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!

Philanthropy in Action: Experiences of an ELP Graduate

By: Will
Will was a participant in Allowance for Good's Spring 2015 Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy class in the McCormick Foundation location. Will is currently a summer fellow with Allowance for Good.  

When a friend and I signed up for Allowance for Good’s Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy program the spring of my junior year in high school, I had no idea the path it would set me upon. I was originally drawn to the opportunity to learn more about a few trendy buzzwords such as philanthropy in an environment full of like-minded students. Yet, I was immediately struck by the unique messages AFG sent about what philanthropy meant.

Today, what stands out the most is a conversation our class had on the differences between charity and philanthropy. I had subconsciously come to believe that these two words were synonyms, but it was made clear to me that philanthropy went a step farther. Whereas charity is passive and monetarily based, philanthropy is active, socially conscious, and available for all audiences to participate in. (It’s what’s often specifically referred to by the staff here as the giving of time, talent, and treasure). Philanthropy, it became clear, was something I wanted to be a part of.

With this grand realization in mind, the aforementioned friend (named Jackson) and I set to work. With the help of some fantastic teachers, we founded the Student Philanthropy Initiative this fall at the Latin School of Chicago. Eight dedicated students joined us in the fall semester, where Jackson and I held biweekly classes to impart the knowledge AFG had given us onto these students. We discussed grant making, read case studies, and met with community leaders from the Uptown neighborhood—a place where Latin has strong ties. Culling resources from the Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy program and other national organizations, we provided the students with a baseline idea of how philanthropy is used as a catalyst for impact.

Our spring semester, though, was where the fun really started. Due to generous donations from alumni and other sources, the Student Philanthropy Initiative had $6200 to give to a deserving nonprofit in Uptown. We reached out to organizations, read grant applications, went on site visits, debated vigorously, and ultimately awarded two grants to two nonprofits doing life-changing work. The second place grant of $1200 was awarded to The Viola Project, an organization that uses Shakespeare to empower young girls from diverse backgrounds and plans on using the grant to help hire a director of diversity and outreach. The grand prize of $5000 was given to Chicago Youth Programs, which—in their own words—strives to improve the health and life opportunities of at-risk youth using a comprehensive approach aimed at developing their capabilities.” Our grant will enable them to fund a variety of programs for all age groups over the summer. These particular organizations stood out to us for their impact in the community, but it was heartening having the opportunity to come into contact with so many extraordinary nonprofits in the Uptown neighborhood alone.

Allowance for Good’s program inspired me to use what I’d learned and help implement an initiative in my community that I hope to thrive long past my graduation. If that isn’t indicative of AFG’s ripple effect, I’m not sure what is.

Now, as I return to AFG as a summer intern, I must reflect as well as look forward. I can’t wait to continue my efforts in philanthropy and community service next year in college through whatever avenues I can. And this summer, I’m ecstatic to work with such dedicated individuals on the staff to make Allowance for Good the best organization it can be.

Soles for Kids: AfG Youth Giving Back

Children living in poverty lack many of life's most basic necessities, including a good pair of shoes. Three Allowance for Good youth chose to tackle this issue and give more children across the world the comfort of a good pair of shoes.

Charlie, Danny, and Tim participated in Allowance for Good's Fall 2015 Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy class in the Elmhurst location.

After their participation in the ELP program, Charlie, Danny, and Tim decided to start their own project - a shoe drive for Soles for Kids. Soles for Kids is an incredible charity that collects used, not abused, shoes and soccer balls to distribute to children worldwide. They have distributed shoes to children in need in Africa, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the United States.

The three AfG youth organized a shoe donation drive at York High School during a basketball game, where they collected 72 pairs of shoes. They also raised $75 to put towards shipping costs.

All the shoes they collected were given to Soles for Kids and sent to children in Tanzania. These young men acted as agents of change in their community, and their efforts will have significant effects far from their homes. Allowance for Good is proud to see them serving as global citizens and making a difference in the lives of many children.

If interested in running your own shoe drive, you can find more information about donating to Soles for Kids here.

