Blog
Living with a Mentality of Abundance
Life is rarely a zero-sum game. On the contrary, humanity has been able to ascend as a species by being able to cooperate more effectively than any other mammal. Yet, it seems to make intuitive sense that if someone else is winning, we lose. Resources after all,...
Philanthropically Funding the Arts, Pt. 2
When funding the arts, tangible feedback is difficult to ascertain aside from naming a theatre, etc. As such, it keeps donors away. They feel like their money can make a bigger impact in other areas. That’s fine and likely true. Another major criticism of arts funding...
Philanthropically Funding the Arts, Pt. 1
My passion is philanthropy. I live by my own philosophy of charitable giving and I have dedicated my career to helping others do the same. I talk about philanthropy interchangeably with charity and giving, though I think among these concepts of generosity,...
Environmental Philanthropy, Pt. 2
In part one, we examined what makes environmental philanthropy quite different from the causes we’re most accustomed to supporting. The micro-causes within causes and the need for widespread support at the community level create challenges that many other nonprofits...
Environmental Philanthropy, Pt. 1
Traditionally, when we think of philanthropy it’s in silos, all funneling top-down to a particular cause. The function serves established causes that have infrastructures already in place to (hopefully) rightly allocate the funding to scientists that are researching a...
Strategies for Impacting Education by Giving
You’ve carefully considered getting involved with education-based philanthropy and are ready to take action. So what can you do? These are a handful of my favorite ideas. Donate to Your Local Education Fund. Most school districts or municipalities will have something...
Consider Education-Based Philanthropy
Our public schools used to be a point of pride for our hometowns and cities. Nowadays, the conversation surrounding public education has taken on an increasingly pessimistic tone. A lot of the strategies for success are focused around outside solutions: vouchers,...
Choosing a Crowdfunding Platform
The strategies I talked about previously can be applied to every crowdfunding effort to create a winning campaign. With those tactics in mind, what platforms should you consider for a winning crowdfunding campaign? I have a few favorites. Kickstarter Kickstarter is...
Crowdfunding Your Nonprofit
We live in a time of unprecedented activism and not just politically. The number of causes that motivate people, and the access we have to contribute to what we care about, is on a level that I have only seen recently. This creates unique opportunities for...
Becoming a Voluntary Philanthropist
C.S. Lewis said, “For many of us, the great obstacle to charity lies not in our luxurious living or desire for more money, but in our fear—fear of insecurity.” With that sentiment, Lewis tapped into an instinct that makes us all Involuntary Philanthropists. For better...