Monday Morning
I try to catch up on my reading over the weekends... I start out strong (up at 7 a.m. reading three weeks' worth of The Economist) but fade quickly (falling asleep at 8:30 p.m. on Sunday while tucking the boys in bed). However, I did come across an interesting article this past weekend and it reminded me of a few things. onPhilanthropy posted their "The Year in onPhilanthropy: The Biggest Stories of 2006" a few weeks ago. Their list in order:
1. Warren Buffett
2. Clinton Global Initiative
3. Google
4. Richard Branson
5. Celebrities
6. Senator Charles Grassley
7. Cause Marketing
8. The Nobel (Grameen Bank)
9. Blogs and Media
10. Don't Compete, Collaborate.
Some of these stories will have staying power (collaboration) and some will not (celebrities). However, what is important to remember is that philanthropy is core value in America. We are the most generous nation in the world and that is something to take pride in, to nurture, and to grow. We give about 2% of our nation's GDP to "charity" each year! This amounted to over $275 billion invested in 2005 in the independent/nonprofit sector both here and abroad. The next closest country is Canada at just over 1% of GDP. 75% of this annual giving comes from individuals like you and me. We don't get headlines, we don't have a product to sell, we just want to help out.
We are also a nation of volunteers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 61 million Americans volunteer an average of 52 hours of time annually (over $16.3 TRILLION dollars of donated time at $5.15 per hour minimum wage).
The point is that inspired philanthropy and volunteerism are a key thread to the fabric of our society. It helps make this country tick. It makes a huge difference in quality of life, both in the US and globally. People are identifying who and what they want to support with their time and money in a meaningful way. It is your hard earned money and you can make a social investment with high returns.
The return is most people will use a service provided by a nonprofit/charity over their lifetime. That could mean using a low cost health clinic, needing hospice care, hiking/fishing on protected open space, a better education for your kids, fresh drinking water, relief from a natural disaster, attending a community theatre performance, and the list goes on.
You probably won't make an annual Top 10 List of philanthropic headlines (unless you bought Berkshire Hathaway stock in 1968!), but you already know how important your contribution is. That is the beauty of "inspired philanthropy", where good ideas, inspiration, a lot of hard work, and a core value of giving can lead to great things.
- Jesse
1. Warren Buffett
2. Clinton Global Initiative
3. Google
4. Richard Branson
5. Celebrities
6. Senator Charles Grassley
7. Cause Marketing
8. The Nobel (Grameen Bank)
9. Blogs and Media
10. Don't Compete, Collaborate.
Some of these stories will have staying power (collaboration) and some will not (celebrities). However, what is important to remember is that philanthropy is core value in America. We are the most generous nation in the world and that is something to take pride in, to nurture, and to grow. We give about 2% of our nation's GDP to "charity" each year! This amounted to over $275 billion invested in 2005 in the independent/nonprofit sector both here and abroad. The next closest country is Canada at just over 1% of GDP. 75% of this annual giving comes from individuals like you and me. We don't get headlines, we don't have a product to sell, we just want to help out.
We are also a nation of volunteers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 61 million Americans volunteer an average of 52 hours of time annually (over $16.3 TRILLION dollars of donated time at $5.15 per hour minimum wage).
The point is that inspired philanthropy and volunteerism are a key thread to the fabric of our society. It helps make this country tick. It makes a huge difference in quality of life, both in the US and globally. People are identifying who and what they want to support with their time and money in a meaningful way. It is your hard earned money and you can make a social investment with high returns.
The return is most people will use a service provided by a nonprofit/charity over their lifetime. That could mean using a low cost health clinic, needing hospice care, hiking/fishing on protected open space, a better education for your kids, fresh drinking water, relief from a natural disaster, attending a community theatre performance, and the list goes on.
You probably won't make an annual Top 10 List of philanthropic headlines (unless you bought Berkshire Hathaway stock in 1968!), but you already know how important your contribution is. That is the beauty of "inspired philanthropy", where good ideas, inspiration, a lot of hard work, and a core value of giving can lead to great things.
- Jesse
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