Archive for category: Philanthropy

Information and news about philanthropy

Asian Venture Philanthropy Network

avpn
Venture philanthropy is a blend of capital and business advice to help entrepreneurial organizations achieve their ambitions for growth and development. They achieve this through three distinct characteristics. The first is an investment-minded approach where an organization supplies multi-year support to ambitious social ventures with tailored financing and sustainability and scalability. Second, they engage in an active partnership by building capacity and infrastructure and bringing non-financial resources to the ventures. And third, it is performance-based through milestones, transparency, social impact, and means of exit strategy.

The Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN) is an organization that promotes venture philanthropy across the Asia-Pacific region. The Asian Venture Philanthropy Network is interested in promoting philanthropy through broader philanthropic and social investment communities, with strategies tailored to the needs of the Network’s members. They are based in Singapore and are supported by grant funding, sponsors, and partner organizations. Their backers include organizations and individuals from the finance, business, and social sectors.

The AVPN is taking venture philanthropy and multiplying the impact of financial capital through advisory services and high engagement. The AVPN is a hub for news and events focused on venture philanthropy to develop shared learning and agreed-upon best practices. They are trying to develop active country groups throughout India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, and mainland China.

They are working to undertake and develop field-building activities in Asia. The AVPN is modeled off of the European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA). The EVPA was originally conceived as a modest and informal association to stimulate productive discussion, capture good practice, and encourage new philanthropic funds. The AVPN’s vision for Asia is a philanthropy landscape that responds to the resource needs of high-potential social purpose organizations. They encourage and facilitate the development of venture philanthropy and social enterprise across the Asia-Pacific region.

– Caitlin Zusy
Source: AVPN

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Steve Jobs’ Widow & Philanthropy

Steve Jobs Widow
Laurene Powell Jobs, Steve Jobs’ widow, has begun to publicly focus more on philanthropy. She is normally a very private person who would rather stay out of the spotlight, but she has recently become more public about the issues she cares about the most. One of her greatest passions is education, and she helped found College Track, an organization that helps low-income students in underprivileged communities prepare for college by providing rigorous academic training to help them succeed. The organization has coached over 1,400 students, and as a result 90% of them were able to attend college afterwards.

Although Laurene’s public philanthropic work is minimal, that doesn’t mean this is the first time she’s committed herself to a good cause. Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen, a philanthropist and close friend of Laurene’s, says that “if you total up in your mind all of the philanthropic investments that Laurene has made that the public knows about…that is probably a fraction of 1 percent of what she actually does.”

Laurene is also committed to other charities outside of the United States, supporting many organizations that help the poor in Africa, including Ben Affleck’s Eastern Congo Initiative charity.

– Katie Brockman

Source New York Times

Modern Philanthropy Depends On Innovation

Modern Philanthropy Depends On Innovation
One of the most significant charity foundations of the past century is the Rockefeller Foundation, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this month. The Foundation has set the bar high for other philanthropic organizations throughout the 20th century, and it will continue to do so throughout the 21st century by means of innovation.

The Rockefeller Foundation has promoted innovation as the key to doing good through the “Next Century Innovator Awards,” which look at projects that do more than just help society but transform it. The projects find or create new ways to approach huge societal issues including education, sanitation, marketplace literacy, and cancer, for example.

One project that was awarded the “Next Century Innovator Award” was Innovate Salone in Sierra Leone. The organization transformed the education system of the country to help more children attend school. The project did more than just build a school or donate money for education. It gave the young people in the community an opportunity to solve their own problems according to their individual needs. Those with the best workable solutions were given financial support to build on their ideas to create real results while receiving support and feedback from mentors and peers in their community.

Other organizations, particularly universities, have taken note of this new form of innovative modern philanthropy and are joining the effort to transform the world of charity. More people are beginning to realize that donating money can help to an extent, but the best way to achieve long-lasting benefits is to transform the way people think of the art of giving through innovation.

– Katie Brockman

Source: Forbes
Photo: EmpowerOU

David Beckham, Award Winning Philanthropist

David-Beckham
David Beckham can now add award-winning philanthropist to his long list of accomplishments.

On May 13th, the world-renowned athlete will be presented the Global Gift Gala Philanthropist Award at the Global Gift Gala in Paris. He is being recognized for his work with various charities, particularly the Malaria No More UK Leadership Council, UNICEF, and the Elton John AIDS Foundation. The soccer player/spokesperson/philanthropist has also contributed to charities through large donations, including donating part of his salary to a children’s charity in Paris.

