The world’s major religions actively promote philanthropy by encouraging charitable actions that address such pressing issues as income inequality, hunger, homelessness, climate change, discrimination and injustice. America’s religions do the same. In 1835, political thinker Alexis de Tocqueville observed, “Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness…
Our Publications
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.
Corporate-citizenship enhances triple bottom line
Companies of all sizes, from the local restaurant to the regional law firm to the national or international corporation, are recognizing that an active corporate social-responsibility program plays an essential role in ultimate business success. No matter the size of the company, the community or the contribution, these entities realize that having a reputation as…
How to maximize your holiday charity donations
This is the “giving season” — the time of year when many individuals and businesses focus on philanthropy and make their largest contributions to charity. Whether you’ll be donating $25 or $250,000, there are ways to make your giving more effective in this meaningful and generous time of year. First, consider these facts: In the…
Put the “Giving” back into Turkey-Day – A Tale of Two Umbrellas
It had been raining hard for days. Reports of 100-year floods were coming out of Boulder and Lyons to the north. A colleague and I were walking a few blocks to a nearby restaurant for a breakfast meeting. As we walked, a man who appeared to be homeless stepped out from the side of a…
Crowdfunding Fuels Philanthropy
Crowdfunding is a rapidly expanding Internet tool designed to allow large numbers of people to invest or contribute money in support of new businesses, people in need, interesting ideas or important causes. Its recent growth is impressive. In 2012, crowdfunding supported more than 1 million global campaigns. The amount raised was $2.7 billion, an increase…
Donor Advised Fund or Private Foundation – How do they Compare?
The philanthropic community continues to debate whether donor-advised funds or private foundations are better giving vehicles for major donors. After all, more than 175,000 DAFs hold more than $40 billion, and more than 80,000 private foundations hold more than $500 billion. There is no simple answer. Each tool offers its own advantages and disadvantages. The…
Philanthropy benefits the giver, too, with “helper’s high” and “giver’s glow”
Any discussion of philanthropy usually focuses on how a giver can help others — other people, other organizations or entities, or even the world. But a growing body of scientific evidence demonstrates that acts of philanthropy strongly benefit the giver as well. Researchers call these benefits the “helper’s high” and “giver’s glow.” “Every great moral…
Startups are including philanthropy in their DNA
Many entrepreneurs think of philanthropy as something to consider way off in the future when their businesses are mature and profitable. There is a better approach. Philanthropy works best when it is included in a company’s business plan from the very start — when it is part of a company’s actual DNA, growing and prospering…
Pain of tragedy universal, so what triggers our charitable response?
In April, we witnessed three horrible human tragedies, each man-made and each resulting in death, injury and destruction. The philanthropic response to these events varied widely, raising intriguing questions about what motivates people to respond with charity in the face of tragedy. The first event was the Boston Marathon bombing. This act of terrorism killed…
Should Foundations be “All-In” on their Charitable Missions?
What would our world be like if charitable law required foundations to invest all of their assets in ways consistent with their charitable missions? This important question was recently posed by Mark Finser, chairman of RSF Social Finance. Most likely, our world would be a much better place. Charitable foundations exist for one overarching purpose:…