BeCause

National Philanthropy Day, Every Day

November 12, 2013
At Mitch-Stuart Inc., specialists in exclusive travel packages and experiences for charity auction and fundraising events, every day is “philanthropy day” as we work to help our non-profit partners procure much-needed donations to advance their cause.

But, for everyone to acknowledge charitable good, there is National Philanthropy Day®, November 15. It is the special day set aside to recognize and pay tribute to the great contributions that philanthropy—and those people active in the philanthropic community—have made to our lives, our communities and our world.

We’d like to take this opportunity to:

• Call out a few top organizations large and small, as well as some individuals, who really “get it right” when it comes to volunteering and performing wondrous deeds for their own cause or the industry at large.
  • Open Avenues Foundation empowers adults with disabilities by providing employment education, life skills training and meaningful work.
  • Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with 2.7 million youth members and over 1 million adult volunteers. Since its founding in 1910 as part of the international Scout Movement, more than 110 million Americans have been members of the BSA.
  • Safe House Denver serves victims of domestic violence and their children through both an emergency shelter and a non-residential Counseling and Advocacy Center. All of the women, children and youth who come to SafeHouse Denver have access to a full range of bilingual programming, including individual counseling, group sessions, advocacy and safety planning.
  • Catholic Charities represents those living in poverty, calling for more effective and efficient poverty relief solutions and convening thought leaders from across the public, private and nonprofit sectors to identify pathways out of poverty.
  • Paul Clolery is the journalistic voice of the philanthropy industry,  responsible for developing, assigning and editing all content at NPT Publishing Group including the NonProfit Times, Exempt, five E-newlsetter and nptimes.com. His staff has received more than two dozen reporting and writing awards—eight of which were awarded to Paul himself.
• Provide you with some ideas to celebrate Philanthropy Day in your own way such as:
  • Use the day to reach out to donors to help them PLAN their giving. Donations take on maximum impact when the giver takes a little time to determine which organizations and when/how much to give.
  • Encourage those involved with your cause to ask for donations to this cause instead of birthday and other holiday gifts.
  • Help event organizers get new folks onboard by offering up great ideas for events and auction items.
  • Try to particularly appeal to young people – studies show the earlier kids get involved with philanthropy, the more likely they are to continue their involvement as they grow older.
  • Finally, recognize someone special in your or someone else’s organization with a note, flowers, invitation to lunch or other way to say “job well done.”

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Millennials and Philanthropy: Major Stars or Bit Players?

March 04, 2013
With 20+something CEOs and business leaders like Mark Zuckerberg making meaningful donations to pet causes, it is time to take a closer look at this generation and view its potential as a force in future philanthropy.

According to the first ever research project of potential Gen X and Millennial major donors, conducted by the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University with input and assistance from 21/64, a non-profit consulting practice,
"The next generation of major donors has the potential to be the most transformative philanthropists in history". "The Gen Xers and Millennials who are inheriting the $40 trillion wealth transfer, along with those making their own wealth, will control unprecedented amounts of philanthropic resources."

The researchers note this phenomenon—large amount of wealth along with assets passed to decendants through pre-bequest transfers and the amount of new wealth created—has lead some observers to predict a new "golden age of philanthropy".

Key points to consider on how these major donors differ from previous generations of major givers:

Driven by VALUES NOT VALUABLES  Values will drive them--not the trappings that go along with having wealth. The data says these values have more often than not been learned from parents and grandparents.

IMPACT FIRST!!  These next gen major donors highlight the importance of strategy for the future of the field. "They see philanthropic strategy as the major distinguishing factor between themselves and previous generations and see previous generations as more motivated by desire for recognition or social requirements, while seeing themselves as focused on impact first and foremost!"

TIME, TALENT AND TIES  Once engaged, these next gen donors want to go "all in." Giving without significant hands-on engagement feels to them like a hollow investment with little assurance of impact. They want to develop close relationships with organizations or causes they support. This group also wants to listen and offer their own professional or personal talents, all in order to solve problems together.

CRAFTING THEIR OWN PHILANTHROPIC IDENTITIES   Most of these young people say they will do this through their own personal experience. They learn most from "seeing and doing" or even hearing from others about their own authentic experiences of seeing and doing. Rather than waiting until the sunset of their lives, these next gen donors want to actively craft their identities now and actively think about their own legacies.
 
Bottom line: They are different, more strategic, with a strong desire to be active much earlier in their lives and, as noted at the outset, have the potential to become the most significant philanthropists ever.
 
We would love to hear any ideas you have for creating/forging relationships with Gen-Xers and Millennials or any examples of personal success with this group.


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