credit: keithusc
Under 50? Then you’re not likely to be donating to your alma mater in 2011.
“I can think of no less needy charity than Harvard. I have to struggle to think of anyone in my age group who has given big money to a traditional charity.” – Philanthropist Whitney Tilson on the new generation of philanthropy
Do you support the same causes as your parents? Do you give to the same organizations as your friends?
Do you know where your roses really come from?
This short 2008 Frontline documentary exposes some pretty heinous human rights abuses in Ecuador’s flower industry.
Try googling “fair-trade flowers” for your bouquet this year.
“WASHINGTON — U.S. factories are closing. American manufacturing jobs are reappearing overseas. China’s industrial might is growing each year.
Yet America remains by far the No. 1 manufacturing country. It out-produces No. 2 China by more than 40 percent. U.S. manufacturers cranked out nearly $1.7 trillion in goods in 2009, according to the United Nations.
The story of American factories essentially boils down to this: They’ve managed to make more goods with fewer workers.”
What if higher production adds up to fewer jobs? Is efficiency always a good thing?
How often do you see “Made in U.S.A.” on the products you buy? How about “China?”
Sharna Goldseker is the director of 21/64 – a nonprofit that helps families make important decisions about philanthropy and helps young donors find their philanthropic voice. Sharna is an expert on the way giving fits into wealth and family relationships. In addition to consulting and speaking extensively on generational transitions, she also facilitates a network of seventy 18-28 year olds who are or will be involved in their family’s philanthropy, and she helped found Slingshot, a funding collaborative for Jewish funders in their 20s and 30s.
Works for us. Here she shares some really thoughtful advice about youth giving and the new philanthropy.
TILE: Why should young people consider getting involved in philanthropy
in the first place? Isn’t that something that should be left to
adults?
Sharna: Research shows that each generation brings a unique set of values, skills and experiences to the philanthropic table and therefore at any age, people can contribute to society and learn from one another in the process. For instance, Generation Y (pdf download) (people born between 1980-2000) have grown up with information technology, connected to people around the world, and in a more diverse society then generations before. While older generations may have more years of experience to bring to bear on their philanthropy, Gen Yers can bring their facility with technology to leverage their networks and communicate, advocate and contribute online. Their values of justice, compassion and acceptance of other people bring humanity to their philanthropy. And Gen Yers’ commitment to issues, as well as innovation, often on a global scale, would benefit many non-governmental organizations today. Besides, being a part affecting change that is larger than ourselves can add meaning to our lives.
TILE: What are the first steps that someone can take if they want to get involved?
Sharna: At 21/64, we have found that it’s often hard to think about what to fund or what organization to join before asking ourselves three questions:
What am I inheriting? Not financially, but what are the stories, values, messages my parents and grandparents have passed down to me?
Who am I? What of that family legacy do I want to incorporate into my life today? What are my own values? What are my passions? And then ask,
What do I want to do about it? How can I align my values and my resources to have an impact on the needs of the day? What are the issues that I see as important (e.g. bringing clean water to everyone; providing quality education; enriching people’s lives through art, etc.) that I care about and want to dedicate my time, energy and other resources to?
TILE: What advice would you give to young people who can’t decide where
to focus their philanthropic efforts?
Sharna: It’s not uncommon for people to have trouble deciding where to start when there are so many important challenges to solve in the world. To help with this dilemma, we created Picture Your Legacy, a deck of colorful images from which users can choose those that most speak to the funders they aspire to be and the type of impact they want to have. While the cards include images of arts, the environment and other areas to support, Picture Your Legacy helps users articulate if they want to take risks and invest in social entrepreneurs or support established organizations; consider funding as an individual or in collaboration with others; and, it raises other components of being a thoughtful and strategic funder which are often hard to identify on your own.
TILE: Why do you do what you do? What do you like best about your job?
Sharna: As director of 21/64, a non-profit practice specializing in next generation and multigenerational strategic philanthropy, I get to work with my next generation peers to help them find their own philanthropic identity and move resources to affect change in society. I also consult with families and know how hard it can be to make philanthropic decisions across the generations, especially when funding colleagues are moms, dads, siblings or grandparents. If I can help a family navigate their generational differences and build a way to communicate, then I’m not only helping the family but also helping them be more effective funders.
