giving

Philanthropy Not as Screwed as Financial Markets

We're gripped by an unusually strong bear right now. He's squeezing financial markets viciously. And, it comes as no surprise that charitable giving is suffering. Nonetheless, philanthropy is staying ahead of investment hits. Even with stock market calamity, we're still able to find the occasional heart of gold out there.

Don't get me wrong, the situation's grim for the nonprofit sector. Craig M. Joseph of InQuest International, a full-service philanthropic consultancy, observes that the USA Giving Index – calculated by the Center of Philanthropy at Indiana University – is down 35 percent from its 2007 peak. That year, $306 billion in charitable gifts were made. With the steep decline over the past two years, though, a lot of organizations won't get the funding they need.

Of course, it could be worse. If philanthropy followed the Dow, gifts would have fallen more than 40 percent to less than $184 billion – rather than the estimated February 2009 level of $199 billion. With numbers this large, $15 billion may not seem like a lot, but in the hands of an efficient charitable organization, it can change a lot of lives.

For now, the news is "less negative," but there is still a lot of pain that still has to be pushed through the markets, as much of the Wall Street calamity likely has yet to be visited upon consumers. Let's just hope that we still find some room in our wallets to support our favorite charities.

Tags: charitable, charitable contributions, charitable giving, charitable organizations, CharitableContributions, charitablegiving, CharitableOrganizations, charity, financial crisis, FinancialCrisis, giving, non-profit, nonprofit, philanthrophy, philanthropist, philanthropists, philanthropy, recession, stock market, StockMarket

Travelers' Philanthropy, Charity of the Day

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Charity of the Day

Visiting a foreign country, especially one in the third world, often prompts one's philanthropic desires to give back to the places they explore. It's hard to distinguish which causes are worthy of your funds and which giving opportunities truly use your funds for the project intended. Travelers' Philanthropy takes the guess work out of global giving by connecting travelers or simply interested donors to causes that positively impact local communities. Currently this organization is involved with causes in Costa Rica, South America and Africa encouraging travelers to combine their love of the global community with their ability to fund important programs and initiatives. Check out the gallery below for current opportunities and the people they impact.

Gallery: Opportunities through Travelers' Philanthropy

Mara Cheetah Conservation Project in Kenya

Infierno Community Fund, supported by Rainforest Expeditions in Peru

NatureKids, supported by Nature Air in Costa Rica

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Tags: charity, costa rica, CostaRica, dominican republic, DominicanRepublic, giving, global giving, GlobalGiving, kenya, peru, philanthropy, tanzania, travelers philanthropy, TravelersPhilanthropy

Just Give, Charity of the Day

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Charity, Charity of the Day

The number of charities in the world is countless, non-profits cover all areas imaginable with some serving world-wide and others serving only their immediate local areas. And although you may know you want to share some of your blessings with others by giving money or volunteering, it can be more than a little intimidating to try and find one to support. Just Give is an organization that works to connect people who want to give with the charities that need them most. You can search their website and find charities that serve needs you're passionate about, serve locations near you or near loved ones, or you can simply browse around until something strikes you. Happy giving!

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Tags: charities, charity, charity of the day, CharityOfTheDay, donate, give, giving, just give, JustGive

Eli Broad Puts His Name On a Museum But Pulls His Art

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

Bad news for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and other institutions, billionaire Eli Broad has announced that he is not giving away any of his 2,000 art works to them. Instead Broad has decided that his art will be retained by his Broad Art Foundation. His foundation, which was established in 1984 and has made 7,000 loans of art to institutions around the world. Broad, who is 74 and a founder and former chief executive officer of the homebuilder KB Home and insurer SunAmerica Inc., sees his foundation as an art lending library which could be a model for other collectors who are worried that their pieces, once donated, will end up in storage rather than taking pride of place in a museum. Broad's foundation in Santa Monica currently has 20,000 square feet for showing the art that is not loaned out.

Broad's status as a collector (he is one of the world's top ten collectors) means that his decision will have an impact on how other aging collectors think about their future plans for art, wondering if they too should find an option that will make sure that their accrued works don't end up in a museum's storage. What makes Broad's decision particularly interesting is the timing, next month the Los Angeles County Museum of Art is opening the $56 million Broad Contemporary Art Museum, a building designed by Renzo Piano and financed by Broad, ostensibly for the purpose of showcasing his art. The new museum will still have favored nation status so much of the art will hang there but there is a big differenc between loaned art and owned art, especially in terms of the leverage that a large and important collection provides. Museums often go through elaborate courting processes with big fish donors spending a great deal of time and money in the hopes of getting a valuable donation.

