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…
Category: General
General content on philanthropic strategy and methodology
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…
How to Profit From Doing Good
Businesses remain under pressure from employees, shareholders and customers to demonstrate corporate social responsibility and accountability to the communities in which they operate. Traditionally, business enterprises have had several options from which to choose to organize their corporate structure under state law. The purpose of each corporate form is to maximize profits for shareholders. Now,…
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…