Achieving and Creating New Goals -- Lessons from GPS 2016

By: Grace
Grace participated in Allowance for Good's 2016 Global Philanthropy Summit in June. 

My overall experience with the Global Philanthropy Summit (GPS) was amazing! It was the first time that I had done anything with Allowance for Good. It was truly an eye opening experience that I will never forget. The amount of knowledge that I was able to obtain while attending GPS was unimaginable. The main focus was philanthropy. Before this Summit, I had never really thought about the meaning of philanthropy. To put it into my own words, I would define it as having a passion for mankind and giving back to the community. Philanthropy in no way means that you or someone else has to donate money. To be a philanthropist, I believe that you must feel some kind of internal reward and know that you have had a positive impact on a community.

One goal I had going into the Global Philanthropy Summit was to gain more knowledge on nonprofits and how they run/work. I currently volunteer at a museum in my hometown of Alpena, Michigan and even though I spend numerous hours there, I never thought about how they get the money to run multiple events throughout the year. To get an inside look at how they achieve this goal was my first priority when entering this program. I ended up achieving that goal when we met with Spark Ventures on the first day of GPS. Our presenter explained to us how they raised the money for the programs they run in other countries outside of the United States. I was inspired by Spark Ventures because it was a combination of my two passions: giving back and traveling.

One goal I had leaving the Global Philanthropy Summit was to think of new and innovative ways that I could give back to my community. That may be through school or just on my own time. Another goal I had was to keep in touch with presenters or representatives of the organizations or companies that we visited. At Groupon, one of the presenters, Parth, made it very clear that it was essential to stay in touch and make connections with people that you meet so that you can create future opportunities for yourself and your career. To achieve this goal, I made a LinkedIn and e-mailed multiple people that we met with during GPS. Since reaching out, I have gotten responses and feedback from all of them. You really have nothing to lose.

Overall, I couldn’t be more supportive of future students who decide to or have thought about being a part of Allowance for Good and the Global Philanthropy Summit. The vast amount of knowledge and connections you can make while attending GPS are never ending. It opens you up to a whole new world, and possible career field.

Learning Philanthropy -- Lessons from GPS 2016

By: Aarthi
Aarthi particpated in Allowance for Good's 2016 Global Philanthropy Summit in June. 

This was my first time learning and working with an organization like Allowance for Good. The Global Philanthropy Summit (GPS) was a memorable experience. It was just amazing! I met so many new people, learned about different businesses, and about how those businesses incorporate philanthropy in their work. When I first heard of philanthropy, I just thought it was helping people and volunteering. However, philanthropy is so much more involved. Philanthropy is the ways we use our time, ties, treasure, and talent to support and be involved in local and global issues. The one week camp gave me a clearer insight on how much I can do to help a society, group, or individual on a long-term basis. So many people volunteer, but it truly makes a difference if they stick with that one charity for five, ten, or more years. It shows commitment and true love for helping others.

A group of students brainstorm as they work on their final presentations

During the first day at GPS, I was so surprised with the first presenter, Spark Ventures. I was surprised in a good way because I never knew that people like Arnold create businesses solely to help a community. I have heard of FMSC and other organizations, but not one where people can actually interact with the people they are helping. The moment I heard about this, I took note to ask my family if we can go on a trip with Spark Ventures. That is the effect GPS had on me. It made me get up and actually want to do something. It was so convincing and cool to travel to help others. I felt like I actually had the power and resources to help someone on my own that is out of my reach. That feeling was truly unbelievable.

On the last day of camp, we heard from an organization called VING. VING makes $1,000 grants to teens who want to give the money to a person they know is in need of the money. They submit a video of themselves talking about the person in need and why they deserve a VING. This grant would be truly life changing for someone. It would give them a confidence boost and allow them to support themselves (or their family). When I got home, I started working on a VING right away. I thought it was an amazing opportunity that I as a teenager could help someone I know. Most teenagers don’t have the power or resources to do this, but I did with VING. I was so thrilled to submit my video and be able to help someone. I felt like I was really going to make a difference in someone else’s life and that feeling was great.

This is all what philanthropy is about. GPS allowed me to be a philanthropist. I would really like to thank them for this opportunity and giving me so many ideas to help others.

One goal I had going into GPS was to become more knowledgeable on what I can do in the future to help with charity and volunteering. I achieved that goal when I learned about Spark Ventures, business philanthropy, and non profit foundations. There are so many opportunities for me and you to help people locally and internationally. We all just have to take up those opportunities or start new ones.

My big takeaway from GPS is that everyone should think about helping others. Even if someone isn’t in a position to help someone else, they can at least think about ideas to help others in need. Every little action a person does can make a big impact on the world. If every person (who is in the position to volunteer) does just one hour of service, we would have over a million hours of service! Every hour counts and everyone’s time counts. I would recommend GPS to everyone who loves philanthropy, has a business mind, or wants to learn more about charity, philanthropy, and different types of foundations and businesses. Thank you again GPS! I was on cloud 9 with my experience!

