Posts Tagged ‘philanthropy’

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Celebrate!

October 25, 2010

My friend Lisa told me a story recently of how a celebrity wedding almost brought her and a complete stranger together—but didn’t.

Lisa and this woman she didn’t know were both getting their nails done at the same salon one day, and the television set blaring from the corner was showing a program on celebrity weddings. One famous bride was extremely proud of her Mediterranean heritage and so rented ancient Greek sculptures to serve as centerpieces, shelling out $5,000—each. The stranger said to Lisa, “that’s crazy. I mean, there are so many other things you could spend that money on…” and Lisa was nodding in agreement. Starving children, she thought, or health care for pregnant women. The woman continued. “She could have gotten a fabulous diamond tennis bracelet, or…”

So close, but so far apart.

Whether you’re planning a wedding, celebrating a birthday or welcoming a new family member, the way we choose to share our joy is an important reflection of who we are and what we value.  There’s nothing wrong with spending money to celebrate special events, but to live an integrated life we need to realize that money is merely the means to an end, not an end in itself.

If you’re wondering about specific elements to include in your big moments, ask yourself these questions:

  • Does this aspect of the celebration fall in line with my deepest values?
  • Do I feel good about spending my money in this way?
  • What am I signaling to my friends and family with this celebration? Am I demonstrating superficial aspects of who I am (monetary wealth or popularity) or deeply rooted beliefs and priorities (gratitude or the importance of family).

You are the only person who can answer these questions honestly, and your gut response will tell you a lot about your underlying motivations. Do they make you uncomfortable or defensive about your choices? If so, ask yourself why and try to be honest. But if you can answer these questions with clarity and confidence, you’ll feel good about what you’re doing and enjoy your celebration as a true expression of the whole person that you are.

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You Are More Than a CheckBook

October 20, 2010

You’re so much more than money. When it comes to your ability to support causes, and ultimately bring about the world you want to see, the line item in your budget that is reserved for “donations to charity” is just the beginning of what you have to offer.

I see at least five additional categories that comprise your power to bring about positive 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. Think of how much you spend every week on groceries, drug store items, eating out, buying clothes, etc. In short, every one of those purchasing decisions can be a statement about the things you believe in.  Sound overwhelming? Start with a few baby steps.

  1. If you have an iphone, arm yourself to make good purchasing decisions on the go 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.
  2. When you shop the Amazon catalog, do it through Alonovo, which pairs the search results with corporate social responsibility ratings for the company so you can include your values in your decision-making.
  3. Or better yet, shop local bricks and mortar business to help your community thrive, as advocated by The 3/50 Project
  4. Want to get started right away? Hand out fair trade chocolate this Halloween.
  5. With the holidays fast approaching, shop for gifts at stores that support the artisans and pay them a fair wage instead of exploiting cheap labor. You can find all kinds of ideas for clothes and gifts through the Case Foundation’s Dressed to Give blog series.

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 other socially responsible 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.

Don’t have a big stock portfolio (yet)? What about your 401k? Could you talk to your HR department about including socially responsible investment choices for your retirement plan?

Old myths that you have to sacrifice performance to achieve social or environmental benefits have been easily dis-proven, although many financial professionals continue to spout this old trope. So come armed with evidence.

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?

You have “reputational capital” that might be valuable among your peers. Offer it up, via testimonials, public appearances, attending events, etc.

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 for them, and it’s something they really need.

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 those folks 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.

More and more people are using celebrations in their lives to ask people to engage with their favorite causes.

For her 40th birthday next year, my sister has asked my, my other sister and my mom to join her in a three-day walk-a-thon to raise money for cancer research.

Or you may consider a note for your next party that goes something like this: “We look forward to celebrating our [occasion] with you. In lieu of gifts, please consider making a donation to our favorite charity.”

Informal get-together? Ask friends to bring a few canned goods or gently used clothing that you will donate to charity. It doesn’t have to  be a big production, just a thoughtful gesture.

