William Penn Life, 2005 (40. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2005-06-01 / 6. szám
Charitable Ideas Follow your passion Letting your heart guide your giving makes giving more meaningful from the National Philanthropic Trust There are many reasons why we give. Some of us want to make the world a better place to live. Others may be moved by the plight of the homeless or want to give those less fortunate the chance to go to their alma mater. Then there are those who are inspired by the arts. You may be interested in supporting your place of worship, or you may have an interest in passing on a tradition of giving to your children and grandchildren. In addition, you may also have a number of financial considerations that will impact your family now and in the future. To enable your giving to reach a deeper and more personally rewarding level, focus your philanthropy on your most heartfelt commitments. Philanthropy focused in this fashion propels thoughtful financial planning to new levels of possibilities and provides fresh and exciting opportunities for contributing time and resources to those issues that touch you most deeply. Start by becoming very clear about your values, interests and principles. When you link them to potential targets for giving, philanthropy becomes remarkably powerful and personally rewarding. To connect what you really care about to your giving, ask yourself a few important questions. What moves me most? What has moved you to tears or laughter? Caused you to pause in awe? Do you find your greatest inspiration in the beauty of nature or the family who stayed together against all odds? Do you find it in the songs of your congregation or in the dance troupe that soars on stage? If money, family and social pressures were nonexistent, what career, job or public service would you pursue? The constraints of the world may prevent you from devoting yourself to that passion, but your giving can connect you to that part of your world, even if you choose to remain at a distance. You will follow developments in this world with heightened interest and take pride in its growth. Would you take the most pleasure in helping an environmental group or one who works for people that are less advantaged than you? Do you want to support a religious institution or an arts group? Is it education or the idea of better health care that you would most like to influence? Thinking hard about what touches you will help you identify a general area where you can direct your giving. What core values & commitments would I like my giving to reflect? Recognition of achievement? Honor to other individuals? Giving back? Family ties? Social justice? Development of others' opportunities? Gratitude to God? Creativity? Some people find it helpful to ask who or what made a difference in their own lives. Maybe it was a mentor who reached out when you most needed it. Was there an inspiring teacher whom you have never forgotten? Maybe it was the opportunity to go to college or a doctor whose help and compassion got your family through a crisis. Perhaps it was a library, where you gained the knowledge to achieve your goals. Or was it a community that made it possible for your business to succeed? Perhaps you look back on college as a time when the world opened its doors to you. Often people want to shape their giving to help others benefit as they have. Linking your experiences to your values will help you define where and how you want to give. What would I most like to happen as the result of my giving? Don't put limits on this answer. Let your mind dream the supposedly impossible, if that's where you truly want to go. Perhaps it's racial equality or the end of a devastating disease. Perhaps it's international reconciliation among nations and cultures or better support for the transforming power of the arts. You alone cannot bring about these noble goals, but that's not really the point. Where and how do you want to have an impact? Look for areas where interests, values & expectations connect. You may even want to make three columns with the answers to your questions. You'll spot a powerful link connecting the values that motivate you with your expectations and the opportunities that really interest you. Rank the areas of convergence in the order that seems most natural to you. Copyright 2005 National Philanthropic TrustSM. Charity Links For more suggestions on how to make your charitable giving more meaningful and effective, log onto the website of the National Philanthropic Trust at: O www.nptorg William Penn Life,June 2005 3
