Give & Grow
Facing the Dark
One night when my husband and I were in the city having dinner with friends one of my... Continue ReadingOne night when my husband and I were in the city having dinner with friends one of my sons, who was sixteen at the time, was home alone in our safe, suburban community. We unexpectedly had a call from him saying the electric company had just left a message that they would be turning off the power for about four hours. As I was talking to him, the power shut down and he was immersed in the pitch black silence of the night.
My son, who I had never known to be afraid of the dark, was petrified and his voice began to shake. I called my neighbor, who rushed over to get him and take him to their back porch where the light of their fire pit was blazing and their family was huddled together.
We’re all afraid of the dark
We’re all afraid of the dark in some way. Some are afraid of the dark thoughts that creep in as they lie awake in the wee hours of the night. Others might be afraid of the darkness spewed out at us and our children through social media, crude song lyrics, and violent video games and movies. And many of us are afraid of the darkness that appears to be engulfing our world in hurt, pain, and suffering.
So what do you do with all this darkness? How do you navigate it? How do you do your part to be light in the darkness without being overcome with fear, grief, and despair? The answer is this: You have walk toward it and look for the light.
Look for the light!
When I was in my twenties, I was a member of Old St. Michael’s, a big, beautiful church in the city. The 7:00 p.m. Mass on Sunday night was packed with young adults in their twenties and thirties. The church was alive with energy. I ran the peace and social justice committee, which organized a variety of service projects in our community.
One Sunday morning, I was standing in the back of the church hosting a table for those interested in joining our committee. Before Mass ended, a stereotypical “bag lady” walked into the church. I immediately hoped she would not come my way because I had no idea how to deal with her. Yet she came right up to me, looked me in the eye, and politely asked a question. “Where can I leave this donation for the food pantry?” Then she held out a bag full of canned goods.
I was stunned by her action and my prejudice.
Wake-up Call #1
Around that same time, my husband and I regularly delivered meals prepared by members of our parish to a homeless shelter in the community. We helped serve the meals and then stayed to clean up. It occurred to us it might be nice to spend a little time with the guests and get to know them better, so we decided to get a group together to play board games after the meal. We usually had to do some encouraging before we had enough people to play, and we split up in teams so more could participate.
A lot of the people who came to the shelter did not look homeless. They just looked down on their luck. But some looked to be dealing with serious issues. One Sunday, a man who appeared to be among those with mental illness approached the table I was at to ask if he could join us. I could see the concern on the faces of everyone at the table, including the homeless individuals. But there was no way I could say no, so he joined in.
The game we were playing was Chicago Trivia. There were questions about the city’s history that covered every decade, and except for one man, none of us could answer them. The outcast, the man who looked disheveled and out of sorts, knew every answer. Who was this guy? What had happened to him and why was he here?
Wake-up Call #2
I could go on and on about all of the times I have seen light in the dark. Even if it’s just a light bulb that goes off in my own head when I realize that what I thought was real isn’t. Where I thought there was only darkness, there was light. It had just gotten buried, and it just needed someone to see its truth.
What if we need the dark to appreciate the light? What if we need to experience fear, suffering, and sorrow to savor the peace, joy, and love? What if the way out of the darkness is not to run from it but to run to it and find out what it has to teach us? We might not be able to fix every problem, but we can try. We might not be able to stop every injustice, but we can be with people in their suffering.
What does the dark have to teach us?
Everything looks dark until you get up close and take a good look. Sometimes you learn things about the people you serve, and sometimes you learn things you never knew about yourself. And when that happens, the illumination spreads far beyond that one thing. But before that can happen, you have to open the door and approach the darkness with curiosity and willingness to understand it.
It doesn’t help for us to get sucked into the darkness, so how do we step into it without getting lost? We need to be sure our own light is strong. That’s why soul care and self-care are so important for light bearers.
Just like a tree needs sun and rain to live and grow and burst into a flame of color, we, too, need the light and the dark to become all that we are meant to become. In time, we just might find that we’re no longer afraid of the dark!
Be AWE-dacious!
