The holidays are the time of year when most of us start thinking about giving, but to a true philanthropist, give is a year round obsession. Entire teams of people work to get money into the appropriate hands.
Newsweek has published the top 50 most generous philanthropists over the last 5 years. You will see Warren Buffet tops the list and right behind him, Bill and Linda Gates. The Waltons are there along with many names you won't recognize. It's interesting to note where the wealthy are spending their charity dollars. Education is a primary recipient. It would be even better if we could actually see how the money is being spent.
You can find the list here
Monday, November 26, 2007
Saturday, November 24, 2007
A New Non Profit To Watch
I've been a member of couchsurfing international for quite some time and I applaud their mission to make the world smaller. SO when I received this in my mail box, I thought I'd pass it on, for those who've never heard of Couch Surfing....
"Great news! After a long and difficult process lasting for more than a year, it is with great excitement that we announce the submission of our application for the federally recognized 501(c)(3) US non-profit status.
Currently, CouchSurfing International, Inc. is a legally recognized and official charitable non-profit corporation in the US state of New Hampshire. This means our purpose and any income is dedicated only to charitable non-profit use but as a locally-based organization in New Hampshire.
Submitting our application to be federally recognized "tax-exempt" non-profit organization is an exhilarating time for CouchSurfing. It shows how we have grown from a small community project into a structured charitable enterprise with a clear focus on the mission of facilitating intercultural understanding. This status will also provide several large and dynamic benefits that will serve to ensure the CouchSurfing community remains strong, sturdy and sustainable.
The advantages of 501(c)(3) non-profit status include:
* Worldwide recognition as a philanthropic
organization that complies with legal
requirements for charitable endeavors
* Increased legal protections and accountability
* Eligibility for financial grants
* Donations to CouchSurfing will be tax-deductible
in the US"
"Great news! After a long and difficult process lasting for more than a year, it is with great excitement that we announce the submission of our application for the federally recognized 501(c)(3) US non-profit status.
Currently, CouchSurfing International, Inc. is a legally recognized and official charitable non-profit corporation in the US state of New Hampshire. This means our purpose and any income is dedicated only to charitable non-profit use but as a locally-based organization in New Hampshire.
Submitting our application to be federally recognized "tax-exempt" non-profit organization is an exhilarating time for CouchSurfing. It shows how we have grown from a small community project into a structured charitable enterprise with a clear focus on the mission of facilitating intercultural understanding. This status will also provide several large and dynamic benefits that will serve to ensure the CouchSurfing community remains strong, sturdy and sustainable.
The advantages of 501(c)(3) non-profit status include:
* Worldwide recognition as a philanthropic
organization that complies with legal
requirements for charitable endeavors
* Increased legal protections and accountability
* Eligibility for financial grants
* Donations to CouchSurfing will be tax-deductible
in the US"
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Food Banks Hurting This Thanksgiving
Food banks and homeless shelters are already grappling with reduced federal aid as fears grow that more people will need help just as charity giving starts to decline....
The backbone of those charities, U.S. households with $200,000 or more in annual income or more than $1 million in assets, are also the ones most likely hit by the recent drop in stock prices sparked by the mortgage mess, according to research....
But research also shows stock prices have more of an effect on their giving than income changes, said Patrick Rooney, director of research at Indiana University's Center for Philanthropy, which carried out the Bank of America study in 2006....
Carol Schneider, media relations manager for the Food Bank for New York City, said a major U.S. bank — she wouldn't name the company — has reduced its donation by 60 percent this year, citing the fallout from mortgage losses....
Unfortunately, when giving falls, it's most often when demands on charitable groups are rising, said Rick Belous, United Way's vice president of research. Food pantries around the country are scrambling to meet rising demand from households that can't afford food because of rising housing costs. The crisis also affects renters, who are heading for emergency shelters after landlord-owners foreclose on apartments and houses, said Steve Berg, vice president of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Nearly 500,000 mortgages nationwide were foreclosed in the third quarter, double the number in the same period last year, according to housing data company RealtyTrac Inc. Some experts estimate 2 million homes could be foreclosed in 2007 and 2008....
High oil prices have increased transportation and heating costs, forcing many low-income families to choose between heating or eating, advocates said. Federal data show food costs up 4.5 percent this year, with even bigger price increases in staples like milk and eggs, said Stephanie Nichols, public relations manager at the Greater Boston Food Bank. For the first time in 10 years, a homeless shelter in Joliet, Ill., is full, said Lorri Nagle, director of development at the Catholic Charities USA agency there. A Catholic Charities overnight shelter in Minneapolis served as many people through Sept. 30 as it did in all of 2006, said John Keightley, the group's executive vice president. "We're definitely seeing more people coming to emergency food programs," said Aine Duggan, vice president for government relations at the Food Bank for New York City.
