volunteer for Room to Grow, please visit their website for more information.

Sock It To Him: Boy Collects 1000 Socks for Needy Kids

2009-12-09T14:39:43Z

Consider what life without socks would be like. That's what 11-year-old Tanner Eaves is asking everyone in the Lake Mary, Florida community, as he collects socks for needy children this holiday season, The Orlando Sentinel reports.

Reasoning that socks were more recession-friendly than the purchase of toys, Tanner's already collected more than 500 pairs, and is due to collect more by his Dec. 14 deadline. Days after Halloween, Tanner created a flier and canvassed local businesses to promote the sock drive, which he plans to make an annual event.

He asked his school, Heathrow Elementary, for help, too, via a schoolwide broadcast about his project.

"You would get nasty blisters all the time," the fifth-grader wrote in a letter to his school administrators to get permission for the announcement. He concluded: "Wouldn't it feel nice if you were one of those less-fortunate kids and you woke up Christmas morning and had a nice, warm pair of cozy socks in your stocking (which, by the way, is also a sock) instead of the smelly, itchy ones you have now?"

Tanner's first charity donation was six years ago, when he declared he wanted to donate toys to abused and needy children at the Children's Home Society. He noticed that many of the children has mismatched or too-small socks, so most of the socks collected during the drive will go to the Children's Home Society.

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Andrew Shapter: Giving And The Pursuit Of Happiness

2009-12-09T11:34:19Z

"Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" is perhaps the most important phrase in the our Declaration of Independence. Commonly referred to as the "unalienable rights" of Americans, it is ingrained in our collective psyche.

"Life?" Sure, we all have a right to live.

"Liberty?" Got it.

But, "the pursuit of happiness?"

Is happiness something that we can really pursue?

If so, how would we define what happiness is, and when would we know if or when we've got it?

These were the central questions I asked myself and random Americans as I traveled coast-to-coast. The result is the film "Happiness Is."

First, looking specifically at the phrase "the pursuit of happiness," I asked philanthropists, scholars, the occasional celebrity (including John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson), spiritual leaders (including the Dalai Lama who was visiting the U.S. at the time), and a wide range of Americans rich and poor, what their definition of happiness was. Luckily, I didn't find too many pat answers. Instead, I found thoughtful insights and some surprisingly common ground. I found that the process was even helping to guide me through my own personal journey towards the elusive (but obtainable) goal of contentment.

I guess you could even say that "Happiness Is" serves as my own personal roadmap to happiness. Allow me to share just a few of the many things I discovered in making this film.

1. Money can buy happiness. That's right. The fact is, if you don't have all of your basic needs met, you can buy things that will make you happier... like all the things that serve our basic needs as humans: food, shelter, safety, clean water and so on. If all of those needs are not met, life can be miserable, and even dangerous. So a person can definitely find an underlying baseline of happiness (albeit, one that may be taken for granted) by meeting these basic requirements. However! For someone like me (and many of us) who has all of these basics needs met, nothing I can buy will make me truly happier. Nope, not even that new Canon 7D camera with high definition video.

2. Try downward comparison for a change. This one was introduced to me by one of our cast members, Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project. Gretchen suggested that I escape the habit of comparing my life to people that have more than I do. This might explain why so many happiness studies suggest that people in poorer countries report higher levels of happiness than Americans do. It's because they are comparing their lives to the people around them. So, their level of happiness is relative to the poor people around them. What we Americans often take for granted, such as air-conditioning or a basic grocery store visit, can bring great satisfaction to a poor family living in Somalia. Ok, so the next time I get jealous of the surround-sound home theater system at my friend Bob Fonseca's house, all I have to do is think of the millions of people who are too poor to own a TV and voila!, it no longer bothers me. I'm just lucky to have a TV (or two).

http://www.demoreel.us/HI/GL.mov

3) Giving brings contentment. Wrapping up the long journey of making this film, I returned home to Austin, Texas with 100+ hours of film footage, but there was still had no 'ending' in sight. It was frustrating not having a way to tie the many concepts of happiness together. Then one morning, I took the advice of our producer Tracy Marino and met up with Alan Graham. I had heard his name before but I wasn't sure where. All I knew about him was what that he was the founder of Mobile Loaves and Fishes, an organization that provides food, clothing, and "dignity" for the homeless in cities across the U.S.