The Global Gift Gala honorary chair is Eva Longoria, who will present Beckham with his award. She explains that the Global Gift Gala Philanthropist Award has been established to recognize the contributions and efforts made by prominent social figures, adding that Beckham’s philanthropy and humanitarian work will be particularly honored at the event.

Longoria will also host the award ceremony and all of the proceeds will benefit both the Eva Longoria Foundation and the GREAT Initiative.

– Katie Brockman

Source: Female First, The Guardian
Photo: The Guardian

Philanthropy: There’s An App For That–One Today

Google-One-Today
Ever feeling philanthropic and want to donate to your favorite charity, but think it’s too difficult and time-consuming to donate through the charity’s website or via snail-mail? If so, Google (as always) has the answer to your problems.

One Today is Google’s new philanthropy app that allows users to donate $1 to their favorite charities each day. It’s simple to use because all the charities you love and want to contribute to are stored in the app, meaning you don’t have to remember any extra information about them like websites or physical addresses, and the $1 donation is easy on the wallet.

One Today also allows users to battle their friends to see who can donate the most. Through social media, the people who want to donate more than the $1 per day minimum can challenge their friends to match or exceed their donation. Not only does this method inspire more people to donate, it also spreads awareness of the different charities that are out there. Friends can find out what charities inspire their peers, and may feel more inspired themselves to give back.

As of now One Today is available by invite-only on android devices, as Google is running a test pilot of the app before making it widely available, but you can request an invite on Google’s One Today website.

– Katie Brockman

Source Nonprofit Quarterly
Photo Google One Today

Coffee With Apple CEO? It’ll Cost You Big Bucks

Apple-CEO-Tim-Cook
Want to enjoy a cup of coffee with Apple CEO Tim Cook? As of now it will cost you over $210,000. Cook has volunteered, through the online-auction site Charity Buzz, to share up to an hour of his precious time with two lucky (and deep-pocketed) winners. Proceeds from the auction will go to The RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights, an international nonprofit founded as a memorial to Robert F. Kennedy by his family and friends.

In the auction’s first day, Cook received 52 bids, starting at $5,000 and spiraling upward quickly. The leading bid Thursday evening was $210,000, and there are still 19 days to go until bidding closes on May 14.

The coffee chat will happen at Apple’s Cupertino, California, headquarters. The winner may bring along one guest.

The move fits in with the more open public persona Cook has adopted since replacing late Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs. One of the knocks on Jobs was that he never contributed much of his considerable fortune, or celebrity, to charity — at least not in the public ways other tech titans like Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg have. Not only does this coffee date allow two lucky Apple fans to live their dream, a great PR move, but it contributes to society as well, a greater PR move.

Other celebs taking part in the auction for the RFK Center include Robert DeNiro, Alex Trebek, Carrie Underwood, Peyton Manning, William Shatner, and David Letterman.

– Katie Brockman

Source CNN
Photo Apple

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John Legend: Singer, Songwriter, Humanitarian

johnlegend
As a nine-time Grammy award winner, John Legend is well known as a singer, songwriter, and humanitarian. His vocals have earned him a multitude of worldwide fans and a string of Top 10 platinum-selling albums. His most recent release, Wake Up! (2010) is a compilation of music from the 1960s and ’70s including songs with underlying themes of awareness, engagement, and social consciousness. Legend, while a talented musician, seeks to be an agent of change in society. He is a member of several boards including Teach for America, Stand for Children, and the Harlem Village Academies.

As he spoke to a crowd of interested attendees in Southern Indiana, Legend focused on education equality and social awareness. Legend was inspiring, motivating, and very real in his comments. Early in his career, Legend had the opportunity to travel to Africa and it forever changed his life. He realized that his position in life granted him a platform to spread awareness and raise the standard for education and community involvement. Legend tirelessly works to promote education equality, which he believes is key to raising people out of poverty. By providing access to quality education for all individuals, we can ensure that being poor is not a life sentence but that there are opportunities to escape poverty and improve one’s life.

Legend gave the audience several tips on how to get involved in fighting for education equality from right where they sit.
His ideas included:

1. Join local boards and organizations working to improve education

2. Tutor students in local schools.

3. Encourage others to invest in schools.

4. Choose political leaders who take meaningful action within education.

The evening ended with the challenge from Legend to go and do something. The time for sitting still has passed and now the call to the work for education equality and diminished global poverty has arrived.