A Small Amount, A Big Impact

By: Blair

Blair is participating in Allowance for Good's Spring 2016 Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy class in the Elmhurst location.

I learned this week in our financial literacy lesson that the extra money we spend on eating out, buying toys, and living through our daily lives adds up to a lot of money. Money that goes a long way in other people’s lives across the world. I realized this week that most people who live comfortably in our world with little to no financial problems don’t know how much of an impact even a dollar can do. People all over the world live in so much poverty that even a dollar could help them get enough food for their family. If we as a society realize how much extra money we spend on items we don’t even need and instead donate them to these hungry and starving kids, the impact would probably be as big as having almost every kid in poverty go to bed every night with a full belly. I encourage every person in the world to stop and think about if you really need this pointless item you are about to buy, and the impact it would have on others if you donated the money to charity instead of buying the item.  

"I am a catalyst for good because...I will improve the basic education around the world" - Blair

ELP Elmhurst class brainstorming.

ELP Elmhurst class teacher  Jeanne leads discussion.

Making Everyone Feel Part of the Community

By: Matthew

Matthew Miller is an 8th grader at Sandburg Middle School. He is participating in Allowance for Good's Spring 2016 Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy class in the Elmhurst location.

I have volunteered at my local PADS shelter at my synagogue, Access Sports for 3 years, and a summer camp called Service Squad, which involved a different service project each day. I have also volunteered at Feed My Starving Children a number of times. 

ELP Elmhurst class led by Jeanne.

"I am a catalyst for good because... all children have a right to primary education." - Matt Miller

My passion is working/playing with children in our community that have disabilities. I feel it is somewhat our duty to make them feel like they are one of us. Access Sports (out of Elmhurst) gives these kids the opportunity to play, and the opportunity for those who want to help, to help. You can sign up for one sport over one season, and each week you choose a kid to work with. You start off by working on skills, and then at the end there is a game. I have done this for 3 years now, and I plan to do it for much longer. These kids love to play, and it makes them feel a part of the community. There is a kid in my grade with Down Syndrome, that some of my friends and I love to work with and play with. We would switch off in gym class to play with him, and the smile on his face makes all of our days. The feeling of making someone feel special or just happy can make you feel the same way. 

In the future, I plan on volunteering at a Special Ed class and helping out there for a while, and also help out as much as I can around my community. A cause that I support is that all the kids, with disabilities or not, should all feel like they are worth the same amount in their community.

Corporate Philanthropy in Action

By: Arielle
Arielle is a participant in Allowance for Good's Winter 2015 Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy: Explorers class.

The Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy course is not my first exposure to Allowance for Good. I spent a week of my 2014 summer in its Global Philanthropy Summit, a sort of crash course in Philanthropy and Social Entrepreneurship. After that week I was hooked. I had always had a passion for philanthropy, inspired by pretty much everyone in my family. My Dad is in charge of Pro-Bono work at his law firm, my Mom works for two public health non-profits, and my Aunt works in marketing for JUF, another non-profit. So, I was familiar with the concept of “giving back,” but I didn’t really know the details because no one sits a child down and explains the who, what, where, how, and why of philanthropy-- except of course AFG.

This past week we focused on socially responsible corporations, ranging from Warby Parker, which donates a pair of glasses for every single one of its products sold, to companies that encourage volunteering or match the donations of their employees. There are lots of ways that a company can fit philanthropy into its mission, and based on the rising popularity of socially responsible companies among consumers, not doing so could be devastating. In addition to these examples, there are still other ways to integrate philanthropy into a company: a corporation could use its brand name or money to raise awareness of an issue (for example, Always’ #likeagirl campaign); donate a portion of its yearly profits to a cause (e.g., Patagonia donates 1% of its profits to saving the environment); or implement specific ways to encourage volunteering, such as allowing employees days off to volunteer, offering the specialized services of the company for free, or providing other incentives (perhaps financial) for employees who volunteer.

After learning about the different ways corporate philanthropy is possible, we put the lesson into action. Our job was to determine how the hypothetical (or maybe future company run by AFG) bicycle company, “GetThere” should integrate philanthropy into its mission plan. The students split up into two groups and were joined by the board members, to make a plan. After going through a variety of ideas, my group settled on a bike safety program. This would involve teaming up with the local governments of our store locations to create bike paths, and providing free helmets to those who need one, but cannot afford one. This plan, if put into action, would have numerous benefits. Not only would there be a safer space for bikers, but the anxiety caused by bikers on the road would be reduced for drivers, and it would make GetThere a more sustainable company. With the danger of biking as transportation reduced, more people would bike, increasing the demand, and therefor the sales. This would also create a brand awareness for GetThere, hopefully bringing more bike-buyers to that store. This past week was a great one, and I am sure this information will come in handy when dealing with corporations.

Arielle, far left, brainstorms with her ELP classmates.