Live an integrated life

It is no doubt easier to write a few checks than to integrate your values into so many areas of your life. But a greater consciousness about our actions and how they affect the causes we care about helps us to feel empowered and in control. Maybe you can’t write that many zeros in your donation, but we can all live a fulfilling, integrated life.

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Rededicating The Philanthropic Family

October 18, 2010

I’m just coming off of maternity leave after giving birth to our third child this summer, a healthy and beautiful baby girl. My blog has been dormant for a while, since the past few months have been outrageously busy. But I wanted to “re-launch” and commit to weekly postings of the tools that I discover to help lead an “Integrated Life.”

What is An Integrated Life?

The recession has prompted many to turn inward, rejecting the quest for material things in favor of the search for meaning. Instead of treating philanthropy as a holiday check-writing exercise divorced from the rest of our lives, we are striving to integrate personal passions, professional expertise, consumer habits, vacation time and even household buying decisions into a single identity that expresses a consistent set of values.  We’re no longer content to compartmentalize our lives, sending a few dollars to poverty-stricken children in Africa while buying diamonds from the terrorists who create conditions of despair. Globalization, with all its complications, has made us aware of the impact of our buying habits and lifestyle on people half the world away. The organic and slow-food movements, the fair trade movement and the greening of America are all evidence of this understanding.

So if you’re ready to take this journey with me, subscribe to receive  updates once or twice a week with ideas, concrete examples and inspiration to help you “be the change you wish to see in the world.”

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Every Kid Wants a Dad

June 17, 2010

An email that touched me this Father’s Day.

Sharon,

Every kid wants a Dad who’s there. Not every kid has one.

Every kid wants a Dad who can support his family. Not every kid has one.

Every kid wants a Dad who can come through in emergencies.

Not every kid has one.

And on one day of the year, that’s painfully clear for the families on SmallCanBeBig.

Honor Dads the world over with a small donation to help them out.

This donation will do what Dads do. Bring a family back from the brink of hopelessness.

Donate

Happy Father’s Day.

Cheers,

The Team at SmallCanBeBig.org
SmallCanBeBig.org

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Don’t Almost Give – Give

March 12, 2010

Any of this sound familiar?

  • I almost wrote a check to Partners in Health after the earthquake in Haiti.
  • I almost offered to volunteer in my son’s classroom.
  • I almost told someone who casually used the “r-word” to get a clue.
  • I almost called my senators to let them know how I feel about the health care bill.
  • I almost wrote a blog post about the Carson’s sale event to benefit Goodwill (Donate to Goodwill, get 20% off).

Our character isn’t comprised of the things we almost did–it’s the accumulation of the things we actually did. Good intentions and charitable impulses aren’t enough. So, while all of the above are sad reminders of the things I didn’t do this week, I’m happy to say I followed through on a few charitable impulses, too.

  • I volunteered at the Cara Program to help unemployed workers develop their interviewing skills.
  • I served as Cookie Mom for my daughter’s Girl Scout troop.
  • I became a “High Fidelity” member of my favorite public radio station in the country, (you can pledge, too, at WBEZ).
  • I helped my kids round up their pennies and dollars (and mine, too) for the Central Asia Institute’s Pennies for Peace campaign at their school.
  • I started posting to my philanthropy blog again after three months of almost posting.

I feel great about those efforts. I always feel good when I follow through on something. And the legacy I hope to pass to my kids is that of a parent who speaks and acts with compassion and consideration, not one who really meant to but never got around to it.

So the next time a charitable impulse makes itself known in some part of your busy brain–act on it.

Thanks to Rosetta Thurman for pointing out the “Don’t Almost Give – Give” campaign sponsored by the Ad Council, which inspired this post.

