Discouragement, despair and anger are understandable and common responses to the current experiences of systemic racial injustice and bigotry, an advancing global pandemic and an economic train wreck. Philanthropy, however, can offer a path forward. Philanthropy is inherently optimistic, reflecting the core belief that we can repair the world and have a positive impact on…
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Bruce DeBoskey is an award winning, nationally-syndicated author of columns and articles in newspapers and magazines such as The Denver Post, The Miami Herald, the Chicago Tribune, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Albuquerque Journal, the Sacramento Bee, the Kansas City Star, the Lexington Herald-Leader, the Charlotte Observer, the Fort-Worth Star-Telegram, 5280 Magazine, the Costco Connection, Boston College's Corporate Citizen Magazine, The Denver Foundation's Give Magazine, the Boulder Jewish News, Investments & Wealth Monitor, Company Week and many more. Bruce's columns are distributed by the Chicago Tribune News Service to over 600 newspapers and other news outlets across the U.S. and abroad.
Questions to ask about a nonprofit’s climate impact
I was in high school when America observed the first Earth Day in April, 1970. To highlight the day, I wore an M-17 military gas mask in the hallways between classes, until I was assaulted by a teacher, slammed against the lockers and dragged by my collar to the principal’s office. We argued about first…
Giving in the time of COVID-19
The role of philanthropy in responding to this pandemic is critical. Nonprofit organizations, accounting for nearly one in ten jobs in the U.S. private workforce, with more than 12 million total employees, are in crisis. For many nonprofits, especially those that provide safety net services, demand has never been higher, and is only expected to…
Funding in short supply for charities focused on women and girls
Charitable support for organizations that serve women and girls is surprisingly deficient when compared with philanthropic giving as a whole. The Women & Girls Index, which measured giving to more than 45,000 U.S. organizations dedicated to women and girls, found that only 1.6 percent of all philanthropic support went to these causes – about $6.3…
Use facts to debunk entrenched myths about philanthropy
Over generations of giving, generous people have developed a wide range of “beliefs” about philanthropy. In fact, many of these beliefs are actually myths. Many beliefs about philanthropy are based on false assumptions or an inaccurate understanding of how contemporary philanthropy actually works. Ultimately, these myths can inhibit giving by discouraging people from believing that…
Philanthropy 2020: Meaningfully impacted by politics, tax law and climate change
As the philanthropic landscape continues to evolve in 2020, expect these meaningful developments. Political fundraising will challenge charitable fundraising. 2020 is likely to be the most-expensive-ever U.S. political campaign year. Billions of dollars will be donated to national, state and local campaigns. It is projected that media spending alone on U.S. presidential and congressional races…
Donate now to ensure free, fair elections in 2020
The 2020 elections promise to be pivotal – in fact, among the most pivotal in memory. The results will shape the future of our communities, our states, our country — and the world – in the short as well as the long term. As President Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “The future of this republic is…
Suffering from seasonal gluttony syndrome? Here’s a cure.
The winter holidays are right around the corner. Soon, many Americans will gather around the table with family and friends to give thanks for abundant blessings and freedoms as they indulge in a surfeit of delicious traditional foods. Leftovers will last for days. In December, people of different faiths and traditions will celebrate religious or…
The “secret sauce” of thriving 100-year families
When working with affluent families, I often hear the popular warning: “Shirtsleeves-to-shirtsleeves in three generations.” This quote suggests that a family’s wealth often disappears by the time it reaches the grandchildren of the wealth-creating generation. This saying is thought to derive from an even older English proverb: “There’s nobbut three generations atween a clog and…
In the eyes of business leaders, “social purpose” has replaced “shareholder capitalism”
Nearly 50 years ago, Milton Friedman launched the era of “shareholder capitalism.” At that time, the Nobel-Prize-winning economist admonished American business leaders that their only responsibility was to maximize profits. The world has changed a lot since then – for better and for worse. Some still espouse this theory. According to Friedman and his proponents, social…