Picking a non-profit to donate to is tough, there are so many great organizations out there! There are national groups, local, large, small...when you've finally narrowed it down to the group (or groups) that match your own values you feel happy to have made an impact. But your giving heart always wants to give more--if only you could save the world!
Well, you're in luck. This Wednesday, May 15th, your charitable donation to a single charity, like Sustainable Seattle, will give in a bigger way. How? Gifting on May 15th during GiveBIG, The Seattle Foundation's one-day online giving event will help over 1,400 Seattle area non-profits!
Showing posts with label philanthropy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label philanthropy. Show all posts
Sep 7, 2010
Legacies
The word invokes images of southern plantation houses, wills and foundations begot by rich donors and aristocracy, but the actual definition of Legacy in our modern day society is starting to change. We will leave this place behind one way or the other and the question that we all need to really ask ourselves is "How will the world be different because of my actions?"
Last night I could not fall asleep as ideas kept rolling through my mind about what kind of place we will leave behind. Our future is not set in stone and their are unknowns from every angle that twist our ambitions and desires without us even knowing. What we do know is that there is a choice about what we do with this life that we have.
Do we choose to continue to buy and sell our natural resources overreaching nature's ability to replace and compensate? Do we choose to continue to seek material wealth and forget our connections to our family, communities and city? I tossed and turned all night thinking about the underlying motivation that most people have if they are not mindful. Our motivation determines our actions, behaviors and thoughts. If we are motivated with a "live for today" type of attitude with no thought of the future, we will erode our ability to be happy, secure and low impact. We also cannot only live for the future as we live in this world today. What we need is a balance.
Sustainable Seattle is concerned with our legacy as a people in the greater Seattle area. What kind of environment, people and economy are we going to bequeath on our children and their children? We cannot live for today only and still have a sustainable future and we need to understand the actual facts of our actions. Without mindful thinking and correct actions we are leaving this place worse off then when we found it.
This idea of mindfulness does not have to be anything beyond thinking about consequences and the actual cost of materials, actions and our attitudes. We need to think about how we spend our money, how we interact with our fellow beings and of course, what kind of person we want to be. It is simple really. We cannot afford to define ourselves by our stuff anymore. We need a new definition that is created from our relationships, experiences and our actions. After all we are human beings not human havings.
Last night I could not fall asleep as ideas kept rolling through my mind about what kind of place we will leave behind. Our future is not set in stone and their are unknowns from every angle that twist our ambitions and desires without us even knowing. What we do know is that there is a choice about what we do with this life that we have.
Do we choose to continue to buy and sell our natural resources overreaching nature's ability to replace and compensate? Do we choose to continue to seek material wealth and forget our connections to our family, communities and city? I tossed and turned all night thinking about the underlying motivation that most people have if they are not mindful. Our motivation determines our actions, behaviors and thoughts. If we are motivated with a "live for today" type of attitude with no thought of the future, we will erode our ability to be happy, secure and low impact. We also cannot only live for the future as we live in this world today. What we need is a balance.
Sustainable Seattle is concerned with our legacy as a people in the greater Seattle area. What kind of environment, people and economy are we going to bequeath on our children and their children? We cannot live for today only and still have a sustainable future and we need to understand the actual facts of our actions. Without mindful thinking and correct actions we are leaving this place worse off then when we found it.
This idea of mindfulness does not have to be anything beyond thinking about consequences and the actual cost of materials, actions and our attitudes. We need to think about how we spend our money, how we interact with our fellow beings and of course, what kind of person we want to be. It is simple really. We cannot afford to define ourselves by our stuff anymore. We need a new definition that is created from our relationships, experiences and our actions. After all we are human beings not human havings.
Jan 5, 2010
Social Entrepreneurship
There is a growing trend for non profits to get into the business of making profits. This idea is called Social Entrepreneurship and it is gaining ground even from the government. Basically the organization is run in a for profit scheme meaning competitive pay, compensation and a chance to get out of the red like most non profits and into the black.
The Social Enterprise is based on a service or product that benefits others like the central theme of most non profits, the major difference is that the service or product is provided for a cost that is above what the initial investment from the organization put forward. In other words a profitable business that makes its money honorably.
Here is an article from Duke University that sums up the possible changing face of non profits.
The Social Enterprise is based on a service or product that benefits others like the central theme of most non profits, the major difference is that the service or product is provided for a cost that is above what the initial investment from the organization put forward. In other words a profitable business that makes its money honorably.
Here is an article from Duke University that sums up the possible changing face of non profits.
