Learning to Give . . . From Those To Whom You Have Given

Many of us still remember the rapid outburst of violence in Kenya at the beginning of 2008. Hundreds of thousands were displaced from their homes, and thousands confirmed dead and hospitalized. I want to tell you a brief story about a few Kenyans who were affected and the unlikely men that stepped in to fund the rebuilding of their lives. The story is reminiscent of the widow whom Jesus himself admired as she gave her last two coins (Luke 21:1-4).

The period of panic and unrest in Kenya forced many people to leave their homes in search of a safe place to hide. Specifically, 9 prison chaplains who work with a ministry our clients have supported ended up camping out at local police stations. It was the safest place in town until the government could restore order.

Of the 9 men, some had their homes burned, some had lost their furniture, and one had been hospitalized after being robbed. Peter Mosabi Kihingu who supervises the chaplains in Kenya had no resources to help these men rebuild their lives after the devastation. So he wrote to his partners in the U.S. home office asking for help. The home office itself had no financial reserves, but one Colorado chaplain had an idea to help.

He took the request for help to his church on Sunday. Now this was no ordinary church that you or I could attend. The church consists of prisoners that meet in a chapel behind many layers of barbed wire fence, video surveillance, and armed guards. In a room of convicted criminals, the chaplain read the letter and asked the men to help these Kenyan chaplains who have spent their lives helping inmates across the ocean. By the end of that one service, a small group of men who make about 60 cents per day gave $375 worth of Inmate Withdrawal Slips.

When Peter Mosabi Kihingu received the generous gift to distribute among the suffering chaplains, he wrote the following response: "I must say I am deeply overwhelmed by the donations to an extent that I really lack the words to express myself as to what this really means to me and to us here in Kenya. Being a former prisoner myself I really know what this means to them."

At Excellence in Giving, our passion is to advise clients how to give wisely. However, we must never forget the nobility of giving sacrificially. These prison inmates who gave much or all of their discretionary income present an example to emulate. Out of their poverty and magnanimity, they gave. They gave to help 9 suffering Kenyan chaplains because a chaplain had been giving to them.

This story is powerful. It is an inspiration to give boldly-to display the moral rectitude of transformed prisoners. And who knows... maybe your giving will create new communities of sacrificial givers like this prison church in Colorado. In my estimation, that would be both sacrificial and wise giving. Read more!

Philanthropy 2.0: Making a Difference Not a Donation

Charitable giving is quickly transforming into philanthropic investment. Donors (especially major donors and foundations) no longer want to give because their heart breaks over the severity of a problem. They want to invest in a solution that will solve the problem. This shift in philanthropy has been described in technological terms as a shift from Philanthropy 1.0 to 2.0.

If philanthropy 1.0 focused on the need, then philanthropy 2.0 focuses on a sustainable solution that is making a verifiable difference. It is no longer good enough for a nonprofit to ask for support by stirring our emotions. With over 1 million 501(c)3 organizations, we now have to discern which program model can comfort our broken hearts with sound solutions.

Donor fatigue in the face of ever-growing “asks” is pushing this investment approach to charitable giving. One new gold standard in giving is project sustainability. A donor wants to know that at least part of their donation is “seed money” that funds a partially self-sustaining and locally adapted program. They do not want to be asked for the same donation next year to support the same activity. There is simply not enough money to go around. So donors are demanding nonprofits to more creatively design and sustain their important work.

To capture this transition in philanthropy, I have created a presentation and have begun delivering it to different audiences in the past month. You can check out the pdf version posted on the Excellence in Giving website by clicking here. I hope it motivates you to give more wisely and to comfort your broken heart with investments in proven or promising solutions. Read more!