Almost 1.3 million New Yorkers visited food pantries, soup kitchens and similar programs in 2007, up 24 percent from 2004, according to a report prepared by Duggan's group. Meanwhile, food banks are receiving less aid from the federal government, resulting in empty shelves at food pantries and soup kitchens across the country. Food from a commodity surplus program run by the Agriculture Department has declined 70 percent the past three years, the nonprofit America's Second Harvest said, due largely to increased demand that has boosted farmers' sales and what they can charge....
New York's food banks have seen federal food aid drop by almost half, to 17 million pounds last year from 29 million pounds in 2004, Duggan said.
...Without the promise of increased federal help, charitable groups are urging people to give as much as they can.
Ed. This is the price of war. Our economy will eventually recover, we hope before too many suffer. Please, give what you can. Share what you can. If you don't have any money, support our sponsors with free clicks (see our home page @ http://www.charityintersection.com)
The backbone of those charities, U.S. households with $200,000 or more in annual income or more than $1 million in assets, are also the ones most likely hit by the recent drop in stock prices sparked by the mortgage mess, according to research....
But research also shows stock prices have more of an effect on their giving than income changes, said Patrick Rooney, director of research at Indiana University's Center for Philanthropy, which carried out the Bank of America study in 2006....
Carol Schneider, media relations manager for the Food Bank for New York City, said a major U.S. bank — she wouldn't name the company — has reduced its donation by 60 percent this year, citing the fallout from mortgage losses....
Unfortunately, when giving falls, it's most often when demands on charitable groups are rising, said Rick Belous, United Way's vice president of research. Food pantries around the country are scrambling to meet rising demand from households that can't afford food because of rising housing costs. The crisis also affects renters, who are heading for emergency shelters after landlord-owners foreclose on apartments and houses, said Steve Berg, vice president of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Nearly 500,000 mortgages nationwide were foreclosed in the third quarter, double the number in the same period last year, according to housing data company RealtyTrac Inc. Some experts estimate 2 million homes could be foreclosed in 2007 and 2008....
High oil prices have increased transportation and heating costs, forcing many low-income families to choose between heating or eating, advocates said. Federal data show food costs up 4.5 percent this year, with even bigger price increases in staples like milk and eggs, said Stephanie Nichols, public relations manager at the Greater Boston Food Bank. For the first time in 10 years, a homeless shelter in Joliet, Ill., is full, said Lorri Nagle, director of development at the Catholic Charities USA agency there. A Catholic Charities overnight shelter in Minneapolis served as many people through Sept. 30 as it did in all of 2006, said John Keightley, the group's executive vice president. "We're definitely seeing more people coming to emergency food programs," said Aine Duggan, vice president for government relations at the Food Bank for New York City.
Almost 1.3 million New Yorkers visited food pantries, soup kitchens and similar programs in 2007, up 24 percent from 2004, according to a report prepared by Duggan's group. Meanwhile, food banks are receiving less aid from the federal government, resulting in empty shelves at food pantries and soup kitchens across the country. Food from a commodity surplus program run by the Agriculture Department has declined 70 percent the past three years, the nonprofit America's Second Harvest said, due largely to increased demand that has boosted farmers' sales and what they can charge....
New York's food banks have seen federal food aid drop by almost half, to 17 million pounds last year from 29 million pounds in 2004, Duggan said.
...Without the promise of increased federal help, charitable groups are urging people to give as much as they can.
Ed. This is the price of war. Our economy will eventually recover, we hope before too many suffer. Please, give what you can. Share what you can. If you don't have any money, support our sponsors with free clicks (see our home page @ http://www.charityintersection.com)
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Charities Helping In Bangladesh
Save the Children
As a major cyclone bore down on Bangladesh, Save the Children was one of the few humanitarian agencies with emergency responders already positioned in the path of the storm, a remote and low-lying area still recovering from extreme flooding last summer.
In the days leading up to the storm, Save the Children and the government of Bangladesh activated emergency response committees, coordinating with local and national emergency entities on a response. The agency also is coordinating with UN agencies to mobilize food and other resources.
World Vision
World Vision teams are sheltering 20,000 people from the devastation of Cyclone Sidr. Your donation will provide urgent, lifesaving aid to these children and families: emergency food, clean drinking water, blankets, warm clothing and more.
Each donation of $100 provides enough supplies for an entire family.
As a major cyclone bore down on Bangladesh, Save the Children was one of the few humanitarian agencies with emergency responders already positioned in the path of the storm, a remote and low-lying area still recovering from extreme flooding last summer.
