Before joining this class, the amount of philanthropy I did was limited to what was required of my high school. As we learned from last week's post about community service requirements, this was not the most engaging and thought provoking way to approach giving. What made this class's philanthropy different from that of high school, was that it was more than just allocating our time and money to a cause. If this were the case, we could have easily picked an organization in January, given it our grants, sat idle until May and hope for the best. Instead, we were challenged to make a calculated and thoughtful decision as to which organization deserved our grant. This class challenged us to find a need in our local community, identify organizations that would serve that need, and through the decision making process, learn different approaches to philanthropy on how we could best allocate our grants. I appreciate that this class not only gave me the opportunity to be involved with Broome County, but also gave me the opportunity to further learn about philanthropy. We learned about how non-profits are structured, different ways to approach philanthropy, and resources to evaluate the effectiveness of organizations. These lessons have allowed us to come to a decision that I am positive will impact the community and help it grow.
The challenge now is how we will approach our own philanthropy post-class. It is different to have someone require you to be philanthropic and give you the resources to do so. After class, there will be no allocated time periods, money given to you, or sponsor-backed twitter contests encouraging you to give. You have to take your own initiative and budget your own time and money to do so. In a way, philanthropy in the future won't be as convenient. Will this discourage your giving? I hope it doesn't. If there is anything that will encourage us, it is our first lesson from class: anyone can be a philanthropist. You don't have to have Bill Gate's net worth (which I recently learned is a whopping $79.2billion) or have your own foundation like Elon Musk. We have read about philanthropists in all economic backgrounds and ages from A Path Appears to prove that this is not the case. If anything, we have a leg up because the lessons we learned from class have set a solid foundation to guide our personal philanthropy for a lifetime.
I suggest that over the summer, we take the free time that we have to find organizations we are passionate about and want to support. Whether this is volunteering once a week or donating a portion of money from our summer jobs, we should put in our best effort to keep this momentum of giving going. Personally, I am excited and looking forward toward to volunteering for Hosteling International, a nonprofit that fosters connecting people to one another through travel. This organization is a perfect fit because it combines my interests of community and travel. They offer travelers affordable housing and facilitate interactions between them and the local community through guided tours, discussions, and discovering something new about the neighborhood. Their goals are to break down stereotypes and "use the power of travel to foster a deeper understanding of people, places, and the world around". Find something you are passionate about and run with it, let's not remain idle in our giving.
Questions:
1) Do you plan to continue giving after class?
2) Do you have any organizations at home that you are passionate about and can find yourself supporting in the future?
3) Do you have any reservations about being philanthropic in the future?
If you want to learn more about Hosteling International check out this website:
https://www.hiusa.org/about-us
Christina, good post. I hope you enjoy working with Hosteling International. I don't personally know much about the organization but from your description, it sounds like a worthy movement.
ReplyDeleteI feel that my giving, at least in the near future, will be in much smaller amounts. Because of that, I'd like to give to causes that are less intensive and can benefit from my smaller donations. Also, I'll be operating on a small budget so giving anything will be a big deal. Based on this class, that may lead one to think that I would do incredible research to be sure that my donation be most secure. But, I feel as though, I'll be swayed mostly by friends and family members pushing small campaigns close to their heart.
As far as giving my time is concerned, I plan to volunteer at a back to school fair for poor children this summer. I volunteered last year as well. The fair provides the children with a shopping experience and provides them with their choice of clothes and supplies.
I will also be interning this summer at the NYC Public Defender. It's not necessarily charity wqork, but I feel that public defenders perform a somewhat charitable service and certainly a noble service. Working there will help me help the office give back to those who can't afford legal protection.
Looking further into my future, as a lawyer, I plan to do considerable pro-bono work each year and am explicitly looking to work for firms that count pro-bono work towards the billable hours requirements.
I'm excited for my future in philanthropy.
Christina, I'm happy to hear you'll be continuing your philanthropy by volunteering with an international nonprofit, especially since you have indicated in class that international affairs are important to you. Though our rewarding focus in class has been on Broome County, I try to have a global outlook and hope to one day be involved in international affairs in some capacity. My dream job is in the USAID office, a branch of the State Department that provides international humanitarian aid.
