The Philanthropic Family

I wrote earlier today about taking inventory of your assets–beyond writing checks–to support your charitable causes. (Click here to review the checklist.) I’m still playing with these concepts, but as of now I see at least five categories that comprise your power to bring about social change.

1) You are a consumer

Linking our consumer purchasing decisions with our values is one of the most powerful tools at our disposal as a community.

If you have an iphone, arm yourself to make good purchasing decisions with the free goodguide app, which will allow you to type in the bar code for products on the shelf and get back a rating that will help you understand the social and environmental impact of that product.

When you shop the Amazon catalog, do it through www.alonovo.com, which pairs the search results with corporate social responsibility ratings for the company so you can include your values in your decision-making.

2) You are an investor

The old model of screening out “evil” companies is falling by the wayside. Instead, talk to your investment advisor about finding green tech or clean tech stocks or funds. And when you get those proxy notices in the mail, instead of pitching them, look at what the corporation is going to do and use your position as a shareholder to advocate for responsible decisions. For more info on working in partnership with corporations to address environmental concerns, check out Ceres at http://www.ceres.org

3) You are a person with a reputation

Have you considered how your name as a supporter and contributor might be used to lend credibility and even a “stamp of approval” to support the charities you care about?

4) You are a person with skills and talents

If your professional expertise is accounting,  have you considered how your knowledge of cash flow and accounts receivable could help the smaller charities you care about manage their money more effectively? If you are a school teacher, have you considered whether your skills as an educator might be put to use? Lots of  charities need their walls painted and their envelopes stuffed. But I always find it more  rewarding to use my professional expertise to help the charities I care about, because it’s something not everyone can do.

5) You are a person with a social network

Your friends and acquaintances are also more than money. If you’re not a graphic designer but you have a friend who is, you might recruit them to the cause. They could design a logo, a program for the big event, table tents, web design, etc.  If you have a twitter following, can you recruit them or mobilize them to take action on behalf of your favorite organizations? Putting a badge on your Facebook page or changing your icon to the charity logo lets your friends know you are passionate. And when your favorite charity asks you to take action, pass it along to your friends to magnify your effect.