John has much experience working in the philanthropic world, and takes great interest in charitable goings on today.

Donor Lists – Public or Private?

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By JohnPosted In: ChildFund International

This article helps to shed light on a fascinating court case that will soon come before the Supreme Court. Does it make sense that states should be able to demand donor lists? States argue that they need donor lists because “They say states should be able to demand donor lists if doing so helps them root out fraud.” But many people and organizations argue that it should be kept completely private if you donate to someone or to an organization and that it should not be used against you, should it become public.

As the article explains, “The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case on Monday. Its eventual ruling, expected before the end of June, could redefine donor relations and even one day lead to new rules for election campaigns, legal experts say.”

This is certainly a topic that has an impact on many people and organizations and is one worth following.

Helping Others around Mother’s Day

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By JohnPosted In: ChildFund InternationalTagged:

Mother’s Day is a time to wish the women in our lives well, but it’s also a great time to do something for others. Here are two examples of people doing just that.

Children’s book author Marianne Richmond is getting together with the charity Miracle Flights for a Mother’s Day story time event that will take place on Saturday, May 8. Her reading will take place during a larger event called the Miracle Flights “Smiles with Miles” virtual kids club. As Richmond explained her desire to give,

“I have much empathy and admiration for the families facing medical challenges. I experienced much alone-ness in my own journey, so watching Miracle Flights come alongside families touches me deeply. As a mom now to four kids myself, I think I speak for many parents and caregivers who want our kids to know, ‘Come what may, I’m here and available.'”

Another lovely initiative is being driven by award-winning pastry chef Antonio Bachour. He is currently having a month-long fundraiser where all pastry and dessert sales from his two restaurants will donate 10% of the sales for the month to the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of South Florida.

Chef Antonio knows about the many people the Ronald McDonald House helps first-hand. He was sick with cancer as a child and experienced the benefits offered by their warm, caring environment.

Giving Increases with COVID-19

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By JohnPosted In: Charity Activity, ChildFund InternationalTagged: , , ,

A recent survey has shed some interesting light on the type of giving that Americans did during the COVID pandemic in 2020. Smile Train, the largest cleft charity in the world, examined how Americans prioritized their giving during 2020 in a report called Caring Amid Crisis: How COVID-19 Influenced American Donations. There were many interesting takeaways from their research, including that they found that 91% of those surveyed felt it was more important now than pre-COVID to support charities and fundraising.

Here are some other interesting findings. 56% of Americans made some type of a monetary donation during the COVID pandemic. Older people are more likely to give money, while younger people give more of their time. Finally, the majority of donations that are being made are to organizations that help children or the homeless.

See more of the details from the survey to learn more interesting details and findings.

How Philanthropic is Your City?

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By JohnPosted In: Charity Activity

If you were asked how charitable your city is, would it be at the top or bottom of the list? It’s always interesting to see where various American cities fall on the list of charitable giving. Certainly, one would expect that cities that struggle with their own economic hardships would be less charitable than those with more financial stability. In a study in 2020 by Charity Navigator, they looked at the largest charities in the top 30 metropolitan locations. They evaluated spending in: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Colorado Springs, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/ St. Paul, Nashville, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa/St. Petersburg, Washington, DC.

These markets generate 64% of the revenue and 66% of the spending for charities in America. They found, among other results, that the highest rated cities for charitable giving were: Pittsburgh, Houston, Dallas, San Francisco and Kansas City; the lowest rated locations were Baltimore, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee and Nashville.

There were many other interesting finds in their analysis as well, and the entire report is worth reading.

 

One Organization Helping Kids Sleep Better

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By JohnPosted In: Charity ActivityTagged: ,

Most of us would probably assume that America’s children all have a bed in which to sleep. It might not be the fanciest bed, or the most exciting bed, but it’s a bed. We would be right for about 97% of America’s children – but wrong for the other 3%. This is a shocking problem that one organization, called Sleep in Heavenly Peace, is trying to combat.

Established in 212, the organization has the goal of ensuring that kids have a place to sleep – in a bed that is suited to their needs. By 2018, there were hundreds of chapters around the country, and even those in Canada, Bermuda and the Bahamas. They build bunk beds out of raw materials and offer mattresses, pillows and bedding to go along with the beds.

The organization has, to date, offered close to 65,000 beds for those in need. It’s certainly worth knowing more about them, what they do, and how to be involved.

