Many donors look at their charitable efforts and wonder: Does the nonprofit I’m supporting really have an impact? What can I do to make my philanthropy more effective? Being an effective philanthropist doesn’t depend on the amount of time or money you give but rather upon how you approach your giving. Here are 10 steps…
Category: Family & Individuals
Venture Philanthropy – Risky But Rewarding
Venture capital takes financial capital and expertise and provides them to high-potential, high-risk, startup businesses. Venture philanthropy uses the same approach and applies it to philanthropic donations in the nonprofit or social enterprise sector. Both VC and VP involve a commitment of time and resources, carry a high degree of risk and can produce outsized…
Kids can be philanthropists of great stature
With philanthropy as their cause, kids are not only the leaders of tomorrow; they’re demonstrating passion, insight and ability to be leaders today. Young people, viewing the world through a different lens than their parents and grandparents, are raising money, giving it away, and creating inspired outcomes. Children can become engaged in philanthropy at young…
How to be a Strategic Philanthropist
This is the season when many people make charitable donations. This generosity is acutely needed and greatly appreciated. Next year, however, consider approaching your charitable giving as a strategic philanthropist, rather than as a donor. The difference between a donor and a philanthropist does not depend on how much time or money one gives to…
Overcoming our “bystander” moments by giving this holiday season
I was 21 years old, traveling alone in southern Turkey, when I came upon a mob of people in the town square of a small fishing village. In the middle of the crowd was a mentally disabled young man who was being taunted by the mob. They pushed, shoved and teased him. Someone ran up…
Estate planning for charity can shape legacy
Philanthropy during your lifetime is the best and most effective way to share not only your money but also your values with others. Creating or revising an estate plan is the last chance you have to pass on more than money to your heirs, shape your legacy and help create a better world after you’re…
Ancient Ladder of Giving Can Guide Modern Philanthropy
More than 800 years ago, Moses Maimonides, known by many as Rambam, a rabbi, physician and philosopher, described eight rungs on the ladder of charitable giving. Remarkably, his approach is still pertinent to contemporary thinking about philanthropy. The first rung, at the bottom of the ladder, is reserved for donors who donate grudgingly — giving…
Determine Your True Giving Capacity
In 2010, Americans contributed about 2 percent to 3 percent of their net incomes to charitable causes. With government services shrinking and demands upon nonprofits rising, is this enough? The answer to the question “What is my full giving potential?” is deeply personal. For America’s 400 billionaires, Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet created…
Innovation Can Help Defeat Poverty
More than 1 billion people on Earth earn less than $1 a day. Two billion earn less than $2, and 5 billion earn less than $10 per day. Roughly 1.6 billion people have no access to electricity. Some 1.2 billion lack clean water. And 22,000 children die from preventable causes each day. Of the world’s…