Archive for the ‘Give Page’ Category

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Wal-Mart Fights Hunger

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

America’s king of low low prices shares some of their profit with the poor.

  • Wal-Mart and the Wal-Mart Foundation announced a plan to donate $250 million in cash and $1.75 billion worth of food to fight hunger in the United States.
  • Because of the recession, food banks in the United States have been struggling to keep up with demand.
  • Wal-Mart remains committed to reducing hunger nationwide, including providing healthy food for schools.

Facts and Figures

  • About 49 million people in the U.S. don’t get enough healthy food to eat (up 36% from last year).
  • Wal-Mart’s plan will provide enough food for more than 1 billion meals.
  • Wal-Mart donated $423 million in 2008 and $512 million in 2009 (in both cash and products).

Best Quote

“Increasingly, we see opportunities to use our scale and reach to solve challenges in our communities. This is one of those times. By working together, we believe that we can reach a day where no individual in this country has to go to bed hungry or worry there will be food to put on the table tomorrow.” – Eduardo Castro-Wright, Vice Chairman of Wal-Mart

The Rocky Relationship Between Philanthropy And Government

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

The federal government and philanthropic programs have always struggled to get along, but they’re trying to put their differences aside to help programs grow.

  • The government sometimes has a hard time following through on promised funding to nonprofits. For example, $50 million that might have been allocated to Teach for America’s 2011 budget met calamity when political pressure cut the funds completely.
  • Program funding is moving away from direct government disbursements and toward foundations with grant applications and matching programs.
  • As budgets are expected to tighten, the relationship between philanthropy and the government will only become more complicated.

Facts & Figures

  • Teach for America received $18 million in the 2010 federal budget.
  • The Investing in Innovation Fund, run by the Department of Innovation, gives up to $50 million to education programs that are able to match 20% of the grant with private money.
  • 12 foundations have pledged over $500 million that they will use to either match winners or help programs that do not win government money from the fund.

Best Quote

“Partnership with government is going to continue to be hard. We should pursue it but with a sober recognition there will be curves ahead on the road that you can’t see coming.” – David Gergen, Professor at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government

Combating Homelessness From Every Angle

Monday, June 28th, 2010

The Obama administration gets into the nitty-gritty of the helping the nation’s staggering number of homeless citizens.

  • The homeless population in the United States is growing and does not just include single adults but also countless American families.
  • On June 22nd, the Obama administration unveiled a plan to combat increasing homelessness. The plan, called “Opening Doors,” aims to eradicate homelessness for single adults, families, children, and veterans.
  • The first step will be to examine what strategies have worked in cities and counties across the nation. Chicago’s push for affordable housing was so successful that the Obama administration hopes to apply it nationwide.

Facts & Figures

  • The number of homeless families had increased by 30% in the past two years
  • The number of homeless veterans of the Vietnam war is greater than the number that died in it.

Best Quote

“This is a tragedy we can solve.” – Shaun Donovan, Chair, Inter-agency Council on Homelessness.

White South Africans Fall On Hard Times

Friday, June 25th, 2010

Repairing apartheid in South Africa wasn’t beneficial for everyone…

  • In the last decade, the number of white South Africans living below the poverty line has greatly increased, contradicting the common stereotype of white South African privilege and black South African persecution.
  • In response to years of apartheid, the government removed some of the safety net that kept poor white citizens afloat, and replaced it with harsh affirmative action laws that guaranteed black South Africans more economic opportunities.
  • Today, many poor white South Africans have been forced to squat in cramped trailer parks, some without electricity or running water.

Facts & Figures

  • White unemployment nearly doubled between 1995 and 2005
  • Ten percent of the white South African population live below the poverty line

Best Quote

“The vast number in black poverty does not mean we must ignore white poverty, which is becoming an embarrassment to talk about.” - Jacob Zuma, South African President

Gates And Buffett Encourage Fellow Billionaires To Give It Away

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

For the past year, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have been campaigning to get other American billionaires to donate at least half of their fortunes to charity.

  • People are asked to donate their money either during their lifetime or after death.
  • Most of the money raised by charities comes from normal people donating $5-$50 at a time.
  • Gates and Buffett encourage large donors to publicly pledge and explain their decision.

Facts and Figures

  • Buffett donated 99% of his $46 billion fortune to charity in 2006.
  • Gates and Buffett believe they can generate $600 billion through these pledges.
  • American philanthropies received $300 billion in donations in 2009.
  • Only 17 people on the Forbes’s 400 wealthiest people in America are also on the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s list of the most generous American donors.

