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How To Create Your Philanthropic Mantra

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How To Create Your Philanthropic Mantra

Do you ever find yourself tongue-tied when anyone asks you “Why do you support this organization?” How do you answer? Or better yet, do you even have a specific answer? Quite often I like to ask a donor this question and all too frequently there is an uncomfortable silence. Following a thoughtful pause, the donor answers with something like, “Well, my neighbor asked me to get involved,” or “Gee, I’m not sure, my family has always made an annual contribution” or “Hmmm, I ‘m not really sure, I just like the organization.” Creating your own philanthropic mission statement or mantra can help you answer with confidence! Focus Your Giving There is no doubt that today there is more and more [...]

By Margaret May| January 25th, 2021|Categories: Philanthropy|Tags: empowerment, moral compass, philanthropic decisions, Philanthropy, values|Comments Off

Who Defines Philanthropic Success?

In recent years it has become evident that philanthropy is not a commodity. It's not defined by market supply and demand, but rather the result of a donor’s personal journey driven by values and beliefs. So, who defines philanthropic success? And, if one subscribes to the axiom that success is in the eye of the beholder, then the question becomes, who is the beholder? Who has the primary responsibility of defining success and determining the metrics with which to establish what success means? the philanthropist who gives?the organization that accepts?the beneficiary who receives? Perhaps there's a strong case to be made that the duty to define success falls squarely on the philanthropist who gives. Currently there is a significant dialogue [...]

By Margaret May| January 11th, 2021|Categories: Philanthropy|Tags: accountability, philanthropic decisions, philanthropic impact|Comments Off

Where is the balance between the heart and head in philanthropy?

In today’s technological age, I believe it is very easy to get caught up in the over analysis of the reasons people give. In recent decades there has been significant research and writings on what motivates donors to do what they do and why. Elizabeth Svoboda’s August 2013 Wall Street Journal article, “Hard-Wired for Giving,” shows some scientific evidence behind giving. She reports that experiments in 2007 by University of Oregon economist Dr. Bill Harbaugh and psychologist Ulrich Mayr used an MRI scanner to pinpoint exactly what goes on in a person’s brain when they decide to give to charity. Results showed that “areas of the brain associated with the processing of unexpected rewards, such as the nucleus accumbens lit up. [...]

By Margaret May| January 29th, 2014|Categories: Philanthropy|Tags: donor behavior, donor motivation, philanthropic decisions, Philanthropy, why people give|Comments Off