The Other Side of Fear and Failure
If you want to be a light bearer in the world, and you do because we need you... Continue Reading“A healthy fear keeps you from dying. An unhealthy fear keeps you from living.” – Lis Williams
If you want to be a light bearer in the world, and you do because we need you out there, you’re going to have to face your fears. And you’re going to have to be willing to fail. To fall down, get back up, brush yourself off, and keep going.
Failing isn’t fun, and we rarely like to talk about our failures. But in truth, we all fail. We all make mistakes. If we could just stop making such a big deal of it, we would realize that our failures lead to our successes.
Fail your way to Success
When I was in my 20’s, I was in graduate school at night and working during the day. I had a group presentation that I had been preparing for, but the night before the presentation I was unexpectedly invited to a Cubs game. Never one to pass up an opportunity to spend an evening at Wrigley Field, I chose to go to the game instead of practicing my presentation. I had given many presentations in my life and wasn’t concerned in the least.
My group of four got up to present the next night in class, and when the first presenter finished I was up. I got up in front of the class of about twenty with my cue cards and slides and began to speak. But, as I was talking, I realized that I really didn’t know what I was going to say next. Rather than winging it like I had done many times before, I froze. That would have been bad enough, but despite the fact that my brain had frozen, my mouth was moving, babbling in an incoherent fashion. I heard myself, but I was unable to stop.
The audience was clearly uncomfortable by the disaster they were witnessing. One woman in front kept smiling and nodding encouragingly hoping I would recover my composure. Others just kept looking down perhaps in belief that I might be able to get through my part of the presentation if no one was paying attention. Even the professor was doing his best not to notice. I eventually stopped babbling and turned it over to the next presenter.
When we finished our presentation and headed back to our seats, a break was announced. I quickly left the building to take a walk and try to regain my composure. I wanted to leave and go home, but I had left all of my belongings back in the classroom. I would have to go back in and face my peers. Somehow I managed.
A moment changes everything
Nothing that embarrassing had ever happened to me. I had failed before, but I had never failed so publicly. What I learned that day was that I could fail in a big, public way, and it changed everything for me. I began to be afraid. I never wanted to have that experience again, and I was afraid that I might. I didn’t understand what had happened, nor did I understand what had brought it on. Only later did I come to see it for what it was: my first panic attack.
I became afraid to speak in public, even in small groups. Then my fear began to carry over to other areas of my life. I became claustrophobic on elevators and in skyscrapers, and I had panic attacks on airplanes. I began planning my life around avoiding situations that might be uncomfortable. My life revolved around my fears.
My life revolved around my fears
It was awful, and I knew it had to stop. I finally said to myself, no more! I’m not living like this. I will not let fear keep me from doing something that I want or need to do in life. I realized that to get over my fears, I had to step outside of myself. I had to get over my ego. I had to care less about what others thought of me and more about what I could do for others – even when it was scary. I began to face my fears head on, did things that scared me, and risked embarrassment.
And here’s the truth of it: We don’t just fail once and we don’t just get the opportunity to face our fears once. We get those opportunities with some frequency, and if you want to be a light in the darkness, you will let your failures point the route to success, face your fears, and be willing to step into the darkness now and then.
Don’t let fear keep you from doing the things you need to do
I can assure you it is so much better to be in the water, flailing around, not knowing how to swim, than it is to be standing on the shore afraid to jump in. If more of us would just admit to our fears and our failures, it would encourage others to do the same. Then no one would be left standing on the shore.
Who’s up for a swim?
Be AWE-dacious!
Light the Dark and Heal the World
Last year marked the election of the 45th President of the United States of America. This will undoubtedly... Continue ReadingLast year marked the election of the 45th President of the United States of America. This will undoubtedly be one of those moments that you’ll remember forever. Where were you when you learned that Hillary Clinton had lost and Donald Trump was our new President?
The range of emotions surrounding the announcement spans the spectrum between disgust and exuberance. Some see this as our darkest moment. Others see hope on the horizon.
But for another group of people, this election doesn’t really change anything. By itself, it is neither dark nor light. It just is. Another step in the ongoing unfolding of our shared Creation story.
So is it really possible to “live in this world but not be of it”? In other words, can we somehow rise above the growing sense of chaos and darkness that seems to permeate our existence? Can what happens on the outside leave untouched the peace and joy we feel within?
Can we rise above the chaos and darkness?
