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| Re: What is the criterion of a good philanthropist?
Posted by carl  on 4/14/2009, 9:45 pm, in reply to "What is the criterion of a good philanthropist?"
VIP Poster
Hi,
"He sat down beside the treasury and watched people putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, "Truly I tell you this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on." Mark 12:41-44. (NRSV)
Pardon the biblical reference, but I know of no better authority for generosity.
When I teach major gift workshops, I tell a story of a donor who gave $27.43 -- my proudest moment as a fundraiser. The donor had cerebral palsy and carried himself in a motorized wheel chair under the power of his own breath. He was 15 (I think.) He collected the money by playing a card game with the neighborhood boys, all of whom were of sound body, all of whom intentionally let him win. It took awhile for him to come to so tidy a sum as $27.43. He made the gift as a memorial to a friend from the school where he attended. (The school where I worked as chief development officer.) One day, my boss called me and asked that I bring a camera and, of course, I did so. We took a photo of my donor handing his "money jar" over to my boss with his very wobbly limbs. My boss hung that picture in his office and, very likely, took it with him when he retired many years later. It was the best major gift I've ever received.
A philanthropist is someone who gives a significant amount of money to the betterment of his world. I've always measured "significant" by the sacrifice required to give the money.
What did your $15 donation cost?
Hope this helps,
Carl
Richardson Development
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