Philanthropy by average Joes
Not every one has to be a Bill Gates to grow their money to help others, writes G Jeffrey MacDonald of The Christian Science Monitor:
Philanthropic legacies are not an exclusive province of billionaires with money to burn. Others have learned creative techniques to leverage time, talent, and treasure - not just their own, but that of other donors as well - in ways that make sure their deepest personal values produce an impact long after they’re gone.
To be sure, having substantial assets makes the process of creating a legacy easier, but even that is no guarantee of success, according to Bruce Bigelow, founding partner of Charitable Development Consulting in Frederick, Md. Instead, he says, members of the middle class can learn from givers big and small who figured out well in advance what they wanted to have happen after they die.
“Leaving a legacy is really different from responding to a crisis,” Mr. Bigelow says, yet not all donors recognize the distinction. Designers of a legacy need to look long-term, beyond immediate relief efforts, he says, and ask, “How do I want the world to be different when I’m not here [as a result] of what I did? What do I really care about?” For those with limited means, he says, effectiveness usually means teaming up strategically with a solid organization.
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