Yes! But it’s not easy. This is where soul care becomes critical. Let me explain…
Before I stepped back into the “work world” I was a stay-at-home mom. As many of you parents know, that is a misnomer – I was rarely at home. If I wasn’t carpooling my children to and from school and activities and play dates, I was volunteering at their schools, at our church, and in our community.
I always had the desire to use my gifts and talents to try to “make things better”. I would identify a situation that I thought could be improved and try to figure out how to do so.
I always wanted to make things better
I thought I had the best of intentions and was just being helpful. But as conflicts would arise I found myself getting angry; angry at our institutions that were doing it all wrong, angry at all the idiots who couldn’t get it right, and angry that the world couldn’t be perfect for my precious little children.
It took many years before I realized that the anger I was feeling wasn’t all about what was going on out there. The anger was actually inside of me.
The anger within colored how I saw the world
And it was the anger within that colored how I saw the world outside and how I interacted with my fellow citizens. It really wasn’t the most effective way of being.
So, I finally decided to stop trying to fix things on the outside. Instead, I turned inward to heal the darkness that had settled and re-ignite the light that had dimmed.
Then everything changed! The world didn’t look so dark anymore. People didn’t piss me off as much. Situations didn’t seem hopeless.
Everything changed when I healed the darkness within
As peace and joy began to well up within, I began to see light in the darkness. And I knew I had to share my new-found perspective. When we clear the blockages within, we can then become a vessel through which God pours His love to us, and through us, and out into a hurting world.
It’s not so much about fixing things. It’s about being invited into the darkness (which is holy, too) to share our light. This, in turn, disperses the darkness and empowers those we touch to see their own light, revealing their inner beauty, strength, creativity, and genius.
The darkness is holy, too
No matter who we are, what we have to offer, or how we choose to show up in the world, one thing is true for all of us – we are all called to be light in the dark and heal the world.
You won’t be alone on this journey, there are many other bearers of light. You know them. They come from all walks of life, but they’re doing exactly what they’re meant to do, and you can tell by the glow that surrounds them.
So whatever your calling, whatever your vocation, whatever your purpose; make it one of light, of healing, of service, of love. Because each act of love raises the vibrational level of the planet, and we all want to be part of something bigger than ourselves.
Be part of something bigger than yourself
You want to know what the meaning of your life is? This is it – trust me.
Now go light your world!
Be AWE-dacious!
Feel It All The Way Through
There’s a space between chapters in life that can be difficult to accept. It’s a transition time. What... Continue ReadingThere’s a space between chapters in life that can be difficult to accept. It’s a transition time. What some refer to as “liminal space”. It’s when you know what “has been” is ending. But you’re not yet sure what’s to come.
Sometimes we’re happy to have a chapter in our life close. Especially if it’s been a challenging or frustrating time. Other times it’s not so easy to let go of what was. Particularly, if we can’t see what’s up ahead.
The reality is that transitions are an inevitable part of life. Circumstances are always changing. Nothing stays the same.
Nothing stays the same
So what do we do with this? How do we navigate these times in our lives in a way that is healthy and hopeful and open to growth?
I believe the answer is we have to immerse ourselves fully in the place of uncertainty. We have to feel it completely. The fear, the sorrow, the anticipation, the hope. We have to make space for grace.
My oldest son left for college this past fall. I knew it was coming. He made it through four years of high school, took all the college tests, filled out the applications, selected his roommates and housing, yadda, yadda, yadda.
And he was so ready. He couldn’t wait to get out of high school, move out of the house, leave our tiny community, and venture into the great unknown.
I was ready, too. The high school years had been challenging and I had had enough of it. I was ready for him to be in a new environment. To test his wings. To grow up and into the amazing man I knew he had the potential to be.
But despite all the joy at what the future holds for him, there is an incredible aching for what we’re all leaving behind.
Sometimes we ache for what we’re leaving behind
For the past 19 years, he’s rarely slept a night away from us. Other than a few overnight camp trips, we’ve always been together. We ate meals together, we talked every day. I saw his face and could touch him and know he was o.k.
But now that’s all changed. And not just for a while, but forever. Despite the all too common experience of “boomerang” kids, the reality is that he will likely never live under my roof again for any length of time. Our lives will never again be so intertwined.