Alan invited us to join him as he ventured out to feed some very hungry people. I wouldn't describe Alan as someone who appears happy on the outside, but I could see that he was very happy on the inside. He had a level of contentment that became more and more apparent to me as I spent time with him. And as the day came to an end, I realized that I learned more about happiness in that one day than I did in the two years of traveling the back-roads of America.

http://www.demoreel.us/HI/

Now that we're releasing the film, we know exactly what we needed to do. We've decided to support nonprofit charities in need of help. By taking the film on a screening tour around the country, we can serve those in need by using the film as a tool to inspire more people to find their own personal contentment through the act of giving. Since our first public screening, "Happiness Is" has raised thousands of dollars for local charities nationwide. Now, more and more nonprofit organizations are turning to the film for help.

Today, we're working to get to as many places as possible, including our next stops in Iowa, Michigan and Chicago where the film will be hosting a benefit screening for The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless on December 10th.

To learn more about the film, the nonprofit screening tour and our team who made it all possible, visit us at HAPPINESS IS and to learn more about volunteering in your own community, visit the Huffington Post's own Impact Page Impact News and Opinion.

Fang Yuan: Things to Truly Be Thankful For

2009-12-07T17:35:00Z

This Year, I am Grateful For...

Access to Clean Water

It was the warmth and purity of the water that shocked me when I first moved to the U.S. I was only seven years old at the time, had just moved to New York City from China, and had never yet been to a place where clean, hot water ran from the faucets every day of the week. Like meat and dairy at the time, hot water was also rationed -- it gushed out only two times a week in my grandmother's apartment in Beijing. To me, constant access to clean, hot water was a daily miracle -- such privileges did not exist where I was from!

Of course, little did I know then that even fewer privileges existed for far more children around the world. Even today, 1 out of 8 people worldwide still do not have access to safe, clean drinking water. This is an especially grave situation given that 80 percent of all sickness and disease worldwide are caused by unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation.

Recently, I came upon an organization called Charity Water that is helping communities in developing nations to get access to supplies of clean underground freshwater. Specifically, Charity Water works with local organizations to drill wells that provide people with access to this vital resource and also establishes a water committee after the completion of the project to ensure ongoing local participation and community ownership.

Charity Water has made it very easy for people who are interested in this issue to contribute to its projects -- you can donate online, volunteer your time (the office and the people are fun, the music is great, and the work is meaningful), or attend the Charity Water Ball taking place on Monday, December 14 in NYC. More information on the organization and on the Charity Water Ball can be found here and on their site.

Earning more than $3 a day

Pato, (or "Duck" in Spanish), was the nickname of one of my favorite students and friends in Mexico. After my freshman year in college, I volunteered as an English teacher for six weeks in a small mountain village of 700 people in Mexico. The adjustment to rural life as the only foreigner in town was rough in the beginning but thankfully, about 45 mosquito bites into the summer (i.e. less than two weeks), I had finally begun to make considerable headway with my work and my relationships with the villagers.

However, it was also around this time that I started noticing that a couple of my students, Pato included, were not being as diligent about attending class. On a Saturday expedition into the mountainside with my new crew of core friends, most of whom were also my students, I teasingly confronted Pato about missing hearing his "quacking" in class. Pato, generally a happy-go-lucky and boisterous 14-year old, suddenly went deadly quiet. Slowly stretching out his deeply tanned and roughened hands in front, he asked me to look down -- my mouth dropped open as I stared at a multitude of what looked like knife scars, some deep, some shallow, and a few recent and burning red, that crisscrossed the wide expanse of his hands. I will never forget holding this young boy's hands, making sure not to disturb his wounds, as he told me about how he had to drop my classes in order to cut down fruits with badly constructed sickles and walk with these mangos, bananas, and other fruits for hours on the only highway that led up to the village with his father, in order to earn around 20-25 pesos (~$3) a day from passengers who were kind enough to slow down to buy from them.

Pato is not alone. Shockingly, 3 billion people (almost half of the total world population of 6.7 billion people) make $3 or less per day. While one can argue that the cost of living is much lower in developing countries, this does not take away the fact that had Pato been born in another country to another family and had you or I been born into his family in his country, the situation would have been very different for all of us.

That is to say, fate has been good to us and I believe we have an obligation to pass on the favor to those who have not been so lucky.

There are two good ways that I can think of to give back in a practical way. The first is to directly support the entrepreneurial activities of people at the bottom of the pyramid. Both Kiva, which works worldwide, and Wokai, specific to China, use similar business models in helping to connect people through lending in order to alleviate poverty. Both are person-to-person microlending websites that allow you to personally select the recipient of your loan, which can be as small as $25. One great thing about this model is that once the first entrepreneur pays you back your loan, you can then re-lend to someone else.

More information about lending with Kiva can be found atKiva.org.