TILE: What’s the best advice you would give to your teenage self?
Sharna: My great uncle had been in real estate in Maryland and left instructions in his Will for a foundation to be set up upon his death. As someone who grew up knowing there was a charitable foundation that shared her name, I always struggled with earning the right to this “philanthropic inheritance.” After years of serving as an intern at different non-profits and gaining a graduate degree in non-profit management, I came to realize I not only loved the work, but also had an opportunity to make a difference in the world through allocating philanthropic resources. While I didn’t initially earn the assets in the foundation, I can still bring my own values, experiences and skills to bear on the foundation as a member of the Board. Looking back, I would encourage my teenage self to take the time to develop my own identity, figure out who I am, and who I want to be in the world, as I’m now a better family member and foundation director because of it.
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“Volkswagen has made a car it says can travel 313 miles on a gallon of diesel, and that emits just 24 grammes of carbon dioxide per kilometre travelled.
The XL1, which seats two adults, combines a 0.8 litre two cylinder diesel engine with an electric motor. The car is constructed around a carbon fibre reinforced polymer monocoque to reduce the weight to just 795 kilos. German rival BMW is also making an electric carbon fibre car, while Mercedes is to make carbon fibre parts.”
What influences your taste in cars?
“NEW DELHI – Internet giant Google Inc. said Monday it will give $5 million to upgrade and support 50 elementary schools run by India’s Bharti Foundation, the philanthropic unit of Bharti Enterprises Ltd.”
Can an enormous business-based philanthropic venture like Google fulfill its mission to save the world?
If gold is the same thing as cash, why can’t you use your gold medals to pay for coffee?
*Collateral is something of value (e.g. your house, your credit card, your firstborn) that you give to a lender until you’ve repaid your debt. If you don’t repay your debt, the lender gets to keep whatever you’ve put up as collateral. For instance, if you loan your friend $10, you can keep his sunglasses as collateral until he gives you the money back.
“When a bank, such as J.P. Morgan, is willing to extend collateral value against an asset such as physical bullion, it shows that they are not worried about the liquidity issue if they might take the collateral over or they have to liquidate the collateral.” – Frank McGhee, Head Precious Metals Trader, Integrated Brokerage Services
Does an old-fashioned form of currency like gold have a place in today’s plastic society? Do you know if there’s any gold in your investment portfolio?
“There’s a coffee machine in the corridor. There’s no cafeteria, although students and staff can order food delivered to the office pantry one floor down.
‘I’m thrilled and proud to attend Hamburger University,’ said Zhou, who in 2007 started as a management trainee in the central Chinese city of Changsha, a job for which she and seven others were among 1,000 applicants. That’s a selection rate of less than 1 percent, lower than Harvard University’s record low acceptance rate last year of about 7 percent, according to the school’s official newspaper.”
“Now my father has stopped trying to persuade me to work in banking.” – Sun Ying, McDonald’s Shanghai Store Manager
With college graduates fighting to get into Hamburger University, can a Chinese obesity crisis be far behind?
Terrifying. John B. Carnett
Japan has a rapidly aging population, but not enough home care workers to help elderly folks with daily tasks. So Japanese engineers, true to form, began building robotic home care workers.
Only problem is… old folks don’t want to be cared for by robots. It’s… kind of creepy. While cute animal-themed robots are selling reasonably well, the creepy humanoid models are being put on the shelf. (Until they’re reactivated in the Great Robot Wars begin in 2033, of course.)
Now the helper robot industry is shifting focus from fake people to smart furniture – like a wheelchair that can transform itself into a bed.
Technology has always been blamed for eliminating jobs – why pay a person to do what a machine can do faster, better, and cheaper? But Japan’s situation is a little different. It’s not eliminating jobs for willing workers; it’s creating workers to fill necessary jobs.
Hmm… wonder what kind of career track can an entry-level home healthcare worker can look forward to?