Opening a window of possibilities: USA experience of a Ukrainian fellow

By: Taras Repytskyi

Taras came to Allowance for Good from Ukraine as part of the US State Department's Professional Fellow Program. He spent 6 weeks as a fellow at Allowance for Good.


"Congratulations you have been chosen as a finalist of the Professional Fellows Program and you will be spending 6 weeks in the USA working at a NGO". A summary of the message I received on a cold winter day, which gave me even bigger goose bumps, as I knew that tremendous possibility awaits, which will broaden my horizon and open new opportunities.

Since quite a young age, I was convinced that traveling and understanding different attitudes of people is a very welcoming feature especially if you work for the sake of the community and development. I visited a lot of countries in Europe in order to see the approaches, interesting ideas and gather new knowledge, so I can build a greater society in my Ukraine.

Taras, Elizabeth, and Karin at the office on International Vyshyvanka Day.

Upon arriving here, in Washington and later Chicago and Evanston, my first feeling was, "I am in a movie." I was curious to explore each day and each second, as a lot of things indeed were different or at least as they are not usually done or made in Europe.

The first and major discovery to me was the community and civil society here. There is a huge amount of organizations and people who know a lot about charity and philanthropy and usually support different events by volunteering or donating money. It all starts with proper education and right attitude at early age throughout life. Through Allowance for Good, I was able to attend classes at Niles North High School, Northwestern University, and Loyola University to discover exciting curricula about civic engagement and community development. I made a few presentations on the political situation in Europe and Ukraine in particular. The high school students were really eager to get to know some of the aspects of social, educational, and political life there. To some of them it was a true revelation to learn about the situation in Crimea and war on the east of Ukraine.

I met bright people who are so willing to enhance their level of knowledge in these spheres. In Ukraine we seriously lack such programs and strategies for the society, and ideas written in my notebook will help me to make some of them real.

Another issue in Ukraine is that we have quite a different environment and recent history. People of Ukraine, because of living under a soviet regime which worshiped state or ruling party rather than people and communities, shaped the attitude of people towards common goals and better well-being. Now, after recent revolutions and uprisings of the nation, we can build upon that as we became much stronger, united, and passionate about social change.

My knowledge benefited a lot from the work with the incredible team of my host organization, Allowance for Good – Elizabeth, Aimee and Karin, who helped me to look upon issues of NGO work and youth programs from a different perspective and approach, which can definitely bring more results for the community. Job shadowing them was a real pleasure and I hope my fellowship will create new possibilities for them as well. For that, we started working on mutual grant proposals, so in the future our cooperation can grow stronger and our activities even more international. The first project is scheduled to be implemented this fall and will be concentrating on empowering youth from Lviv and Sykhiv districts with knowledge on social responsibility and community building. Kids will also have a chance to create and realize a social project of their interest, as well as a chance to work on identity building of their school.

My stay in the USA wouldn’t be the same if I wasn’t also lucky enough to be hosted by the Cernek family to explore the lifestyle of American households and daily life. There a lot of things about culture and cuisine I will be taking home with me, such as pancakes on weekends ☺

I would like to thank American Councils, WorldChicago, and especially Allowance for Good for an amazing opportunity to get a first-hand experience for future work I can bring to my community.

That’s would be all for now. I don’t say good-bye – I say welcome to new possibilities and Ukraine is awaiting each American to visit.

A Lesson in Corporate Philanthropy

By: Therese

Therese participated in Allowance for Good's Spring 2016 Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy class in the Elmhurst location.



"I am a Catalyst for Good because... I believe all people have the right to be educated no matter what the situation." - Therese

Corporate philanthropy is when a business helps others in need by donations or by spending time. I learned that companies can cause a positive change because they can help others, encourage other companies and consumers to help others that are in need. In addition, corporate philanthropy can help a community to become involved in a cause by using their products or bringing the company together by physically helping out others. In addition, being a corporate sponsor provides a positive image for the company itself, which leads to more sales and tax benefits. When I am in the working world, I would make sure that the company (or my company) would donate or support an organization and do physical work to help out those who need help. Overall, corporate philanthropy is important because it gets large companies to help out smaller originations and others that need donations and action.