Tag: Nonprofits

The Big Picture Benefits of Philanthropy

On December 13, 2021

Philanthropy is an intensely popular industry that encourages people to give back to their communities. Whether through corporate giving or personal volunteerism, the more people give back each day, the more people in need get the help they’re looking for. In the short term, philanthropists gain instant gratification from knowing that they’ve done something good to help their fellow humans—this is what most people chase when beginning their philanthropic journeys.

What many people don’t know is that practicing philanthropy can benefit the philanthropist, those they are helping, and society as a whole in the long run. No matter how people practice charitable giving, there’s no doubt that helping others is a crucial part of personal and professional success.

Take, for example, corporate giving. Many businesses take part in charitable giving through company-wide donations and giving their employees paid days off for volunteer work. This is crucial for company culture as it builds a strong sense of community between coworkers, increases productivity in the workplace, and forms loyalty among employees and their employers.

Philanthropy can also give companies a huge PR boost when they act charitably. By donating money to non-profit organizations, businesses will gain positive exposure and improve their reputation with customers, employees, partners, and the community. The better a business’s reputation is, the more sales they’ll ultimately make—roughly 90% of customers will shop at businesses that actively support a cause. In the same grain, Millennial job seekers are much more likely to apply to a company that supports a cause because they’ll feel a sense of purpose while working there.

Charitable giving impacts people individually as well. Parents can teach their children about the importance of helping others when participating in philanthropy and build on a child’s emotional intelligence. Many non-profits are involved in projects and events, providing parents with another teaching moment for their children: they can teach their children how to set goals, manage money, and plan projects correctly. These children typically end up being adults who continue volunteering and helping their communities.

Additionally, philanthropy can vastly improve a person’s health. The body is actively moving while volunteering and working, which keeps people active for however long they work the charity event. Helping others can increase a person’s mood, reduce stress, stave off loneliness, and combat symptoms of depression.

No matter how people give back, it’s clear that philanthropy is beneficial to society in the long run. The more people participate, the happier they, and their communities, will be.

Educational Nonprofits for Families and Teachers

By Victor Jung

On September 24, 2019

In Parenting

There are many nonprofit organizations available to help supplement the educational system in the United States. Whether these organizations are geared towards teachers, students, parents, or all of the above, their support often bridges gaps that would otherwise linger between educators, schools, and families. Here are three great nonprofits that are making a real difference in today’s education system.

The Association of American Educators

This organization’s mission is to provide support to the teacher of the country. They do this through programs such as teacher scholarships and grants, liability insurance, member discounts on supplies, tuition discounts, and more. They also advocate on behalf of educators for their rights and for improvements in their careers and classrooms.

This organization seeks to reduce or eliminate strikes and boycotts, which, in the end, negatively affects students more than anyone. They do this by attempting to provide the essentials that educators need (such as supplemental insurance, for example) that they may not be getting from their jobs. By keeping educators happy, peace and balance is maintained within the education system.

Help 4 Kids

This is a small organization located in Florence, South Carolina whose mission is to make sure that underprivileged elementary school students don’t go hungry during weekends. In coordination with local schools and administrators, this organization provides a bag of food to these students in need on Fridays before they go home.

Help 4 Kids is fairly new, having been in operation since 2013. It was inspired by their other chapter Help 4 Kids in Horry County, South Carolina. As the organization continues to be successful, hopes are that the chain will continue to grow and open even more chapters throughout several other communities in the country.

National Parent Teacher Association (PTA)

This 120-year-old organization has accomplished thousands of amazing feats for children. Some of which include creating the National School Lunch Program, pushing for teacher pay raises, rounding up resources for financially-challenged schools so they can keep up with modern education, and so much more. In fact, there is almost nothing that this organization doesn’t do to help parents, teachers, and students.

The PTA is comprised of over 4 million members. This includes teachers, parents, students, other family members of students, foster parents–basically anyone involved in students lives and education. Their mission statement is “to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.”

A New Business Model Incorporating Philanthropy with a Solid Business Plan

By Victor Jung

On January 25, 2019

In Philanthropy

For-profit businesses and non-profit organizations have always had opposing goals in the past. For-profit businesses have generally existed for one reason and one reason only: to make money. The more money they made, the better. This philosophy generally resulted in the excesses of the 80-hour workweeks that were often a badge of honor in the 1990s, and the out-of-control excesses that led to the collapse of the mortgage industry in the 2000s. Millennials, who grew up watching it all, have had enough.

Millennials are poised to be one of the most generous generations in history, in spite of being saddled early with more college debt than any generation in history. However, they are demanding more of the businesses they work for than to just turn a huge profit. Millennials want to make a difference in the world and they want their businesses to do the same. Conversely, they are also expecting more from non-profits.

In the past, non-profits have enjoyed the freedom to simply “do good” with very little oversight. Donors often gave because the mission was good, not necessarily because the organization produced significant results. The wealthy felt good about giving and the organizations felt good about “doing good” – even if the majority of their funding went towards overhead rather than actually accomplishing their mission. Once again, however, Millennials want to change that mindset.

They are demanding a better social mission from all types of businesses and more accountability from non-profits. This is giving rise to a triple bottom line in traditional businesses, and even a new breed of business sometimes referred to as a “social enterprise.” A social enterprise has a mission similar to non-profits of the past, but the same profitability goals as any other business. They may raise initial capital through donations to get their business up and running, but they don’t do so without solid business plans and a target date for becoming self-sufficient. While some may continue to rely on donor funding to some degree, most aim to at least gain no more than 40% of their income from donors.

Some examples of these social enterprises include TOM’S shoes that pioneered the idea of sending one item to a developing world for every one item purchased, and the Women’s Bean Project. The Women’s Bean Project hires and mentors formerly incarcerated women to make bean soups and other goods. These are just two of the many businesses that are bringing solid business practices to the world of philanthropy.