ReplyDeleteThis summer I'll be moving to D.C. for an internship and to go to school at American University for the rest of my undergraduate career. In D.C. I know I'll be working in at least one nonprofit in a barely-paid internship, so I guess you could say that I'll be continuing my philanthropy there. Additionally, I hope to adopt a puppy, giving it a good home and supporting an animal rescue, which I believe applies to alleviating animal abuse. Moreover, I'll definitely be getting involved in some kind of philanthropic work or community service while I'm at American University. However, considering my current status as a classic "broke college student" archetype, I don't think that much of my philanthropy in the near future will be through large financial donations as we have made this semester.
At home, I have volunteered at a number of companion animal and equine rescues and organizations that support persons with disabilities of all ages. I am definitely still passionate about those organizations and if I were ever home in the summer or winter, I would definitely like to support them with my time. If I am financially secure enough in the future to be able to donate money, I would definitely like to support them.
My reservations regarding philanthropy in the future are not so much about being philanthropic in and of itself, but rather being critical of organizations and how my philanthropy is being used. However, I think that is a positive tool I have learned with this course. I now have the knowledge and abilities to make better choices regarding my philanthropy. I am grateful to the lessons I have learned this semester in this course and am excited to do more for communities in which I live.
This is an excellent way to commence and reflect on our experience this semester.
ReplyDeleteI want to go back to the video we watched early in the semester titled "I am a Philanthropist":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFHPwFCCNiw&feature=youtu.be
After first watching this video, I remember feeling particularly surprised by the many philanthropic acts I have already been a part of in the past but did not realize including donating my hair and supporting Pantene Beautiful Lengths, serving abroad in missions work, serving as a mentor at a local middle school... I hope that we don't forget all of the many small things that we can do as students with fixed incomes. Also, after speaking with Anita, I am even more interested in learning about giving circles that exist for students and community members in Broome County.
Similar to Gilda's comment, as a result of this class, I think I will continue to evaluate my donations a bit more critically than before, but ultimately I am reminded through our site visits that there are many organizations I can give in-kind service too, and I am encouraged to continue relationships with them. I certainly hope to continue my philanthropic journey beyond this experience!
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ReplyDeleteGreat post Christina! I know that I am definitely going to continue giving after this class. This class has taught us the knowledge necessary to be smart philanthropists. That being said, I don't have any reservations of donating in the future. In the beginning of the semester, I would’ve said to donate to an organization which was fit enough to keep making a lasting impact on the community. I still hold this true, but now I value the importance of research and results reporting in philanthropy. I also learned to not take everything at face value. Not only do you need to find an organization or program that coincides with your values, but one that uses your money directly to fix an issue. I don't think in the near future I will be donating to organizations such as Broome County Urban League, because I don't feel my limited amount of money would make that much of a difference. Rather, I would like to donate my time and money to individuals or small organizations. This way, I know that my limited resources will have a profound influence on someone. I have a friend who in 2009 was in a car crash that left her paralyzed, so I really feel that I can use the skills we learned in class to help make a meaningful donation towards her "Project Walk" fund, to help her get intensive physical therapy. Just as Julie said, it is the little things we can do at this age that will make a difference in our communities!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post to end the semester with as a whole. This is one of the reasons I thoroughly enjoyed taking this class this semester - because I am surrounded by like minded people who challenge me to think critically and more in depth about the world around us. I am happy to hear that this class has inspired you to continue giving back to the community after our last class and to further develop our philanthropic attitudes in the future. Personally, I will be graduating in just about a week and I really think that I will continue to explore philanthropy and to find my niche. I want to find a niche that I am truly invested in and to donate consistently to. I find donating my time and money to nonprofits to be very rewarding and makes me happier to know that I am helping someone out who is less fortunate or does not have the same opportunities that I have. Growing up, I was always taught to give back to the community in any way that I can by my mom who always reminded me not to take what I have for granted.
ReplyDeleteAs for now, I don't have any organizations in mind that I know for sure I will donate to but I am going to definitely do research over the summer to find some organizations that I believe are noteworthy. I also like how to bring back our first lesson, anyone can be a philanthropist. Any small act of giving counts!
