THE ELEPHANT IN THE NONPROFIT CONFERENCE ROOM
Amid all the current third sector challenges, including how to fundraise in this climate, how to sustain programs, how to maintain the endowment, staff shortages, how to measure and demonstrate impact, how to advance diversity, how to grow the mission, and so on—amid all these concerns and more—I foresee a much bigger crisis coming down […]
HOW TO RAISE KIDS WHO CHOOSE TO GIVE BACK
I’ve been doing some research to talk about raising kids amid abundance and it’s dawned on me (not for the first time) that the two areas of education most critical to raising independent, self-sufficient kids who demonstrate both self-esteem and responsibility are (1) financial literacy and (2) philanthropy. That is: kids who can comfortably manage […]
WHAT NONPROFITS NEED TO LEARN FROM FOR-PROFITS
At last, volunteering is getting some of the respect it deserves. In its just-released seventh annual Volunteer Impact Survey, Deloitte reports a significant shift in corporate attitudes toward workplace volunteerism. Seen in the past by companies as little more than an employee perk, volunteerism lately is being dressed as a serious tool for social change. […]
LET’S TRY REAL CAPITALISM INSTEAD OF THE SOCIAL KIND
“We need to stop separating investment decisions from philanthropic giving,” writes Alexander Friedman, in an opinion piece in the “Financial Times.” Huzzah! At last! Someone has actually named the bridge that should have been built long ago. Friedman, who recently stepped down as CFO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and who also was […]
MUZZLED IS THE MESSAGE
My friend Sara recently sent news of a disturbing bit of research. Turns out that “less than a quarter of the people heard, seen or read about in mainstream broadcast and print news worldwide is female,” a finding dutifully and credibly recorded by a group called WIMN or Women in Media & News. “It seems […]
TALKING ABOUT MY AND YOUR GENERATION
There’s been scarcely any research into how giving changes based on which cohort you’re born into — which is a pity, because we could sure use some. Even so, one representative nationwide study a few years back by the Women’s Philanthropy Institute in Indianapolis offers some suggestions about how such differences play out in terms […]
STEPPING UP
Increasingly, the survival and safety of women around the world are motivating American women to deepen their involvement. The result tends to be more focus, and more active engagement. Diana von Furstenberg fits that bill. In addition to being chief executive of her global fashion business, the veteran designer is also a mother, the wife […]
YES, IT’S SIMPLER TO WRITE A CHECK, BUT IS IT SMARTER?
If philanthropy does not require gobs of cash, it is nonetheless both wiser and more effective to craft a customized financial plan before you begin. A plan can help maximize the impact of your gift, both right away and in years to come. It also pays to define exactly what income and categories of assets […]
LET US NOW PRAISE WOMEN
Recently, at a private gathering to explore women’s giving. There were about 20 or so women, all stellar, all smart, all devoted and dedicated to admirable and challenging missions and all trading off lots of privileges and perks for their cause. Yet, for the most part, the mood of the evening, was questioning and modest. […]
IDENTIFY YOUR MONEY PHOBIAS
However high we jump to clear the hurdles and move into male domains, women are still tripped by up internalized messages from media, from bosses, from childhood and from family members: Women aren’t supposed to concern themselves with money. As a result, we often hand over the power that money confers to others, usually men, […]