Best Quote

“The pledge is a moral commitment to give, not a legal contract. It does not involve pooling money or supporting a particular set of causes or organizations.” – A written statement by Bill Gates, Co-Founder of Microsoft Corporation and Warren Buffett, chairmenn and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Obama Attempts To Repair An Environmental Disaster

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

President Obama reacts with strict environmental regulations in response to the BP oil disaster.

  • On Tuesday night, the president addressed the United States regarding his plans to repair, repay, and prevent damage caused by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
  • Obama is proposing a multi-billion dollar compensation plan for Gulf residents that BP seems unlikely to agree to.
  • In order to prevent more harm to the environment, Obama says he will develop new energy sources, expand nuclear power, and is considering a tax on carbon to reduce pollution.

Best Quote

“Make no mistake, we will fight this spill with everything we’ve got for as long it takes. We will make BP pay for the damage their company has caused. And we will do whatever’s necessary to help the Gulf Coast and its people recover from this tragedy.” – President Barack Obama

California Leads The Way In Electric Car Technology

Monday, June 21st, 2010

California is ahead of the game: great weather, beautiful beaches and now affordable environmentally friendly transportation…we should all just move.

  • California is encouraging consumers to purchase electric cars through hefty discounts and reliable and accessible charging stations.
  • Charging stations are being built in locations where customers are able to linger (like shopping malls and grocery stores) because charging up a car’s battery takes longer than filling it up with gas.
  • The cost of charging a car’s battery is under discussion – some companies would like consumers to pay by simply by swiping a card, some will make the service free as a way to attract business to neighboring stores.

Facts & Figures

  • California is spending $200 million a year on low-emission vehicle technology.
  • To aid in the cost of these vehicles, California is offering up to a $20,000 rebate to buyers of low-emission commercial vehicles.

Best Quote

“California is leading the way.” – Sue Cischke, Global Vice President of Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering at Ford Motor Co.

Can a nonprofit go out of business?

Friday, June 18th, 2010

Yes! A nonprofit can “go out of business,” so to speak. There are all sorts of reasons why an organization would shut down. The most common reason is lack of funding. Almost all nonprofits rely on donors and foundations to cover the costs of staff salaries and all other overhead expenses. If and when funding sources dry up, many nonprofits have no option but to close their doors. Additionally, some nonprofits are actually formed with the intention of “going out of business” at a certain point – once their mission has been accomplished and they no longer need to exist.

Can non-profits legally influence lawmaking?

Friday, June 18th, 2010

When it comes to advocacy, nonprofits are governed by the IRS (Internal Revenue Service), specifically under Code Section 501 (c)(3). This code effects charities in two ways regarding advocacy activities:

(1) it stipulates that charities may neither publicly support nor oppose candidates running for public office, and
(2) it limits a charity’s ability to lobby for certain legislative efforts. The amount of time they’re allowed to lobby depends on the IRS designation the organization selected, but the amount allowable usually ranges from 3% to 20%. Charities can often do a fair amount within these restrictions.

Do I need to buy a hybrid to drive green?

Friday, June 18th, 2010

Hybrids are pretty cool, but the most powerful tool for eco-friendly driving is YOU. Changing the way you drive can help keep the environment clean and save you money no matter what kind of car you drive. “Hypermilers” take this to the extreme and claim they can get up to 100 miles per gallon from standard model cars by strictly following certain guidelines and techniques. Here are a few simple things you can do that will have an immediate impact on your gas bill and your carbon footprint:

  • Chill out! Driving aggressively is really inefficient. Accelerate slowly and evenly and try to keep your speed as constant as possible – you burn more gas when you accelerate.
  • Slow down! Driving slower burns less gas. The difference between going 75 mph and 55 mph on the highway is HUGE in miles per gallon… and also in money for speeding tickets!
  • Take care of your car. Regular maintenance and keeping your tires at the manufacturer’s recommended pressure can keep your mpg (that’s miles of driving per gallon of gas) at its highest level.
  • Cruise… Using cruise control on the highway can keep you from creeping up to those higher, less efficient speeds, and it prevents all that carbon-spewing stop-and-go driving.

You can definitely help the environment with your money – buying green products, investing in a socially responsible manner, or giving to an Environment Cause – but you can also do a lot just by modifying your behavior. Remember, efficiency is good for the environment and your bottom line!

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »