Philanthropy Among Our Youth

Philanthropy is inspired by a love of humanity. It is for the common good of the people and various ways that help improve quality of life. Today, Philanthropists are considered to be those who donate large sums of money to various charity organizations, to the arts, to educational institutions. The definition of philanthropy and who is considered to be a philanthropist has changed throughout history. Although there is a debate, over volunteerism, being philanthropy, Mother Theresa, and the good she and other missionaries have done worldwide, have certainly supported the argument as to whether or not volunteerism is a form of philanthropy.

We only too often hear about the problems of the youth today, including the crimes that they commit. Seldom, do we hear about the good that our youth have done during their short life time. Most of us are now familiar with the founders of Facebook once the movie “Social Network” was released. Mark Zuckerberg and Dustin Moskovitz, Facebook founders, have pledged over one-half of their earnings to a good cause. Mark Zuckerberg is one of the youngest known Philanthropists who has given $100,000,000 to Newark, New Jersey Schools.

When most of us are faced with diversity in our lives, the last thing we want to do is to help others. After all, we have more than enough to deal with. Again, a young child in Philadelphia, PA not only fought cancer, but began a lemonade stand to raise funds for children with cancer. The lemonade stand graduated to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation adding The The Lemon Club, which was designed to help high school students become philanthropists by working to raise monies to fight childhood cancer. The founder of Alex’s Lemonade Stand, was Alex, a four year-old cancer victim. The first season of her one little lemonade stand, raised $2000. Alex lost her battle to cancer, at the age of 8, raising over one million dollars for her cause. Every year, volunteers, across the US, have a lemonade stand to continue the battle against childhood cancer for Alex.

When we think of philanthropists, we often think of the rich. Even the youngest, such as Alex Scott, a child ill with cancer, had a dream, and her dream continues for those who carry on the tradition of Alex’s Lemonade Stand through volunteerism to fight a dreadful disease that is taking young lives. Alex has proven that you do not need to be rich to be a philanthropist.

Non-Profits Save Money By Publishing Reports Digitally

Nonprofits are saving money and gaining exposure by publishing their annual reports online. Last year, the Salvation Army realize about half of the 28,000 printed annual reports the group mailed went unopened, according to a report in the Chronicle of Philanthropy. So the Salvation Army decided to due away with the hard copies and go digital.

That move helped save at least $25,000 in 2009 and the charity expects to save twice that this year.There are however, a few things to think about before making the move to digital-only annual reports.

Despite the cost saving advantages, experts warn going all digital might not be a good option for every charity. Some will have to take into consideration their audience and goals. Other nonprofits are quite where they need to be in terms of digital skills. Those agencies will likely have to bring in experts to help them deal with the digital switch.

Federal Grant Rewards Innovative Charities

A federal grant is rewarding innovative charities.  The grant was designed to help nonprofits expand their reach and make bigger impacts in the communities they serve.

The Social Innovation Fund aims to raise $200 million in public-private funds, which would be made available to charities with a plan to implement transformative solutions to social challenges across the United States. The fund offers millions in grants to nonprofits that focus on three key areas: economic development, healthy futures and youth development and innovation.

Last year, eleven organizations received grants through the Social Innovation Fund.  Organizers say the grants are highly competitive and require charities to prove the work they do makes a lasting impact on the community.

Choosing The Right Charity

There’s a lot of need out there and choosing which organization you want to give to can be a daunting task to say the least.  Here’s a few tips to help you make the right call.

1. Reputation Counts

It doesn’t hurt to know the group you plan on giving to. There are plenty of well-established organizations that you have already heard of. Be wary of strangers and groups that are less than forthcoming with details and information.  Don’t cave in to cheap emotional appeals by those who don’t want to be specific about where your money is going.

2. Volunteer

The best way to find out if an organization will put your money to good use is to volunteer.  Gaining first-hand experience about how an organization improves and interacts with the community should be a focal point of your decision making. Plus, it feels good to volunteer.

3. Follow The Money

make sure you know how much of your donation will go toward the cause you support.  Any charity that uses 65 percent or more directly toward the cause is a safe bet. The rest of the donation pays administrative costs, such as the salaries of the people who work there.

4. Learn About The Impact

Before you donate, you’ll want to know not only how your gift will be spent, but how many people the organization helps in a given year. Find out how the charity made an impact and directly improved peoples’ lives and the surrounding community. Don’t give if you’re not satisfied with the answers.