One thing I wonder is whether or not Broad will get the same tax breaks for leaving the art in his own foundation versus donation.

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Tags: art, contemporary art, donation, eli broad, EliBroad, giving, lacma

The Elephant Sanctuary, Charity of the Day

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Charity of the Day

Established in 1995 and existing on 2,700 acres in Hohenwald, Tennessee, The Elephant Sanctuary is devoted to providing a safe refuge for endangered Asian and African elephants that are old, needy, and sick after being retired from zoos and circuses. It is also passionate about educating others on the crisis facing these large and gentle creatures, and working to stop the capture and training of elephants from their natural habitats to perform in circuses and safaris. They have 23 elephants total in the sanctuary, and you can meet them all by name and picture and either send a general donation or sponsor a specific "girl" after reading each of their bios and getting to know them in photo albums.

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Tags: animal rescue, AnimalRescue, charities, charity, conservation, donation, donations, elephant, elephants, giving, rescue, sanctuary, tennessee, wildlife

The Global Fund, Charity of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art, Charity of the Day

You are probably familiar with (RED) the charity which has raised millions of dollars for HIV/AIDs treatment through a variety of commerce-related tie-ins such as sneakers, watches, clothing and gadgets from retailers that include Armani, the Gap and Motorola. Much of the money from Project (RED) has been given to The Global Fund which saves lives by providing resources for countries struggling against the spread of disease.

The latest (RED) project is designed to tempt well-heeled art collectors. Artist Damien Hirst has put his considerable skills of promotion to good use by inviting more than 100 artists to contribute to an auction to benefit (RED), The auction will be held on Valentine's Day next year in New York. The pieces are inspired by the color red and dedicated to raising awareness of HIV/AIDS. Contributing artists include Jeff Koons, Jasper Johns, Matthew Barney, Georg Baselitz, Cecily Brown, Douglas Gordon and of course Hirst himself who has contributed seven works including a red heart-shaped butterfly painting entitled All You Need is Love.

Money raised by the auction will go directly to The Global Fund. You may not be able to buy a Hirst original but any donation to The Global Fund is worthwhile. The Global Fund has might great strides in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. All of your donation will go to the Global Fund and its programs with no portion being diverted for administrative costs by the United Nations Foundation.

[via AP]

A preview of some of the works was held on December 5. Pictures are below in the gallery.

Gallery: Auction (RED)

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Tags: bono, charity of the day, damien hirst, DamienHirst, donation, giving, global fund, philanthropy, project red

The Humane Society, Charity of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Charity of the Day

Most people have heard of The Humane Society of the United States and know that it helps to protect dogs and cats but the Humane Society is also involved with wildlife and habitat protection and much, much more. They also have a Veterinarians Without Borders program that helps to provide animal care in other nations. The Humane Society also advocates for animals by endorsing sensible public policies, investigating cruelty and working to enforce existing laws. They also work with corporations on behalf of animal-friendly policies and are lead disaster relief agency for animals. The Humane Society makes a great donation gift for any animal lover. For the holiday season they have created a 2007 collectible ornament which can be given as a gift for $50. Donate $90 and they will send one to your recipient and one to you as well. All gift recipients of $25 also receive a subscription to The Humane Society's Magazine, All Animals, and a holiday greeting card.

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Tags: animals, donation, giving, holidash, humane society, HumaneSociety, ornament, pets, philanthropy

Oxfam America, Charity of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Charity of the Day

Happy December. Today marks the first in a daily series that will last the month of December, and possibly beyond, highlighting great causes to give funds to. The first part of this month will focus in holiday-themed programs that some charities run. Up first, Oxfam Unwrapped. Oxfam works in 26 countries around the world and sells gift items that symbolically represent their work. The purchase of a gift is not a donation toward a specific program but it help the recipient connect with the projects that Oxfam does around the world. Their biggest ticket donation item is the $10,000 stilt house. Oxfam America builds these homes in flood-prone areas to offer families a place where they can live and adapt to climate change without having to relocate. You don't need to be a big donor to make a big impact. Gifts start at just $18 which can buy a blanket, children's toys and school supplies.

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Tags: charity, giving, holiday, holiday giving, oxfam, philanthropy

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