And I know that’s the way it’s supposed to be. I know. I get that. It’s healthy, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. I know he can’t live with me forever.
But even though I know all these things, it doesn’t really make it any easier. It hurts like hell to let him go.
When he came home for the first time at Thanksgiving it had been eight weeks since he’d been here. And when I looked in his bedroom I saw his suitcase. In the bathroom was his toiletry kit. And it hit me that he’s just visiting. He’s a visitor now. His life is elsewhere.
Of course, this is his home. And wherever I live he can always come home. But it won’t always be his home. He will eventually create his own home. And ours will be a place he visits.
Around the time he was leaving for college there were a lot of Facebook posts about kids heading off to school and the sorrow felt by their mothers. There was a comment from a woman saying something to the effect of, “Send your son off to war and then tell me how hard it is to watch him leave.” Ouch! I can’t even imagine how overwhelmingly difficult that would be and I feel for women who send their children off to war. It would be utterly heartbreaking.
So my initial response was to stop feeling sorry for myself and get over it. It could be so much worse. But the truth is that’s not the healthy response. I used to do that a lot. Pretend everything was o.k. and not really feel my feelings.
It’s not healthy to stuff your feelings
But not feeling your feelings doesn’t make them go away. They just get stuck. In your body. And eventually they have to come out. Often through fits of tears or anger. Or else through physical pain and illness.
The answer isn’t to suck it up. The answer isn’t to count your blessings and move on. As my bestie Donna says, “Sometimes you gotta stick with the ick.”
We have to feel our feelings. Even and especially the hard ones. We have to feel them all the way through so that we can incorporate them into our being. We need to learn what they have to teach us about ourselves and about life. We have to let them make us human so that we can experience the Divine.
Feel your feelings all the way through
In The Other Side of Chaos, Margaret Silf says that transitions are uncomfortable but that, “…it is often precisely those times when we are dislodged and forced to leave our accustomed comfort zones to embrace (or resist!) a new phase of our lives that we really do receive an invitation to begin to set ourselves free.”
The space between chapters is sacred space. It’s the space where earth and heaven meet. Where we come to know ourselves and discover the deeper meaning and purpose in our lives.
Stay there long enough to glimpse the beauty and wonder of what was and what is to come.
Be AWE-dacious!
We Need You Out There!
Whew! We’ve gone through a lot of information about social impact. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t worry. There’s... Continue ReadingWhew! We’ve gone through a lot of information about social impact. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t worry. There’s no hurry and I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right here by your side along your path to AWE-thentic impact.
If you’re not quite ready to pull out your checkbook or have “The Talk” with your financial advisor, that’s ok. There are plenty of other ways to get started. The important thing is that you begin where you are.
Begin where you are
I believe the best way to get to know an organization before donating or committing to a board position is to volunteer. Volunteering gives you a front-row seat to the inner workings of a non-profit.
You can either volunteer to do whatever they need or be specific about the skills and talents you would like to share. Either way, you will come to know the staff, their mission and programming, the culture of the organization, how things work (and don’t work), who they serve, and how effective they are.
Volunteering gives you a front row seat
Look for an organization in your community that is addressing a cause you feel passionate about. Or, if you want to step out of your comfort zone a bit there are a number of companies that help match you with an organization that can use your help. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Catchafire (catchafire.org): A community of individuals striving to push the social good sector forward by focusing on efficient and effective ways to give back. One way they do this is by matching professionals with nonprofits based on their skills, cause interest and time availability.
- Taproot Foundation (taprootfoundation.org): Connects non-profits and social change organizations with passionate, skilled volunteers who share their expertise pro bono. Through their programs, business professionals deliver marketing, strategy, HR, and IT solutions that organizations need to achieve their missions.
- Volunteer Match (volunteermatch.org): Believes everyone should have the chance to make a difference. That’s why they make it easy for good people and good causes to connect. They’ve connected millions of people with a great place to volunteer and helped tens of thousands of organizations better leverage volunteers to create real impact.
- WomenOnCall (womenoncall.org): Creates opportunities for professional women to volunteer in a more meaningful way by effectively and efficiently aligning their skills, expertise and interests with short-term, high-impact volunteer opportunities.