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Posted in Giving Money, Giving Things, Giving Time, Involving the Next Generation | 1 Comment »

Scroogenomics

December 20, 2009

Though the title of the book sounds crabby, Joel Waldfogel has a point that’s really about bringing joy to people we care about enough to buy presents for. The Wharton professor and author of “Scroogenomics: Why You Shouldn’t Buy Presents for the Holidays” says in Time magazine that when we buy things for ourselves, we only pay what it’s worth to us.

But when we buy things for other people, we’re more likely to overpay and throw the economics of value out of whack. It’s bad for us, because we overspend and tend to rack up debt. And it’s bad for the recipient, because they get something they might not value instead of something they would have really valued and enjoyed for the money we were willing to spend on them.

Most of us intend to bring joy with the gifts we give, but it’s easy to miss the mark, even with good intentions. So how to we actually accomplish our goal of making the gift recipient happy?

One way, Waldfogel points out, is to buy gift certificates so the person can buy something they really want. But another way, he also recognizes, is to give to someone’s favorite charity instead of buying them things. If you don’t know their favorite charity, you can use a site that allows for charity gift certificates, where your recipient gets to choose the ultimate beneficiary of the donation.

Giving to charity is often seen as a luxury, and it makes us feel good. Two great attributes for any gift.

Additional sites that allow for your recipient to choose between many different charities:

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Donations Replace Dust Collectors

December 14, 2009

If you’re anything like my family, you’ve given up buying holiday presents for the adults. Rather than searching for novelties and decorative baubles (which my brother-in-law refers to as “dust collectors”), we just give money to charity instead.

Actually, as it turns out, a lot of you are JUST like my family. The American Cancer Society recently did a survey of over 1,000 adults about their holiday plans. Key findings include:

  • “This year, nearly half of adult consumers are at least somewhat likely to change conventional gifting traditions by asking for or giving a donation in lieu of birthday or holiday gifts.
  • “Women may be more charitable than men, at least when it comes to asking for a donation in lieu of a gift this holiday season.  The survey showed that almost 50 percent of women are very or somewhat likely to ask for a donation in lieu of a holiday gift, compared to less than 40 percent of men.
  • “Giving to health causes, like the American Cancer Society, is among the top causes on wish lists this year. Of those women who would prefer a donation in lieu of a birthday or holiday gift, they would most likely prefer a donation in support of a children’s cause (no. 1) or health cause (no. 2).
  • “Finally, the survey predicts that the average donation in lieu of a gift this holiday season will be just above $50, an amount that can make a significant impact.”

Why do you think this trend is growing? Is it because of the recession? Because charities are doing a better job of asking for gifts? Because we’ve seen this behavior modeled and it’s just finally catching on? Because of the mainstream attention to philanthropy, including this summer’s brief TV series “The Philanthropist” or “Giving” sections in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times?

If you’re looking to give donations instead of dust collectors, try some of these gift ideas.

And from Nathaniel Whittemore and Change.org, Three Great Ideas for Good Holiday Shopping

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More Than Money, Part II

October 30, 2009

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.

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Posted in Giving Things, Giving Time, Lifestyle | 6 Comments »

9/11 Philanthropic Birthday Ideas

September 8, 2009

Last year, in an effort to turn the day of my birthday (9/11) from something horrible to something worth celebrating, I participated in the “Born in September” campaign, where  you ask friends and family to donate an amount equal to your age toward building wells in lieu of birthday presents. I was able to raise $750 dollars from friends and family and it made September 11th a very happy day in my household. charity:water is doing the same campaign this year, if you’re a September baby looking for a cause. (Read my post from last year here)

Here are a few other philanthropic birthday options for all of you searching for 9/11 birthday ideas:

