Tweet of the Week

Hello everyone! I've been busy the past week due to upcoming midterms. I know this post is late and people may have thought I stole the money, but rest assured, I donated the money recently to a non-profit organization known as All Stars Project. Better yet, the organization is a 510(c)(3) organization. Anyways, according to their website, the organization is aimed to "create outside of school, educational and performing arts activities for thousands of poor and minority young people." The mission statement was perfect for me because even in my issue area and values, I wanted to target underprivileged children and education. I wished to donate to an organization that could empower children and provide educational opportunities outside of the classroom.

 The organization provides a variety of programs that target both educational and performance interests. One such program is called the Development School for Youth in which business executives are paired with the underprivileged children to teach them leadership through internships and seminars. This is extremely helpful to the children, as they are introduced to a world they may have never been in before and can network with influential people. Such experiences allow these children to aspire to a bigger goal and may assist in their journey away from poverty. Another program that the organization offers is known as Operation Conversation: Cops and Kids. In this program, police officers communicate with the teenagers to improve relationships. The communication with police helps the children from straying to bad habits.

After extensive searching, I figured that the All Stars Project most fit my personal values and decided that the $36.00 should be donated to its cause. Unfortunately with the money, it was $40.00 short of sponsoring one child, but I figured that even the small amount of money would contribute to a good cause. Checking with Charity Navigator, I was able to see that the organization had a high rating and was reliable. Also, most of their expenses were toward program and fundraising with only 8.0% going toward administrative costs. If anyone wants to check out the organization and perhaps donate, here is the link and thanks for the opportunity! http://www.allstars.org/

Tweet of the Week 3/12

The Tweet of the Week process was very exciting, but also a lot more difficult a decision than I thought it would be. I had no idea how far $40 could go, there were so many choices!

Using the site Laura and Mallory used, Jolkona, along with another site called GlobalGiving, I looked into a lot of individual projects that could make a visible difference with the money we collected. While there is nothing wrong with donating to a large organization, as we discussed in class, I really wanted to see how big an impact $40 could make.

After a lot of searching, I decided to put the money towards buying a goat for an underprivileged family in Guatemala. This project was sponsored by Save the Children and was found on the GlobalGiving website. The project addresses the issue of poverty, which the class established as a core value. While the outline of the project says its main goal is to address childhood poverty, the goat actually has an impact on the whole family and even the whole community.

This is how: a goat produces milk. In Guatemala, childhood malnutrition is a growing problem. Goats milk can provide extremely valuable nutrients to a child that does not have access to a sufficient amount of food. The milk can also be made into cheese to further increase the food supply. Additionally, goat manure is an excellent fertilizer, meaning that the crops that are grown locally can be more successful. While this increase in food supply has extraordinary benefits to a growing child, the rest of the family can certainly benefit from the easy access to more nutrients. The family can also benefit in other ways. If the goat produces more milk than than is needed, excess can be sold locally improving the financial situation of the family. The donation of a single goat also has the potential to affect the rest of the community. If the goat mates, the kid can be given to another family in need. This process can be continued through further reproduction, benefiting the community as a whole.

I was attracted to this program due to the long-term effects produced by such a small amount of money. Goats can live for 15 to 18 years, meaning that a family has access to a stable supply of nutrition for a significant period of time. Goats also have an average of two kids, but can have up to five. This means that an investment of even one goat could lead to multiple, extending the benefits of the program to more people in need and over a larger span of time.

Before I made the donation final, I wanted to make sure that this was in no way a scam or illegitimate charity. A quick search on Charity Navigator showed that both Save the Children and the GlobalGiving website were credible charities to support. The only catch was that in order for 100% of our donation to go to the project, GlobalGiving required a six dollar maintenance fee for upkeep of their own program and staff. If I chose not to pay the extra $6, about 80% of the original donation would go towards the goat. I chose to pay, but I liked that they gave me the option. I also really appreciated that they were upfront with their intent to spend my donation on administrative costs. I did not have to worry how the money would be split up, and I had a choice in the distribution process.

The GlobalGiving website has e-mailed me stating that they will give me further progress report updates about the program and how our funds are being put to work. I will keep you all updated on anything I hear!