Hello Christina,
ReplyDeleteGreat thought-provoking blog! I think everyone in the class learned so much about what it means to be philanthropists and how to effectively analyze an organization. The little things we do like donating our hair, volunteering or cleaning up the park can be consider philanthropic and it amazes me how powerful we can be, as students, even without the $79.2 billion.
Like my fellow classmates have expressed, as college students, we are getting by with a small allowance or salary we earned during the school year. To address your first question, I do plan to give monetary donations in the future. But for the next two years, I think the most I can give is my knowledge and experience of donating effectively. As a class we studied what it means to make an impact and right now, I think the biggest impact I can make is sharing my experience with other students. By encouraging other students to look at the social issues that surrounds us in our community and question about what they value will truly be an eye-opening experience for them. When I realized I do not value all lives equally, it was a challenging reflection moment for me. Although this realization does not take away my willingness to give, it shows that I prefer to donate to a local organization more so than to international countries. It also supports the idea that I prefer to see the difference I am making in the community, which goes against David Singer’s effective altruism practice. Throughout this course, I learned a lot about myself and even more about the community of Binghamton.
This course will definitely changed the way I donate in the future. After I find a stable job, I do plan to give more donations towards issues I care about (listening to my heart). But if I plan to make a bigger donation, I might look towards the resources we discussed in class to evaluate an organization (and listen to my head).
This course has spurred my interest in philanthropy, but I do not think I will be donating my time over the summer. I will be working and a lot of my time will be used up. I do not have any organizations back home that I have found to be extraordinary and am still searching for the right one. Summer used to be a break, but not any more as I will be working. However, I plan on giving back next semester on campus as I have done this year. Next year it will probably be at Urban League because I was impressed with their mission and results. I have more reserves about giving from this class. Yes, when I give it will help, but it could possibly help more people in another way. I will now examine where I am giving more carefully. Good luck to everybody on their future philanthropic adventures.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this post!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about this recently actually, and spending a lot of time not only wondering about how our efforts will continue, but also how we will stay in touch with the organizations we ended up supporting.
Personally, I have always wanted to go into nonprofit work on more of an operational side, so I'll be spending my summer interning at an organization that works to help companies increase their sustainability and sort of human good factor, as well as working with a organization near my house that runs a fellowship for international nonprofit leaders in NYC. While not methods of traditional, hands-on giving, I feel like the experiences are meaningful and do let me give back in a variety of ways.
I think it's important that all of us take what we have learned this semester and make choices so that we continue to channel the values we have spent months considering and ironing out.
This article (http://discovercorps.com/blog/keep-giving-back/) suggests a variety of ways in which people can keep giving back, specifically after a volunteer vacation. We've talked about community service trips, and while we have had mixed feelings, I think there are parallel sentiments between those experiences and our class. We have all spent a very concentrated amount of time very focused on community service, and now it is coming to a close. Just like people who come off a community service trip might be at a loss for how to continue their efforts, we can be as well. The has suggestions like starting locally in your own community, which I think has a lot of merit. Just as we explored our college hometown, when we go back home over the summer we can use the same mindset to give back locally in our childhood neighborhoods as well.
Great rap up to a great semester!
ReplyDeleteI do plan to continue giving after my time with this class is done, but I am in a bit of a pickle too, as I find my goals for life do not arguably fit into the convention of philanthropic giving as we know it. For example, I plan to continue performing research in the fields of biology, geothermal energy, and pathology this summer. These fields provide a form of long-term giving to improve the human condition, but they do not provide an immediate and direct impact. Even so, I think that the key to giving still involves a "conversation" between those who donate their time and resources, and those who need it. Even though I will be engrossed in research for probably the rest of my life, I think that having that intimateness is something I will need to actively work on as well and I plan to remedy that with volunteering and planning events in the future with the organizations I am currently with.
