New Voices of Philanthropy: Cody
A few months ago I had the pleasure of meeting Cody Osborn. This 20-year-old student attends the University of Southern California and is pursuing a double major in Biology and French. Currently, he’s studying in France. I think you’ll find, as I did, that Cody is wise beyond his years. His dedication to medicine is […]
Inspired to Take Action
Last week, a lovely email showed up in my inbox. It said in part… “I wanted to share with you how inspiring your work is. I have not seen this type of philanthropic consulting before, you must be very proud of what you have accomplished. My brother and I just came back from Rwanda, where […]
Fall in Love with Giving!
This summer I’ve been thinking about communities. What groups am I a part of and what role do I play in them? When does a group start to feel like a community? It goes beyond geography and place. It’s about a sense of connection and belonging. Often, it offers an opportunity to give. How many […]
New Voices of Philanthropy: Sahar
Watch out Berkeley! Here comes Sahar Afrakhan, a proud member of the class of 2018! This young woman is passionate about giving back. I had the pleasure of meeting Sahar last spring when she participated on a panel I moderated on engaging the next generation in philanthropy. Her poise and passion inspired everyone in the […]
New Voices of Philanthropy: Alex
Last year we both made our first trip to Nicaragua—separately. Alex Pollack, a sophomore at University of Colorado at Boulder, went with a group from school—HOLA (Health Outreach for Latin America)—to offer medical care for humans and animals. I was happy to hear about her experience and get tips for my trip to conserve sea […]
Why Do You Give?
Take a few minutes and consider—why do you give? If it helps, think about some recent donations you made. Why did you choose to give money to an organization? Or why did you decide to volunteer to help put on that event? Do you give because you: Are compelled by religious tradition? Want to give […]
New Voices of Philanthropy: Hannah
Hannah impressed me the first time we met. My interview with her revealed why. Although I’ve known Hannah for some time as her youth group advisor, our conversation introduced me to all the great work she is doing in our community. I bet you’ll be impressed by this 16-year-old’s contributions too. Deborah: How do you […]
Giving From a Place of Abundance
Have you ever wanted to give back, but been at a loss for what to give or how to give? Try asking yourself this question: What do you have in abundance? Or: Where are you abundant in your life? Take a moment to think about how you would answer these questions. Abundance Last week, I […]
New Voices of Philanthropy: Bryce
Just after the start of the new year, I was thinking about who to interview next for this series. The answer came to me in the Monterey County Weekly. They had written a short piece on Bryce Rosenau, a fourth grader at Junipero Serra School. Bryce sold bracelets he made at the Rio Grill’s Resolution […]
New Voices of Philanthropy: Rachel
Last fall I had the opportunity to facilitate a conversation with a group of Girl Scouts who were preparing to work on their Gold Award, the highest honor they can achieve. We talked about what philanthropy meant to them and I led them through an activity to help them think about the impact they want […]