Also, for anyone who wants to check it out, here is the program page. You can even look at reports from project leaders about the progress being made in Guatemala:

http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/goat-guatemala/?utm_content=Thank%20You%20from%20GlobalGiving&utm_campaign=Receipt&utm_source=email2.globalgiving.org&utm_term=natalie.r.bock%40gmail.com&utm_medium=email

Politics, Programs, and Cookies

Well, its that time of year again: Girl Scout cookie season. 

When I was about eight or nine, I was a “Brownie” level Girl Scout. I loved it. Scouts go camping, learn lessons, and make cool crafts. They participate in the badge system, in which girls learn and complete tasks in order to earn a patch for their uniform. These tasks promote dozens of important skills ranging from money management, appreciation of science and the arts, first aid, and respect for nature. I personally enjoyed the sense of belonging associated with the program. 

Every scout is required to follow the Girl Scout Promise: “On my honor, I will try to serve God and my country, to help people at all times, and to live by the Girl Scout Law.” Herein lies the problem for many: “to serve God”. While the Girl Scouts USA claims they are a secular organization, they say they encourage the development of spirituality amongst their scouts. Individual girls are allowed to choose their own religious affiliation, and councils award badges to scouts based on their knowledge and growth within that religion. 

Would it bother you to buy a box of cookies in support of an organization that promoted young girls to follow a religion you did not believe in? I know it wouldn’t bother me. What I took from my experience was not necessarily religious, but a set of values that would help me to be a good citizen: 

I will do my best to be
honest and fair,
friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring,
courageous and strong, and
responsible for what I say and do,
and to
respect myself and others,
respect authority,
use resources wisely,
make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout.

- the Girl Scout Law

But what if the issue was more controversial? While the GSUSA website denies the claims, many conservative groups have accused the Girl Scouts of partnering with Planned Parenthood, a pro-choice organization. They state that some troops have given lessons on safe sex practices, a message they think is very inappropriate for young girls. Some are also outraged that transgender children are being welcomed into troops. While sex education and inclusion of transgender members is up to the individual troops and not a national policy, these practices have launched a series of protests. Others, however, see these changes as the GSUSA progressing to fit modern times and ideologies. Others still are not concerned, as changes are based on individual troops.

Now, back to the cookies. When you buy that delicious package of Caramel deLites (you might know them as Samoas), a large portion of the proceeds goes to local troops, and therefore you are helping the troops promote their individual ideologies to their scouts. Would you research their politics before you buy? Or would you buy the cookies because, regardless of politics, the Scout’s promotion of character values for girls is a strong cause? 

I don’t mean to attack the GSUSA. As I said, the program was a positive experience for me. (Also, thanks again to Professor Campbell for the Shortbreads!) However, the idea I have discussed can be applied whenever someone considers a donation. Should the political or religious ideas of an organization be considered when donating? It is important that you believe in those aspects of an organization? Or is it sufficient that an organization has a positive and effective program?

If you want to learn out more about the Girl Scouts and their programs, check out www.girlscouts.org.

Microfinancing as Philanthropy

    By definition, philanthropy is a goodwill to fellow members of the human race. Normally we associate this with the giving of our time, money or resources to a specific organization in order to better society. We have had this consistent focus on non-profits (rightfully so due to their relevance), but we are failing to look at alternatives ways of giving. Kiva is a microfinancing organization, meaning that it allows regular people, like you and me, to lend money to someone from around the world in order to start a business, expand a program or help educate a student. The unique aspect of this program is the idea that YOU GET BACK MONEY or at least the money that you put into it. The video below provides a basic overview of the process.

     The amazing thing about Kiva is how flexible it is. You can donate whatever amount you would like to however many people, although there is a $25 donation minimum. Additionally, you can also choose the cause that you would like to donate to. If you are specifically interested in the advancement of women, for example, you can donate exclusively to women. You can also select by country if you have any preference of that sort. All of these are fantastic features, but the question still lies: Is this a form of philanthropy? You are giving your money to a cause in order to better a community, but can we say that our definition fits because you get your money back? We may be inclined to say no and that Kiva and other microfinancing organizations are not philanthropic, but we should be open to the idea that they are. As great as altruism and donating without any personal gain are, you cannot always donate a lot of money. Organizations like this allow people who cannot usually give large sums of money the chance to because that person will be getting it back soon. But honestly, what do you think about this? I strongly encourage you to go to the Kiva Website in order to explore the program and what it is all about. There is also a page with Statistical Data supporting the idea of microfinancing if you feel the need to see it.