To see the impact that Kiva has on actual entrepreneurs, you can travel abroad to experience firsthand the realities of microfinance as a Kiva Fellow.

Wokai has a special place in my heart. After having backpacked through multiple rural provinces in China and eaten the same food, lived in the same regions, and ridden the same mountain buses as many of these rural workers -- I can say that there are few people I know who are as generous, as hard-working, and as ready to sing a song no matter how hot the day or how loud the engine! The profiles of the people on Wokai are as diverse as they are inspiring. Please check out their loan recipients.

Another way to give back on an even larger scale is to support the work of the Acumen Fund, an innovative organization that is providing philanthropic capital and business knowledge to pioneering entrepreneurs with sustainable and scalable businesses who are offering critical services -- water, health, housing, and energy -- at affordable prices to people earning less than $4 a day.

My own belief is that this will be the real way out of poverty -- innovative, market-oriented approaches that view the billions of people making less than $3 or $4 a day as one of the largest customer bases in the world rather than as people who need handouts. As Jacqueline Novogratz, the founder of the Acumen Fund, puts it: poor people seek dignity, not dependence.

Reading Jacqueline's personal memoir "The Blue Sweater" has been both personally fulfilling and extremely enlightening -- it really shows just how much one person can achieve with the right amount of dedication and strength of heart. A preview of the first few pages can be found on the book's Web site.

We should be thankful that even a $5 donation (basically a round-trip ride on the NYC subway system!) will be able to so meaningfully impact the lives of so many.

To become more involved with the Acumen Fund, you can join a local chapter on its Community Website or, for those in the NYC area, the Acumen Fund will be hosting an event on Wednesday, December 9th at the Bubble Lounge in Tribeca (please forward the information to anyone who you believe may be interested in participating)! Click here to sign up as a member of the Acumen Fund Community (link is for NYC Chapter, but there are also other local chapters and interest groups as well).

Not having to live through a "hungry season"

My father once confessed to me his motivation to keep going no matter how difficult the circumstances. A few years after I was born, he woke up covered in sweat from an unimaginably horrendous nightmare. As he put it, in the surreal Dali-like desert of his dream, the world had become a barren field that stretched for thousands of miles in all directions. Carrying me on his back, my father spent days foraging for the tiniest amount of food. On finally encountering a morsel of food, he quickly pressed the victual into my open mouth -- thankful that his only child would have a chance to eat and survive.

While I sometimes roll my eyes now as he tells this story to family friends, I realize more and more just how real my dad's nightmare is for the 600 million people who suffer from seasonal changes that create a "hungry season" that lasts three or four months out of the year. Basically, a "hungry season" occurs when the previous year's harvest runs low, food prices are high and jobs are scarce, forcing millions of families worldwide to survive on lowered incomes and minimal food.

It is maybe for this very personal reason that I am drawn to the work being done by One Acre Fund in East Africa. One Acre Fund is an organization that helps East African farmers to permanently grow their own way out of hunger and, despite only having been founded in 2006, is already serving 4,000 families.

Through the work of such well-run and efficient organizations, we also gain an enormous amount of power in being able to make the best use of our donation money -- just $20 a month is enough to start a new family in the One Acre Fund program.

More ways to become involved include joining a local One Acre Fund Chapter, signing up for the newsletter to learn more about the program's innovative methods and progress, or becoming a fundraiser. For those who are even more committed, the One Acre Fund is also looking to recruit people who are interested in working with East African farmers in Kenya and Rwanda.

Having the power to change other people's lives

On reflecting on my own life thus far, I have to admit that I have been very, very fortunate. Of course, I have worked hard and will work even harder to achieve my goals in life, but at least I know that I have the opportunity to pursue my dreams, whatever they may be. The ability to shape our own lives is something that we tend to take for granted in this country but really this is a privilege, indeed, a sacred opportunity, that some people fight their entire lives for and yet may never obtain.

If there is one thing that I believe in, it would be this -- that where one is born should never dictate the outcome of one's fate. I believe that internal strength and willpower should be given the chance to overcome any external circumstances no matter how seemingly insurmountable they may be.

At this critical moment in history, when it is easier than ever before to reach out, touch, and shape another person's life, we have fewer and fewer excuses to not contribute to re-shaping our increasingly interconnected world for the better. The power to change other people's lives for the better for so little is perhaps the most important thing that I am grateful for this holiday season.