– Amanda Kloeppel

Source: Evansville Courier and Press

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Springsteen Joins Academy of Arts and Sciences

Springsteen Joins Academy of Arts and SciencesAdd a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences to Bruce Springsteen’s already impressive resume. The rock star/philanthropist was elected to the prestigious and selective honorary society for his philanthropic efforts towards social causes, and now joins the likes of actor Robert De Niro, actress Sally Field, fellow singer-songwriter Pete Seeger and Pulitzer Prize-winning poets Annie Dillard and U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey.

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences boasts the membership of some of the most accomplished individuals in the fields of arts, science, academics, writing, and civil, corporate, and philanthropic leadership. “Election to the Academy honors individual accomplishment and calls upon members to serve the public good,” said Academy President Leslie C. Berlowitz. “We look forward to drawing on the knowledge and expertise of these distinguished men and women to advance solutions to the pressing policy challenges of the day.”

In January, Springsteen was named MusiCares, Person of the Year. The nonprofit organization was set up in the ’80s by the same entity that gives out the Grammys — the National Academy of Recording Arts and Science.

The new class will be inducted at an October 12 ceremony at the Academy’s headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

– Katie Brockman

Source NJ

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Kellogg Commits to Create Brighter Futures

Kellogg Commits to Create Brighter Futures

Breakfast giant Kellogg is committed to creating brighter futures for global citizens and outlines plans to accomplish that goal in its 5th Annual Global Corporate Responsibility Report.  W.K. Kellogg aspired to not only create breakfast cereal but to improve people’s lives through food and philanthropy.  Each year, Kellogg highlights their efforts at creating brighter futures through their Global Corporate Responsibility report. This report outlines Kellogg’s efforts aimed at the marketplace, workplace, environment, and community, as well as their global efforts to fight world hunger.

Breakfasts for Better Days is Kellogg’s global hunger initiative. According to the report, 1 in 8 people around the world face food insecurity each day.  Through Kellogg and Kellogg’s Corporate Citizenship Fund, the company has committed to donating 1 billion servings of cereal and snacks to children and families in need by 2016.  Breakfast is what they do best and by providing servings of breakfast to children around the world, Kellogg is playing a role in fighting global hunger worldwide.

In addition to the work being done to fight global hunger, Kellogg is also committed to reducing water use and waste to landfill in their plants. The UK plant was able to reduce its water use by 26% in 2012. They have launched new products with higher fiber, protein, and nutritional content and will continue to create food that is healthy to improve the health of all citizens.  Lastly, to further promote breakfast and hunger relief programs, Kellogg’ has donated $52+ million in cash and products to organizations worldwide.

Kellogg is committed to being socially and fiscally responsible in the world of business and it is striving to use its platform as a breakfast manufacturer to fight global hunger and improve the lives of global citizens. The full report is available here. Kellogg will make a one-time donation of up to $10,000 to the Global FoodBanking Network for every person who provides feedback on the report. Simply send an email by Nov 1, 2013, to corporateresponsibility@kellogg.com.

Check out the report and send an email. It’s an easy way to contribute to the cause through advocacy and involvement and encourage businesses to continue to fight global hunger.

– Amanda Kloeppel

Source: Wall Street Journal
Photo: Kellogg

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International Women Development Champion Award

International Women Development Champion AwardThe International Women Development Champion Award honors exemplary women who have dedicated their lives and have committed their efforts to the economic development of Africa and African women. On 24th March, the President of UN Women National Committee Canada, Almas Jiwani, was awarded the International Women Development Champion Award in Paris. She is the first Canadian and the first UN Woman representative to receive this award. The initiatives she took in trying to connect the gaps between the corporate world and the humanitarian world made her a new face for humanitarianism. She has put tremendous efforts into establishing change through excellence and dedication to philanthropy.

Almas Jiwani expressed how this award promotes equality, “We must continue investing in African women and increase their involvement in the political structures in place and in everyday life.” Furo Giami, the Executive Director of the Center for Economic and Leadership Development said that it’s an honor to present Almas Jiwani with this award to recognize her efforts and achievements at contributing to the end of global poverty and “all forms of vices militating the development of African women.”

Some of the women who have received this award in the past include President Joyce Banda of Malawi, Vice President Joice Mujuru of Zimbabwe, Business Leader Wendy Luhabe of South Africa, Ida Odinga (wife of the Prime Minister of Kenya), Rt. Hon. Anne Makinda (the Speaker of Parliament in Tanzania) and others.

– Leen Abdallah

Source: Market Wire