5. Protect Your Money

Don’t give out your credit card or any other information to appeals made through email, phone or door-to-door appeals. The people you deal with through those avenues could be frauds. Always make sure you can get to the charity’s website on your own, without having to link to it through their email.

Technology And Giving, A Match That Is Changing The World

The technology we use every day is transforming the way we give to charity. When the American Red Cross rolled out its text-message giving program, millions of dollars was immediately funneled to earthquake-ravaged Haiti.  In the first weeks following the 2010 disaster, the Red Cross raised more than $32 million for relief efforts.

Nonprofits around the world are embracing the benefits of using technology and social networking to raise money.  Organizations are using smartphone apps and social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to attract donors.  This approach is creating a younger population of tech-savvy, first-time donors.

Today, donors can text a donation that is added to their monthly phone bill even as they watch the disaster unfold on TV. And so far, it looks like the new generation of donors is very responsive to donation requests via Facebook or Twitter, while requests through snail mail often go ignored with this crowd.

Despite the advances, many charities say the potential is much stronger than the payout at this point. Although the numbers are growing, traditional giving methods still account for the vast majority of donations.

But the programs are still in the infant stages and the potential limitless.  Many experts see using mobile devices to give as the future of charitable giving. The United Way is urging supporters to become part of a new movement and reach out to their peers through social networking.  Such peer-to-peer networking is what made the Haiti fundraising efforts such a success. Experts say by making giving part of your social identity, you inspire friends to do the same.

Top Charity Organizations

Simple Ideas on How You Can Make a Difference

Many people think that because they are not wealthy, they can’t make a difference in the world, but nothing could be further from the truth. If everyone did just one simple change in their life, it could help to save the planet’s resources. This in turn helps everyone. Therefore, if every American changed their light bulbs in their home, the world would reserve resources that could help less developed areas.

People love bottled water in America, if everyone purchased a water pitcher and filtered their own water and stopped buying plastic water bottles, it would save over 100 years of the plastic sitting in the landfills, and it helps cut down on pollution.

Change to e-bills from your utilities and make your payment online. This cuts down on the number of trees that have to be cut down to make the paper those bills are printed on ever month.

You do no have to be a millionaire to make a huge impact in the world and make it a better place for everyone. When you make small changes, it affects everyone for the better because everyone that lives on earth is interconnected.

Find out more about Jason Hope and the Jason Hope Charity Work that is being done.

Warren Buffett Charity Work/Donations

Jason Hope Gives Highlights: Warren Bufftett

It is no secret that Warren Buffett is the second richest man in the world, but he has also given a lot of his money to well-known and lesser known charities. For instance, in 2006, Buffett gave the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation $37 billion dollars. In addition, he has given large donations to the Animal Rescue Foundation, Girls Inc., James Redford Institute for Transplant Awareness, Smile Train, Glide, and Make-A-Wish Foundation.

In addition to Warren Buffett giving of his own money to many charities, he also asked other billionaires to donate a large chunk of their wealth to charities through his Giving Pledge. In fact, in 2006, Buffett donated the bulk of his money to the Bill Gates charity. Therefore, his call to other billionaires to donate was not something he had not already done himself.

In the end, Warren Buffet’s contribution to Bill Gates is what made the charity the largest in the world. He has given to many charities throughout his life and continues to give of his time and money as a way of giving back to those less fortunate. Success in business came to Buffet early on and he learned that giving to charity made the money he earned all make sense.

Find out more about Jason Hope and the Jason Hope Charity Work that is being done.

Charity Work of Bill Gates

Jason Hope Gives Highlights Another Charitable Giver: Bill Gates

Many people do not realize how much charity work Bill Gates, the founder of the Microsoft Windows platform for computers does. Together with his wife, Melinda they founded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 1994, though it was originally named William H. Gates Foundation. Today, the foundation is one of the largest private charities in the world. Bill Gates decided to step down in his role at Microsoft in order to take a more active role in the foundation.

The foundation is involved in many health related programs that reach globally. These include funds to HIV research, Global TB Vaccine Foundation, Children’s Vaccine Program, Financial Access Initiative, Grameen Foundation, and many others. What makes Bill Gates charitable contributions so great is that his foundation is diversified and not simply focused on one single area.

In addition to his global outreach, he is also involved in contributing to the United States educational system and helping to fund research at universities and expand high school programs. While many have criticized Gate’s foundation, it has offered a lot of hope and health to several people that needed it. His foundation originally began with a global vision to reduce poverty and offer healthcare where needed and branched out from there.

Find out more about Jason Hope and the Jason Hope Charity Work that is being done.