Depending on who you ask, it could mean very different things.
(A little grandfatherly wisdom from your friends at TILE.)
Posts Tagged ‘demographic shift’
Careful when you hear the word “average…”
Friday, February 18th, 2011Donors Funding Again, But Younger Donors Fund Different Causes
Friday, February 11th, 2011
credit: keithusc
Under 50? Then you’re not likely to be donating to your alma mater in 2011.
- The recession hit everyone hard – including nonprofits and foundations. A study by The Chronicle of Philanthropy shows that big donations were way down in 2010, due mostly to fears about a “double-dip” recession and confusion about tax laws.
- But so far in 2011, the economy is looking more stable and the tax code has finally been clarified. This may be the long-awaited make-up year for nonprofits that rely on funding from philanthropists.
- Importantly, the study also revealed generational changes in giving styles. None of the big donors who made the list under 50 years of age donated to colleges or universities. Instead, they preferred to fund education, medical, human rights, and social entrepreneurial ventures.
Facts & Figures
- Of Forbes magazine’s top 400 wealthiest Americans, only 17 appeared in the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s list of the most generous 54 donors
- 9 people on the list donated more that $100 million in 2010, compared with 18 donors in 2006
- The top two donors on the list were 80-year-old hedge-fund manager George Soros ($332 million) and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg ($279.2 million)
- Mark Zuckerberg, the youngest donor to ever appear on the list, came in 10th place ($100 million)
Best Quote
“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
What do you think?
Do you support the same causes as your parents? Do you give to the same organizations as your friends?
More Competitive Than Harvard! 1.6 Million Chinese Grads Consider Applying To McDonald’s Hamburger University
Wednesday, February 9th, 2011“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.”
Best Quote
“Now my father has stopped trying to persuade me to work in banking.” – Sun Ying, McDonald’s Shanghai Store Manager
What do you think?
With college graduates fighting to get into Hamburger University, can a Chinese obesity crisis be far behind?
Old people and robots
Wednesday, February 9th, 2011
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?