  • This year, I’m having friends and family over for a BBQ. In lieu of birthday presents, I’ve asked everyone to bring either gently-used work clothing that I can take to the Cara Program here in Chicago (which helps people who are homeless develop job skills, interview skills and life skills to move them onto  a long-term career track and into a stable environment) or some canned goods that we’ll take to the local food pantry.
  • Got Fuse? If you have Fuse TV (check here) watch Jay-Z in a special benefit concert on September 11th. Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the The New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children’s Fund. According to the information posted by this charity on Guidestar, they distribute $25,000 immediately following the death of a safety worker and provide an annual distribution to each family of around $13,000 every year after that.
  • Perhaps you want to make your own donation to the Widows’ and Children’s Fund or to your favorite charity in celebration of the many gifts in your life. You can easily find a reputable, vetted projects through Global Giving, such as the Safer World Fund. “Created by family and friends of 9/11 victims, the Safer World Fund supports education and health care in poor communities vulnerable to extremism and terrorism. Give now – donations are being matched 50%!”
  • Is your child having a birthday party? One of my favorite funny moms on Twitter, Kelly Phillips Erb, said that for her girls’ last party, they had other kids bring books to donate to the school library. You could also have them  bring stuffed animals for the hospital or art supplies for an after-school project, etc.
  • If you need a project to keep children busy during the party, set up a table where they can make pictures of their homes and their lives to send to children in some other part of the world. Maybe make thank-you notes to send to local police or fire departments?  These don’t have to be heavy conversations and depressing subjects, at younger ages just raising awareness, instilling a sense of gratitude and making connections among kids who live differently from them is a pre-cursor to later involvement. (Note that for security reasons you need to be a friend or family member to send care packages and mail to service members overseas.)
  • How about celebrating your birthday with a day of service? What better way to express your gratitude for life and liberty than working to provide someone else with those same blessings.

Other ideas and suggestions? Please share them!

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Posted in Giving Money, Giving Things | 6 Comments »

Where Are You Wearing?

September 4, 2009

I’m excited to have just found a helpful, practical resource for philanthropically-minded souls who care about labor rights, conservation and environmental stewardship and generally speaking, social justice via economic empowerment. It’s a blog called “Adventures of the Engaged Consumer.”

The title of this post “Where are you wearing?” is not a typo. It is the question author Kelsey Timmerman asks us to consider. This question is part of a larger stream of consciousness about the things that pass through our everyday lives; Where (geographically) do these things come from? What are they made from and who makes them? How do they get into our hands or our houses and where will they go after we don’t want them or need them anymore? Being a conscious consumer means taking a moment to consider the answers and make informed buying decisions.

Here’s an excerpt from his latest post on Fair Fashion, which provides some “quick and dirty” guidance to buying clothing:

1) Avoid department store labels. I would rather go with an established brand like Levi’s than JCPenney’s signature label or Wal-Marts ironic label Faded Glory.

2) Nothing from Wal-Mart or Wal-Mart-like stores unless it’s a T-shirt and it’s hilarious (I have my weaknesses).

3) If given a choice between something made in China or somewhere else, go with somewhere else. What’s [considered by the government to be] right in China is what grows the nation’s economy and for the most part this makes labor rights wrong. It’s okay to buy shoes made in China because it’s tough to find any that are made elsewhere and going barefoot stinks. (I’m not calling for a boycott of China, it’s just how I feel.)

4) Reference the pocket-sized book The Better World Shopping Guide by Ellis Jones. The guide grades products, retailers, and brands on their social and environmental practices. Patagonia gets an A but none of their products are found at our mall. But Levi’s, GAP, and Eddie Bauer get Bs and are.

In a pinch, these are my quick and dirty standards. They aren’t perfect. What I would really like to see are the major retailers providing ethical options that cost a little more. We have organic/natural aisles in all of our local grocery stores, so why can’t we have a few racks of socially and environmentally conscious clothing?

(Take a few minutes and write to your favorite retailer and ask for an ethical option.)

Thanks, Kelsey, for doing the hard work for us by teaching us how to be engaged consumers. Here’s are links to reach some of Chicago’s most popular retailers to share your support (I recommend the corporate office because individual stores may have little incentive to pass on your suggestion):

Target

Macy’s

JC Penney

Nordstrom

Neiman Marcus

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