The Philanthropist
The Philanthropist
People are so intimidated by that word, philanthropist. Bet you’re one. If you give from the heart, you’re a philanthropist. If you’ve given to a charity or your nephew, if you’ve done good with your time or your skills or your no-longer-needed stuff, you’re a philanthropist. Think of yourself as a Thrillionaire if you know how good it feels to give.
What is your untapped philanthropic capacity? What do you have that you’re not using that you could be giving?
Ruth Ann is a participant in the Women Moving Millions initiative, the Women Donors Network, Rachel’s Network, Bolder Giving, the Association of Small Foundations, the Women’s Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, and the Philanthropy Roundtable.
In German, It Means “Armor.”
Day 186 Social media experts advise everyone, even civilians with no “social profile,” to set up Google Alerts on themselves. I’ve had ‘em for years. Yowza, there are a lot of Harnisches in the world. Some I’ve eliminated with advanced search techniques. Larry Harnisch wrote a book about the Black Dahlia murder and he turns up too often. [...]
Full StoryAnd Another One Gone, And Another…
Day 180 Did you know that when people are in the process of dying, they might stop breathing for several minutes, and then gasp for breath again? I learned this several years ago from a helpful instruction manual given to us by the caring and sensitive people from the hospice that provided end-of-life care for someone close [...]
Full StoryI <3 U IRL
Day 156 Real life is where the action is, and you can’t put a price on personal contact. Oh, wait, you can. At the Personal Democracy Forum 2010 conference in New York City, one woman stood up after the Philanthropy 2.0 breakout session and said, “Well, now I know the truth.” Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg was attending as a Google Fellow, and [...]
Full StoryOh, High.
Day 132 I’m at a conference of coaches , and I live-tweeted the first little bit of it. Then it felt like work and I went back to sabbatical mode where I do what seems wisest in the moment regardless of what I was doing in the previous moment. It’s an interesting exercise because everywhere I turn I’m meeting Harnisch [...]
Full StoryPhilPlanthropists R Us
Day 128 One reason I am a Thrillionaire and I enjoy helping others discover their passion for giving is that I’m so grateful for the philanthropy of others. All donors have personal reasons for making their contributions. Not everyone wants to give to animal causes, not everyone wants to give to religious institutions, not everyone gives [...]
Full StoryI Was Working, Naturally
Day 126 This is/isn’t working. I am/am not working. Even though I gave myself six months notice before beginning the sabbatical, I had a number of commitments and pre-paid activities that I thought I could enjoy without working. I have broken every streak of behaviors/habits/rituals that I began at the first of the year. Some [...]
Full StoryWand? Check. Gown? Check. Wings? Not So Much
Day 124 Today I learned that my investment in someone paid off. Four years ago, I heard about a situation, did my due diligence, and decided to take a chance. It required more hands-on involvement than I had expected, and some complications arose along the way. But I was never sorry I greenlighted the investment. [...]
Full StoryWhat’s Wrong With This Picture?
Day 111 This evening I had the privilege of being in a very small audience as pioneering feminist artist Judy Chicago told the story of her most famous work, The Dinner Party . She spoke at a private event, and her presentation won’t show up on YouTube. That’s an absence. Absence was one of the major [...]
Full StoryIt Only Cost A Quarter
Day 91 I’m overdue on my promise to give you a link to what its editor is calling “A Collaborative Sketch.” It looks like a book to me, but I’ll admit it definitely looks like a sketchbook! Jean Russell conceived, curated, corralled, and culled the offerings of over five dozen contributors. Each was asked to write [...]
Full StoryHow To Measure “An Eternity”
Day 84 I’ve mentioned that I have several people in my circle using the Caring Bridge. One of them just told us: it’s time for the transition to hospice care. The news is sad because everyone wanted, hoped for, more time. But the news is happy because the family and the extended circle of love enjoyed years together after the initial [...]
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