What are you waiting for? The world needs your gifts and talents, skills and knowledge, wisdom and love. Who knows where the path might take you? Just begin!
Be AWE-dacious!
The Allure of Impact Investing
Is it possible to align your values and investments? Yes! By investing in companies that care about more... Continue ReadingIs it possible to align your values and investments? Yes!
By investing in companies that care about more than just the bottom line.
Align your values and investments
Through impact investing you can invest in companies, organizations, and funds whose mission is to generate social and environmental impact alongside a financial return.
Originally called socially responsible investing, it was previously limited to screening stocks or industries. For example, negative or avoidance screening meant you chose not to invest in companies whose products or services were considered harmful such as tobacco, gambling, and pornography. Affirmative screening sought out investments in industries that provided positive benefits such as renewable energy, clean transportation, and natural foods and cleaning products.
Today, socially conscious investors screen their investments using the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria. Environmental criteria look at how a company performs as a steward of the natural environment. Social criteria examine how a company manages relationships with its employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities where it operates. Governance deals with a company’s leadership, executive pay, audits and internal controls, and shareholder rights.
Historically, a sustainable and responsible investment approach did not provide the same financial returns as a more traditional approach that focused exclusively on profits. But that is changing! Data now shows that investments focused on sustainable, long-term social and environmental impact often outperform the market.
Invest for profit and purpose
The industry is still in its infancy and there are challenges to be overcome, but the potential is exciting. One of the greatest challenges is measuring impact. Better quality and more simplified data is critical to make real, large-scale, and lasting differences for people and our planet.
Big name financial players are stepping into the arena which means your financial advisor may be ready to have the discussion if you haven’t already. I’ll be writing more about social enterprises and impact investing in the future so stay tuned.
Be AWE-dacious!
The Promise of Social Enterprises
Supporting organizations that are doing good by sharing your time, talent, and treasure isn’t the only way to... Continue ReadingSupporting organizations that are doing good by sharing your time, talent, and treasure isn’t the only way to make your authentic impact. You can also make an impact through conscious choices about how you spend your money.
As an entrepreneur and philanthropist I’m giddy about social enterprises – businesses whose purpose is to change the world for the common good. Here’s why.
How you spend can change the world for the common good
Many of our social problems remain unsolved due to declining government funding, lack of impact from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs, and little social innovation from the non-profit sector.
Arguably, one of the greatest challenges facing non-profits is lack of funding. There’s just never enough money to do the things they need to do to make the difference they want to make.
To overcome this challenge many non-profits launch earned-income ventures. In other words, they create a business that earns profits which can then be used to fund the organization’s programming.
An example is “fee for service” in which a non-profit charges for the services it offers its beneficiaries. When possible to do so, this is a fabulous way to create an on-going revenue stream.
Social enterprises use the power of the marketplace to advance their mission
Even more exciting are the abundance of for-profit and not-for-profit social enterprises that use the methods and disciplines of business and the power of the marketplace to advance their social, environmental and human justice agendas. According to the Social Enterprise Alliance, these enterprises are distinguished from other types of businesses, nonprofits and government agencies by three characteristics:
- The organization directly addresses an intractable social need and serves the common good, either through its products and services or through the number of disadvantaged people it employs
- Commercial activity is a strong revenue driver
- The common good is its primary purpose
Around the globe there are a multitude of ideas being implemented to address unmet needs in affordable healthcare, safe water, housing, alternative energy, climate change, education, job training, agriculture, finance, and more.
On the spectrum, social enterprises fall between a traditional non-profit which is reliant on philanthropy and a traditional for-profit whose purpose is exclusively revenue generation.
Profit and Purpose!
Who doesn’t love purchasing from a company with a double bottom line? Profit and Purpose!
For example, Method Cleaning Products whose founders “set out to change the world by creating beautiful cleaning products that are as kind to the planet as they are tough on dirt”.
Or Warby Parker which offers designer eyewear at a revolutionary price while leading the way for socially conscious businesses. Recognizing that almost one billion people worldwide lack access to glasses and therefore cannot effectively learn or work, the company partners with non-profits to ensure that for every pair of glasses sold, a pair is distributed to someone in need. I got me a pair!