The Future of Non-profits is Social Enterprise
Dec 25, 2009
What Non Profits can do
The non profit sector is filled with dedicated people trying to make a difference in their communities, and their world. It is a group of people who have a true passion and calling that they want to see to fruition. Unfortunately, many non profits lose sight of the reality of this world and run out of funding, people or resources. What can non profits do better? They can give better service.
Non profits are in their business to make some sort of positive change, but they often forget that many others do not have that same inner fire that drives organizations throughout the different challenges they face. Volunteers and donors need to be shown that their time and money is making a palatable difference or they will soon be closing up their pocketbooks or be too busy to show up.
The main way that a non profit can ensure long term health is to show what it is doing in the same manner that for profit organizations do. They need to be transparent, visible and easily accessible. The public needs to see a clear line between the non profits goals and accomplishments and the public's participation. One way to do this is through social media such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs.
Non profits should not stop at social media. They should have face time with the public as well. Why is it that every festival, concert, or street show has corporate sponsorships? For profit organizations know that if you want to be profitable over the long run you must be ubiquitous. Non profits need to increase their public face with representatives at those festivals, concerts, and street shows. They also need to be in areas and activities that are not directly involved with their cause. Non profits need to reach out to a broader audience of support.
Another major step in non profit success is branding and trustworthiness. Oftentimes I am struck by the sheer amount of organizations in the Seattle area that are doing good work, but I only heard of them because I stumbled upon them in a very advanced web search. Organizations that are hard to find and hard to learn about do not have sustainability. People need to think of the cause and think of the brand. Some non profits have reached the status of instant recognition over years of effort. The Salvation Army or United Way are two examples of this, but who has heard of the dozens of partners that do the actual work of these two giants of philanthropy?
Branding is not simply a catch phrase or and advertising pitch; it is a unified and consistent message, iconography and simplicity. A non profit in order to compete and be sustainable has to establish itself in the minds of its potential volunteers and donors. The simpler the better.
Lastly, trustworthiness is brought about by consistency in message, objectives and transparency in the results and the means of execution. People will not give their time or money to an organization that is disorganized, spread in too many directions, or elusive about their financial situation whether in income or debits.
Simplification, consistency, and transparency are the key ingredients to a successful non profit. The good news is that Americans are giving more to charity year after year. The problem is that the charities in which they give are becoming more focused. People use to give small amounts to numerous charities and now they are giving larger amounts to a chosen few. If a non profit wants to be successful, they have to be part of that chosen few.
Non profits are in their business to make some sort of positive change, but they often forget that many others do not have that same inner fire that drives organizations throughout the different challenges they face. Volunteers and donors need to be shown that their time and money is making a palatable difference or they will soon be closing up their pocketbooks or be too busy to show up.
The main way that a non profit can ensure long term health is to show what it is doing in the same manner that for profit organizations do. They need to be transparent, visible and easily accessible. The public needs to see a clear line between the non profits goals and accomplishments and the public's participation. One way to do this is through social media such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs.
Non profits should not stop at social media. They should have face time with the public as well. Why is it that every festival, concert, or street show has corporate sponsorships? For profit organizations know that if you want to be profitable over the long run you must be ubiquitous. Non profits need to increase their public face with representatives at those festivals, concerts, and street shows. They also need to be in areas and activities that are not directly involved with their cause. Non profits need to reach out to a broader audience of support.
Another major step in non profit success is branding and trustworthiness. Oftentimes I am struck by the sheer amount of organizations in the Seattle area that are doing good work, but I only heard of them because I stumbled upon them in a very advanced web search. Organizations that are hard to find and hard to learn about do not have sustainability. People need to think of the cause and think of the brand. Some non profits have reached the status of instant recognition over years of effort. The Salvation Army or United Way are two examples of this, but who has heard of the dozens of partners that do the actual work of these two giants of philanthropy?
Branding is not simply a catch phrase or and advertising pitch; it is a unified and consistent message, iconography and simplicity. A non profit in order to compete and be sustainable has to establish itself in the minds of its potential volunteers and donors. The simpler the better.
Lastly, trustworthiness is brought about by consistency in message, objectives and transparency in the results and the means of execution. People will not give their time or money to an organization that is disorganized, spread in too many directions, or elusive about their financial situation whether in income or debits.
Simplification, consistency, and transparency are the key ingredients to a successful non profit. The good news is that Americans are giving more to charity year after year. The problem is that the charities in which they give are becoming more focused. People use to give small amounts to numerous charities and now they are giving larger amounts to a chosen few. If a non profit wants to be successful, they have to be part of that chosen few.
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