IDENTIFYING YOUR CAUSE
The world and its communities are overflowing with need. One look around reveals no dearth of deserving causes. At last count, the IRS listed about 1.5 million charities with legally established nonprofit status, although many are contracting in the current economy. Still, choosing your cause isn’t a question of whether there’s a group out there worth your time and treasure. It’s about identifying what directly and deeply engages you, whether work in the arts, advocating for single moms, supporting research to cure a disease, advocating for climate change or anything else.
In choosing a cause, “go toward things that really speak to you,” advises Abby Disney, granddaughter of the entertainment company’s co-founder, Roy Disney and Walt’s grandniece. “I’ve stayed with what I’ve done because it resonated with me.”
A long-time advocate for women’s rights, Disney funds programs via a family foundation she established in 1991 to battle poverty in New York City. Her grant choices emphasize cross-class and grassroots organizations because she’s found it “smart to work shoulder-to-shoulder with women who have knowledge of their communities and of how resources can best be deployed.”
If you only succumb to the latest request or a persistent friend, it’s odds-on your interest won’t last. You want not only a cause that can motivate you over the long-term, but also an appropriate organization in which to invest. Too often, nonprofits large and small do a poor job of communicating their vision and plans and of inviting volunteers and donors to participate in decision-making. You need to audition organizations as much as the mission.
“My philosophy about philanthropy is that it’s not just dollars, but it’s about having a passion about giving something back, about doing something that helps society,” says Sandy Weill, who stepped down from being chief executive of Citigroup in 2006. Weill has given away a staggering $500 million since the 1970s and is now a fulltime philanthropist—“the third act,” as he puts it. Among a bevy of high-profile efforts, he is perhaps best known for his fundraising and boardwork in rescuing New York’s legendary Carnegie Hall and for establishing The Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College at Cornell University. He’s also been instrumental in launching a branch of the medical school in the Mideast, the first overseas school to confer an American medical degree.
Invariably, when choosing a cause, people build on personal experiences, and, as we well know, biographies vary. For example, New York billionaire David Koch, co-owner of Koch Industries, suffered from prostate cancer. As a result, he not only funds research for its cure, but also stays close to work in the field. “I identify where outstanding cancer research is taking place, where the leading researchers and programs are, and that’s where I give money,” he says, listing Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and Johns Hopkins as a few of his grantees.
“There are so many worthy organizations out there doing good things,” says Koch, explaining how he makes his choices. “I focus on the ones that are well-managed and really talented. I don’t engage in venture philanthropy.”
To make the most of your efforts, take stock of what you most care about. “People forget to pay attention to how they feel about something,” says Disney. Then take time to investigate both your commitment and a group, say, six months or so. Try experimenting with a few organizations before committing dollars or serious energy.
Remember that identifying philanthropic goals is inextricably tied to assessing results. In choosing the cause that speaks to you, look at both sides of the equation: The need for your help and what you and the group can actually get done.