And I purchase all of my skin care products from two socially conscious companies, Ann Marie Gianni Skincare and Beauty Counter. Both companies insist on using only safe, non-toxic ingredients in their products and educate their customers about making healthy choices for themselves and their families.
But shopping isn’t the only way to support these organizations. If the social enterprise is a non-profit you can donate directly.
Or, give to a fund which then invests in the company. One of my favorite examples is Acumen Fund founded by Jacqueline Novogratz. The organization raises charitable funds, but instead of giving them away, it makes investments in entrepreneurs who are willing to take on some of the world’s toughest challenges in areas where governments and charities are often failing. Additionally, they work alongside the entrepreneurs offering management advice, technical help, and connections to a wider network of talent.
It takes patient capital to address the world’s toughest challenges
Acumen Fund’s results are measured in social as well as financial terms using an investment style they term “patient capital”. Their investment is longer-term as many of these businesses take years to grow and face enormous challenges to sustainability.
One last thing. Have you had a conversation with your financial advisor about supporting social enterprises through impact investing? It might just be time. Join me next month to learn more.
Be AWE-dacious!
Portfolio of Giving
Your soul searching and due diligence have paid off! You have identified those organizations you feel called to... Continue ReadingYour soul searching and due diligence have paid off! You have identified those organizations you feel called to support through your philanthropic giving.
But you’re not done just yet. Now you need to make some decisions about what, when, and how to give.
I highly recommend working with your financial advisor, accountant, and/or attorney to make the best decisions for your personal situation.
What to Give?
What level of engagement do you want to have? Giving can come in the form of time, talent, and/or treasure.
Time = Volunteer
A great way to get to know an organization is to volunteer. Locate a non-profit in your area so it’s convenient for you to make a commitment. Then, ask how you can help. A good organization will welcome your assistance and provide many ways for you to contribute.
Talent = High Engagement
Once you’ve identified an organization that you believe is effectively addressing a cause you are passionate about, you may decide you want to become more involved. High engagement philanthropists realize that social change requires participation beyond donating money. This may include serving on a board, assisting with fund-raising, networking, advocacy, or other purposeful ways of sharing your gifts and talents to support the organization in their efforts to bring about change.
Treasure = $
A critical way to help an organization you trust is to provide funding that lets them carry out their mission effectively today and plan for the future. You are making an investment to address a social ill, so consider a multi-year donation to support the following:
- Unrestricted/General Operating Funds – so they can budget appropriately and decide how best to use the funds
- Infrastructure/Performance Measurement Investments – to support their growth and measure their impact
- Capital Funding – to scale their operations
Donations can be made in a variety of ways:
- Cash, Check, Credit Card
- Appreciated assets such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds
- Name the charity as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy or retirement plan
- Set up a bequest payable upon your death
- In-kind donations
When to Give?
You’ll also need to decide when to give, particularly if you have a substantial amount of wealth to share:
- How much should you donate annually?
- Do you want to give it all away while you’re alive to maintain maximum control?
- Would you prefer to set up a foundation to carry on your legacy once you’re gone?
How to Give?
Aside from giving directly to an organization, there are a variety of giving vehicles that you may want to explore with your financial advisor.
Donor Advised Fund (DAF)
Allows you to set aside charitable funds whenever you choose and take the tax break immediately. You don’t have to decide where to donate the funds until you’re ready. The giving account is housed with a sponsoring public charity such as a community foundation, a university, or a financial institution. With a DAF, the donor makes an irrevocable charitable contribution to the sponsoring organization and loses all legal control over those funds.
Foundation
An independent legal entity established for charitable purposes, which is governed by one or more individuals, a family, or a company. A private foundation gives donors complete control over granting and investment decisions.
Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT)
A tax-exempt, irrevocable trust that first distributes income to the beneficiary of the trust (who you name) for a specified period of time, then donates the remainder to one or more charitable organizations. A CRT provides the beneficiary with cash flow while obtaining a current-year personal income tax deduction.
Charitable Lead Trust (CLT)
A tax-exempt irrevocable trust that first disburses income to one or more charitable organizations for a specified term, then transfers the remainder to an individual beneficiary (who you name). It is designed to result in tax-free gifts to the donor’s family.
Are you a Philanthropist?