In regards to your third question, I think that this vast array of knowledge that I have gained has actually made my life as a donor harder in some ways. Being cognizant of all these little details makes it significantly harder to actually make a decision or action, and can actually lock you out of an idea, because it can take so long to be sure that you are making a "meaningful" difference. The understanding of the ideal "good", followed by my own personal ideal "good" forged by this class, definitely brings great conflict, however, I cannot deny that I now have a much greater understanding to noticing red flags, and signs, and due to my own personal ideals, have found the notions that I personally care for the most. As a donor, that is fundamentally important.
Still, I question whether what's best for my OWN philanthropy. Should I be a "hacker" as Sean Parker writes in the WSJ (1), or do I be more hidebound, and conservative, to avoid risk. Do I hold true to what I believe in, or what would be technically the best for society? Do I logically calculate the risks associated, or do I allow my feelings to dictate judgement? These questions are questions that I know will stick with me for the rest of my life.
(1)http://www.wsj.com/articles/sean-parker-philanthropy-for-hackers-1435345787
This is a great post to wrap up our semester and you really summarized everything we learned really well. I thino that all of us really learned a lot through this class and I don't see how it would be possible for any of us to give up giving, especially after seeing how passionate everyone was especially when it came to the final decision. Personally, I I tend to keep giving my time and money to support causes like the ones we have looked at all semester. I recently became e-board of a club here at Binghamton and although it isn't necessarily a philanthropic one I definitely intend to use my position as president to organize fundraisers and give back to our community here in Broome County. Whether it be any of the 5 organizations we had looked at in the past or another one all together, I'll know the money we donate as a club will have a positive impact on the community and will go to a great cause. You also asked what we plan on doing once we get home for the summer and any organizations that we might want to support in the future. Once I go back home next week, I intend to go back to my high school and help organize and fundraising event that we have done for the last several years. This event raised money for the Alliance for Lupus and Knighttour, a local organization that serves pediatric cancer patients and helps them continue their education. I have been supporting these organizations for the past four years and I hope I can continue to volunteer for this event on any way I can in the future.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this blog post. I feel the same, as this class has seriously shown me that there is much more to philanthropy than just picking an organization to donate to and giving them your money. Throughout the semester, we have learned to research and analyze different nonprofit organizations, which is something that I would not have done before taking this course.
ReplyDeleteI know that I will continue with philanthropy after taking this course. Before taking this course, there were a couple meaningful philanthropic events that I have been involved with for many years now. These include the Bike New York five borough bike tour, where I participated on Team Lymphoma Research Foundation, and The Westchester Heart Walk, where I ran and organized a team from my high school. For the Heart Walk, this was a particularly important event for me because I started the American Heart Association (AHA) Club at my high school, and the AHA is the organization that puts together this Westchester Heart Walk. Putting together a team of 30+ students from my small high school and raising funds for this great organization was something that I've always took pride in, and something that I continued to do since high school, and I know I will continue to do in my future.
I have no reservations about being philanthropic in my future. It is something that is important to me, and I know that because of this I will not stop. That being said, I do not see myself as having a career in philanthropy, but I feel that this is okay. As we have talked about throughout the semester, you do not need to have a career in philanthropy in order to be philanthropic, and I feel that I can have a job that has nothing to do with philanthropy, and still give back, through donating my time and money, and make a strong and impactful difference.
Christina, I really enjoyed reading your post and thought it was a good way to reflect on how things we've learned this semester will impact us in the future. I think it's great that you have been able to get involved with an organization that you're passionate about this summer!
ReplyDeleteI had done some volunteering and community service before this class, but it was mostly on a short term basis or for summer camp programs. Coming to college, I knew that I wanted to continue volunteering in some capacity, and this class has helped me to see what the needs of Broome County are, what organizations are out there, and how we as college students have a large potential to make a difference and give back to this community that we are now a part of because we live, work, and go to school here. Now I have a greater appreciation for the role that volunteers and nonprofit organizations have in promoting societal change, and I will definitely be looking for volunteering opportunities somewhere where I can get more involved on a longer term basis.
As far as giving money, I will definitely continue to give to organizations and will be more aware of how to determine which organizations are the most effective at impacting an issue that is important to me. While I don't plan on pursuing a career definitively related to the nonprofit sector, I am pursuing a career in medical research mostly because I would like to help people and would like to make giving back a large part of my life.