Kari Henley: Become A Philanthropist With A Mission

2009-12-06T07:00:00Z

How many of you consider yourselves a philanthropist? The word conjures up super elite icons like Bill Gates, Oprah and Warren Buffet. However, the true definition of philanthropist is "lover of humanity." It is simple kindness. Bottom line, anyone who cares enough about others to give their time, attention and energy IS a philanthropist.

'Tis the season for giving: a few coins into the Salvation Army bucket, cans for the soup kitchen, extra toys for the hospital, or supplies for the troops. Local and national non-profits send out their appeals this time of year to coincide with year end tax deductions. Ever stopped to really think about what charities mean the most to you and why? Often holiday giving is closely tied with guilt or obligation, as many feel they aren't giving enough, and the whole experience is less than Ho-Ho-Ho.

What is the difference between giving money to a cause you barely know, vs. opening your wallet for a friend who can't cover her grocery bills in line, or running a race for your mother who survived breast cancer? The impact is greater when our personal investment is higher.

I had an opportunity to attend a workshop called "Philanthropy with Passion and Purpose" by Bank of America Merrill Lynch -- a proprietary program to help individuals share, learn and discuss how personal values connect to philanthropic mission and actions. Who would think a bank would offer a quasi personal growth workshop? It was a fascinating process, and I was truly inspired.

Claire Costello is the National Foundation Executive for Bank of America Merrill Lynch Philanthropic Management, and explained why having a mission statement for you values and causes is so important. "Figuring out what you are passionate about, helps you give the way you live," she said. "By developing a personal credo for yourself it affects everything; the way you raise your kids, the friends you make, the business deals you conduct, and how you give your money away."

The process begins with an exploration of your values. What guides the decisions you make in life, and what values drive you? Examples of common values include loyalty, independence, honesty, excellence, diversity, community, spirituality, respect, and so on. Grab a piece of paper and jot down three or four personal values that really resonate with you.

Next, think about the issues that catch your attention, stir your passion or call you to action. Is it conservation and the environment, healthcare, education, science & technology, domestic violence or civic engagement? Again, take that sheet of paper and identify a couple of issues that have deep meaning for you.

Finally, the values and causes you have identified are combined into a formative mission statement of your philanthropy -- stating what you stand for, who you want to impact, and how to accomplish it. Think this is easy? It is actually a challenging and profound experience. I highly recommend trying this with your partner, group of close friends, or as a family exercise.

"Once you begin this process, there is a point of no return," said Costello. "Most people are reactive in their giving, and is has little meaning. If you give based on what you care about, there is much greater personal fulfillment." Aligning values and issues creates a powerful incentive to make a difference, and keep making a difference. It also establishes a graceful way to bow out of requests for causes that are not on the list.

For example, if I identified "family and community" as my top values, with "youth education" as top causes, donating to a startup biotech would not be nearly as fulfilling as helping build and support a Read to Grow program, sponsoring a child to go to school in Africa or mentoring a child once a month as the best investments of my time and money.

How can you express your philanthropic mission statement in a depressed economy? Here are three suggestions:

Writing a check is one way. Many of us have money we spend mindlessly -- a pair of shoes here, latte there, dinner out with wine and dessert -- need I go on? If conservation is your key issue, and loyalty is a high value, choose an eco friendly or green cause, and carve out a small amount of money to give to them each month.

The second way is Time. Volunteering is invaluable -- be a coach, mentor, or helping hand to the causes that represent your deepest commitments. A consistent allotment of time helps the organization to know they can count on you, and often becomes a lovely blossom in the daily grind.

The third is through Advocacy. "In tough economic times, we can still make an impact by simply talking about the causes we believe in and raising awareness, whether it is at a book club, meeting or at work," said Costello. "Sharing your passion can potentially enlist a new donor, or a new volunteer."

Next week, I will highlight a few organizations that offer a variety of causes to engage, so get that "Mission Statement of Philanthropy" going this week, and let me know how it goes. If you have one now, I'd love to hear it in the comments below.

Helene Robbins is the Chair of the Community Fund for Women & Girls and a Vice President at Wells Fargo Private Bank, and helped organize the event I attended. She reflected on the deep generosity Americans share, when a cause is dear to our hearts.

"On September 10, 2001, there was no reason to raise millions of dollars for the survivors of 9/11," she said. "The money that poured in, and volunteers that arrived in droves, were for a cause that literally did not exist the day before."

A crisis brings us together. For many out there, this holiday season IS a crisis. Millions are losing their homes, and more Americans are without jobs than ever. Whether it is time, money or advocacy -- give the way you live.

We May Be Born With An Urge to Help

2009-12-02T14:17:57Z

Biologists are forming a better view of humankind than the traditional opinions of it as warlike and selfish.