What if you don’t have a lot to give, don’t use a financial advisor, have never heard of a DAF or CLT? You’re just hoping to have enough to get your kids through college and retire before you turn 80.
But you have a heart for giving and are passionate about your cause. Can you still be a philanthropist?
Heck, yes! Philanthropy is not reserved for the wealthy elite. Anyone can be a philanthropist!
It doesn’t matter who you are, what you make, or how much you have in savings. Everyone has something to give.
You have something to give!
Sometimes we hear about people donating millions and even billions to philanthropy and we think our small donation means nothing. So does my $25, $100, $1,000, or even $10,000 make a difference?
You bet it does! The nonprofit community needs the support of donors at all giving levels. So never think what you give is not enough. It’s not about how much you give – it’s about why and how you give.
I suggest narrowing your focus of support to 1-3 organizations addressing the causes you are most passionate about. This way, you can consolidate your giving and have a greater impact.
It costs an organization to process your donation, so a gift of less than $25 is not making much of a difference. You’ll have more of an impact by making larger donations to fewer organizations.
If you don’t have a lot to give monetarily, you can give of your time and talent. Nonprofits can’t operate without a cadre of volunteers. Don’t discount the value you bring by sharing yourself.
We need you out there!
If you have a desire to give, you are a philanthropist. If you want to share yourself in service to the world, you are a philanthropist. If you want to make an authentic impact, you are a philanthropist.
We need you out there! Be AWE-dacious!
Effective Altruism
“…for those who believe philanthropic dollars are a sacred trust that should be administered according to the highest... Continue Reading“…for those who believe philanthropic dollars are a sacred trust that should be administered according to the highest standards of stewardship.” – Joel L. Fleishman
You work hard for your money and you don’t like to waste it. You’re careful about what you spend and how you invest. But are you also careful about where you donate your hard-earned dollars?
Most people aren’t. Most take a somewhat haphazard approach to giving. They simply write checks to organizations that have a good mission or charismatic leader, places that friends and family members support, causes that they read about or hear advertised on T.V. that tug at their heart strings, the latest disaster or crisis in the news.
That’s not a bad thing. It’s just not the best approach. Not if you really want to make an impact.
If you want to be effective in life you have to be intentional
If you want to be effective in life you have to be intentional. If you want to be a good steward of your money you need to be intentional about what you spend, how you invest, and where you donate.
Begin by establishing an “Annual Review” process for your philanthropy. This way you can strategically plan your giving once a year and make small tweaks as necessary.
Adopt an investor mindset to philanthropy
I advise adopting an investor mindset to philanthropy and creating a “Portfolio of Giving”. Your portfolio should be dedicated to causes you are passionate about that are being addressed by the most effective organizations you can find.
When deciding where to donate ask yourself if your approach is one of charity or philanthropy? Charity is typically an emotional response to a need. Whereas, philanthropy takes a strategic approach to problem solving with the goal of eliminating the causes that necessitate the need for charity.
As long as donors continue to give based on emotion alone there is no incentive for the non-profit community to focus on effectiveness and problem solving. But that’s beginning to change as funders are becoming educated and informed.
You can be a change agent
Your impact can be even greater when you not only address needs but also effect change and encourage greater accountability from the non-profit community. That’s what I want for you. That’s the mission of AWE Partners!
This more intentional approach to philanthropy has many names…strategic, effective, result-oriented, outcome-oriented. What it means is that before you make a donation you ask some important questions:
- What values are important to me?
- What cause(s) do I want to focus on?
- What are the root causes of the problem I hope to address?
- What is the scope of the problem?
- Is it most effective to address the issue at the local, national, or international level, or a combination?
- Is the cause already being addressed and possibly over-funded?
- Where can I do the most good?
- What do I want to achieve through my donation?
- What evidence-based strategies exist for achieving this goal?
- Which organizations are implementing these strategies effectively?
- Is there a group of organizations addressing different aspects of the issue that I can support?
- What are the chances for success and how is it measured?
- What is my risk tolerance?
This does not mean that you have to become an expert. There are many intelligent, hard-working, energetic, dedicated, compassionate individuals working diligently to solve our most pressing social issues. You just have to find those with expertise and experience and support their work.