In the days leading up to the storm, Save the Children and the government of Bangladesh activated emergency response committees, coordinating with local and national emergency entities on a response. The agency also is coordinating with UN agencies to mobilize food and other resources.
World Vision
World Vision teams are sheltering 20,000 people from the devastation of Cyclone Sidr. Your donation will provide urgent, lifesaving aid to these children and families: emergency food, clean drinking water, blankets, warm clothing and more.
Each donation of $100 provides enough supplies for an entire family.
US Sends Help to Bangladesh
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House offered condolences Saturday evening to victims of a deadly cyclone in Bangladesh and said the U.S. government has provided an initial $2.1 million in emergency relief aide.
A statement from press secretary Dana Perino said the USS Essex and the USS Kearsage are en route to Bangladesh to help and that the U.S. will airlift 35 tons of non-food items such as plastic sheeting, jerricans, hygiene kits and other supplies.
She said an 18-person Defense Department medical team that was in the country prior to the storm will help with current medical needs.
Tropical Cyclone Sidr, the deadliest storm to hit the country in a decade, destroyed tens of thousands of homes in southwest Bangladesh on Thursday and killed at least 1,723 people. More than a million coastal villagers were forced to evacuate to government shelters.
Ed Note: FOUR DAYS! How long did it take the government to send aid to people after Katrina?
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Thanks for Giving - Angelina Jolie More Active Than Ever Article
AFP: Prosecuting the perpetrators of genocide and other crimes against humanity is the best way to prevent further atrocities, actress Angelina Jolie said, urging tougher action in 2008.
"Accountability is perhaps the only force powerful enough to break the cycle of violence and retribution that marks so many conflicts," the Hollywood star wrote in The Economist magazine's "The World in 2008", out on Wednesday.
The actress, who is a goodwill ambassador to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said [that] she hoped [that] the coming year will see the international community seek "true accountability" for victims, particularly in Darfur.
"Through accountability, we can begin the process of righting past wrongs, and even change the behaviour of some of the world's worst criminals," she said.
In the full-page article seen by AFP on Tuesday, she said [that] international tribunals like those set up after the 1994 genocide in Rwanda or following conflict in the Balkans have the power to change behaviour.
"Accountability is perhaps the only force powerful enough to break the cycle of violence and retribution that marks so many conflicts," the Hollywood star wrote in The Economist magazine's "The World in 2008", out on Wednesday.
The actress, who is a goodwill ambassador to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said [that] she hoped [that] the coming year will see the international community seek "true accountability" for victims, particularly in Darfur.
"Through accountability, we can begin the process of righting past wrongs, and even change the behaviour of some of the world's worst criminals," she said.
In the full-page article seen by AFP on Tuesday, she said [that] international tribunals like those set up after the 1994 genocide in Rwanda or following conflict in the Balkans have the power to change behaviour.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Is Your Food Bank Low On Food This Thanks Giving?
11/12/2007 - Thanksgiving is just right around the corner and valley homeless organizations are already cooking turkeys in anticipation of serving hundreds of meals. But one local organization that provides food for dozens of needy organizations is coming up short.
This is just the normal crowd for dinner at the Fresno Rescue Mission but come Thanksgiving the line will be even longer.
The Rescue Mission has enough turkeys to serve to its guests but it's in desperate need of the fixings; stuffing, vegetables and the like.
The Community Food Bank on the other hand is supposed to supply food to 1,500 needy families for Thanksgiving, but right now they have only enough for 200.
Where piles of cans of fruits and vegetables should be standing there is only concrete floor. The cupboards are bare at the Community Food Bank.
Dayatra Latin, Community Food Bank, says "It's a hard time. People are out of work. For a variety of reasons it's more expensive to put food on the table, or buy gas; so everyone is looking for some type of help to meet those needs."
Thanks to the local ABC news. . .
This is just the normal crowd for dinner at the Fresno Rescue Mission but come Thanksgiving the line will be even longer.
The Rescue Mission has enough turkeys to serve to its guests but it's in desperate need of the fixings; stuffing, vegetables and the like.
The Community Food Bank on the other hand is supposed to supply food to 1,500 needy families for Thanksgiving, but right now they have only enough for 200.
Where piles of cans of fruits and vegetables should be standing there is only concrete floor. The cupboards are bare at the Community Food Bank.
Dayatra Latin, Community Food Bank, says "It's a hard time. People are out of work. For a variety of reasons it's more expensive to put food on the table, or buy gas; so everyone is looking for some type of help to meet those needs."
Thanks to the local ABC news. . .
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