Helping in Texas

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By JohnPosted In: ChildFund International

As Texas tries to dig out of the massive storm they’ve just experienced, there is ample opportunity for so many to be helpful. Many locations in Texas experiences the worst storms that they’ve had in decades, with so many being without power and water for days on end.

Here is a list, from Houstonia Magazine of many places that are helping those in need – and that could definitely use your assistance at this time.

American Red Cross:  redcross.org/local/texas/gulf-coast.

CrowdSource Rescue: Check out crowdsourcerescue.com for more information. 

Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center:  Find a spot to donate at giveblood.org.

Houston Area Women’s Center:  Learn more about what it does and how to donate at hawc.org.

Houston Food Bank: Go to houstonfoodbank.org to find out more. 

Here is a similar list of ways to help for those in Dallas.

Being part of the solution matters and every little bit helps.

Helping Veterans one Woof at a Time

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By JohnPosted In: ChildFund InternationalTagged:

It’s always inspiring to see businesses that give back to their communities. Boss Nation Brands, Inc. is one such company. Started in 2018, Boss Nation Brands, Inc. has both the Boss Dog® and Boss Cat® brands and they focus on nutrition foods for dogs and cats.

In addition to building their business, they are building up their charitable giving at Boss Nation Cares. They use this platform to give back to veterans serving America. They have, as employees, one veteran who has served four deployments overseas and many others with close family members who have served, or are serving.

They use Boss Nation Brands to donate to a different charity every month. So far, in recent months, they have donated to: Pets 4 Vets, Victory Service Dog, Wounded Warrior Project, Folds of Honor, Trails of Purpose and Heroes for Healthcare. These charities all allow Boss Nation Cares to focus on the bond between veterans and animals and to help those who serve our country.

Helping our Youngest Excel

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By JohnPosted In: Charity ActivityTagged: ,

Today, there are so many people in need with the COVID-19 pandemic and crisis. Not everyone is able to give to others, but for those who are this is an incredible time to open your wallet and your heart. Where do you begin to help in these days and months of crisis?

Certainly, we can’t cover all of the organizations that are helping people. But one organization that is worth a look is Inner City-Inner Child. This initiative has the goal of improving the quality of academic life for children from 0-5 in the Washington D.C. area and in their most economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. They started in 1987 by bringing concert music to low-income neighborhoods and realized, through this initiative, that “young children had the greatest unmet needs in our community.”

Inner City-Inner Child was created in 1994 and works to integrate the arts with academics to help early childhood education in the D.C. area. With today’s inauguration, D.C. might be just the place to start focusing on our youngest citizens and their needs.

New Book: A Pandemic Keepsake

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By JohnPosted In: ChildFund International

Some of us will certainly want to put this chapter of our lives behind us, and forget about the terrible days we dealt with Covid-19. But others would like to have a keepsake to remember these days and how they got through them. Allendale resident Lorraine Ash volunteered to edit the new book “Corona City: Voices From an Epicenter” which is a compilation of first-person stories and photography that people captured during the first months of the pandemic.

Writers who contributed include the best-selling authors Helene Stapinski and Ilene Beckerman and many everyday people who wanted to contribute. The book was published in November by Magic Dog Press and all royalties from it will go to the organization called Feeding America. It’s a network of over 200 food banks helping people get through this difficult time.

Giving Back in Corona Times

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By JohnPosted In: Charity Activity

There are so many ways to give back.  During corona times the act of giving is even more important.  So many people have suffered in so many different ways that truly any type of giving would be appreciated. Even if one thinks they have nothing to offer, they would be surprised at just how many opportunities exist.

Take Mozes Victor Konig for example.  An Israeli based photographer, Konig’s work has definitely slowed down during the pandemic.  But rather than rest on his laurels or get depressed about the situation, Konig has been using the opportunity to give back to his community as well as those in other parts of the world.

“In the first lockdown I saw that people were scared, hunkering down and there was an increase in depression and anxiety,” Konig recalls.  “I initially started taking pictures of the ‘world without people’ as it looked to me but that was not helping my own personal mental health.  So I asked around and found that people would love to have socially-distanced photos.  I saw an opportunity and went for it,” Mozes Victor Konig says, explaining how his volunteer work was able to put a smile on people’s faces.

Konig went out and took photos of all sorts of people.  And houses. And dogs.  And then he sent them to their email addresses and refused payment.  “Take it as a gift.  Take it without money.  Just pass it on.  Pay It Forward.  Do a good deed for someone else during this time,” Konig said.