Multiply the impact of your giving
The truth is, you won’t always get it right when choosing, but the times that you do will multiply the impact of your giving. It’s about the difference you want to make in the world and who you believe has that same conviction and can carry it out effectively.
So do your research, and if you can, get out into the field to meet the team and see them at work. Then make your decision. Whether it’s gaining more knowledge about the issue or getting first-hand experience you’re becoming a more intentional, impactful giver.
I advise providing unrestricted (not program specific) funding for one year initially. Make your donation and get out of the way. Let the experts do their work and offer advice and support only if asked. Don’t expect them to adjust their strategy or programming based on what you think will work better. If you don’t trust them, you shouldn’t fund them. It’s that simple.
Monitor their progress using the measurements that they use. If after the first year you continue to be impressed with the organization, by all means provide additional, longer term funding and develop a mutually beneficial partnership with them.
Leave the outcome to God
In the end, deciding where to fund will come down to doing your homework, trusting your gut, and leaving the outcome to God. Kinda like everything else in life.
Be AWE-dacious!
Impact Measurement
We all want to make a difference in the world. We all want to know that our life... Continue ReadingWe all want to make a difference in the world.
We all want to know that our life has meaning and there’s a reason we are here – that we have a purpose.
We all want to make a difference
So when you step into the world of philanthropy wouldn’t it be nice to know if you’re making a difference? Wouldn’t it be nice to know that your time or treasure or talent had an impact?
You can! By taking a more intentional approach to giving you can get a sense of your impact. Not perfectly, perhaps, but enough so that you can feel confident that your giving is not wasted and that your generosity is changing lives.
This is the intent of impact measurement and it’s becoming more and more prevalent in the non-profit sector. However, it’s an art not a science, and we’re all still figuring out how to do it well.
Impact measurement is an art not a science
The process begins with a Theory of Change. This is essentially a statement by the organization that defines how they intend to carry out their mission. What is the problem they are trying to solve, who are they serving, and what do they need to do to achieve their intended result?
A Logic Model then outlines the steps that must be taken for an intervention to succeed. It shows the links between program objectives, activities, and outcomes. A logic model makes clear who will be served, what should be accomplished, and how it will be done.
As you decide which organizations to support through your philanthropic giving, you want to be sure that an organization has a well thought out Theory of Change and a Logic Model to guide them in their ongoing decision making. They should be able to show you how they measure and track program evaluation. This does not need to be complex and does not require a fancy IT system. What it requires is a commitment from the leadership team and board to nurture a culture of high performance and continuous improvement so that they can be as effective as possible in the areas they serve.
The information gathered through this process is critical for two reasons. First, it permits the organization to measure and monitor on an ongoing basis the progress they are making toward reaching their goals. If they are serious about the work they are undertaking, they will absolutely want to capture this information as feedback for their staff to make course corrections as necessary in a timely fashion. This creates a culture of ongoing learning and evaluation which is critical to success.
Second, information about their results and impact is proof that their theory of change is accurate and that they’re on the right track. This is exactly the type of evidence strategic funders like you are looking for when determining where to donate.
If an organization tells you that what they do can’t be measured, it’s a cop out. There is always a way to measure results, even if imperfectly.
What can’t be measured are the “Mystery, Miracles, and Moments of Grace” that happen anywhere people of goodwill are reaching out to those in need. All work that is done from a place of selflessness and compassion is good work. All giving that comes from a place of gratitude and love is good giving. I’m not in any way suggesting that we remove the compassion, care, and concern that are at the heart of the non-profit community.
Look for the Mystery, Miracles and Moments of Grace
But if you want to be sure you’re making a difference, you have to take it a step further. We absolutely cannot and will not make progress on addressing our social ills if we don’t know that what we’re doing has lasting impact.
The mission may sound wonderful, the people may be compassionate and committed, the work they do may be important. But if it’s not effective, if it’s not moving the needle, then it’s time to assist them in their efforts to improve or look elsewhere for organizations to support.
We can’t keep spinning our wheels. We need solutions and you are part of the solution!
You are part of the solution!
Ultimately, your goal is to identify the result you hope to achieve through your giving, locate the organizations who are doing it most effectively, and lend your support through time, talent, and treasure.
This is philanthropy at its best. This is impact!
Be AWE-dacious!
Lis
