I Live Here, I Give Here

The New York Times published an interesting article over the weekend that discusses how the face of philanthropy has changed in the past 30 years, as individuals have increased the amount they are giving back financially.

Individuals and organizations are realizing that they are able to make a sizeable impact in ways they see fit, stepping up their giving in areas where our policies and infrastructure are lacking.

see the full entry

It’s now been right at a month since I’ve been in my new position with I Live Here, I Give Here as Consulting Director of Non-Profit Relations and my 30-day assessment is our Non-Profit community is doing really great work against significant challenges.  I’ve now participated in two focus groups covering the issues of senior services, disabilities and the homeless and while serving on the board of I Live Here, I Give Here for three years prior to becoming a consulting staff member, I still didn’t grasp the depth of the needs in our community and the services available to meet those needs for the people of Austin.

see the full entry

Two fascinating articles came my way this week, thanks to our crack team.

The New York Times reported, in a nutshell, that an interesting shift is taking place in funding for arts, culture, health and human services across our country.  Government is distancing itself from funding any of these programs.  Higher wealth individuals and foundations tend to be investing in root causes of social problems or in businesses that produce benefits to society.  These folks tend to want to teach people to fish.  Who, then, helps provides the fish, while the fishermen and women are learning?  Perhaps those of us who want a quicker return on our philanthropic investments do.  Those who don’t have time to spend in deep philanthropic research and enjoy the satisfaction of knowing our dollar provides a meal for a homeless person or a ticket to a concert for an underprivileged child.  I say it takes a village of government, foundations and the general community all giving meaningful gifts to make our system work well. 

see the full entry

Lately, I’ve been noticing my facebook friends posting under the heading, “thirty days of thankful.” If you haven't seen this phenomenon yet, you're sure to see it soon. The premise is simple: for the thirty days of November, you post something each day that you're thankful for in your life. These can run the gamut from being thankful for one's spouse to being thankful for the BLT you just had for lunch. It's a cute and nice way to focus on those blessings in life that we're thankful for, and, in my opinion, an excellent way to gear up for the holiday giving season.  Somehow, thinking about all the things that you have makes you think of the things that others "have not."  

see the full entry