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December 2001
Global Giving Round-Up
Overviews of best-practices around the world and links to learn more about them
Above and beyond: Italy's Gino Strada brings healthcare to world's danger zones
Since 1994 Italian surgeon Gino Strada has been on the front lines in Afghanistan, with a medical support crew, bringing critical health care to thousands of victims of the country's ongoing warfare. He's doing this under the auspices of Emergency, a nonpartisan organization he established in 1994, drawing for aid principally from Italian donors at first (including the soccer team Inter Milan) and now garnering international support. Emergency also runs clinics in Cambodia, northern Iraq and Sierra Leone, and has worked in danger zones such as Rwanda when other aid agencies wouldn't take the risk. (See Emergency's Web site at www.emergency.it for details.) Strada was among seven philanthropy pioneers -- and the only non-American -- honored in Time magazine's recent listing of "Tomorrow's Most Influential Individuals." The others were Waldy Malouf and Tom Valenti, chef-owners of two Manhattan restaurants who led fund-raising efforts to help survivors of restaurant workers killed at the World Trade Center; Patty Stonesifer, cochair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Linda Rottenberg, cofounder of Endeavor, a nonprofit that promotes entrepreneurship in Latin America; David Saltzman, cofounder and executive director of the Robin Hood Foundation in New York City; and Arthur W. Schmidt, Jr., creator of GuideStar.org, the largest nonprofit database in the US. (Time, November 5, 2001)
From the killing fields to lives of hope: Wiring Cambodia
The remote Cambodian region of Robib -- a group of six small villages -- lacks piped-in water, electricity and telephones; average per-capita income is $40; and the closest hospital is a two-hour drive away, when the weather is good. But nowadays Robib is connected to the world via the Internet, thanks to Bernard Krisher, a journalist-philanthropist who has drawn on partnerships that include The World Bank and individual donors such Wakako Hironaka, a member of the Japanese Diet. Through the Internet the community now has access to an interactive telemedicine project based at Harvard University that provides health care information, and outsiders can view -- and buy -- crafts from the village's Web site www.villageleap.com. (Asia Week, June 29, 2001)
Hand-held computers aid African Bushmen in conservation efforts
About five years ago, South African wildlife researcher Louis Liebenberg launched CyberTracker Conservation, a nonprofit group that provides software to research and conservation projects that track animals in deserts, nature reserves and national parks. A novel aspect of the project is that it can be -- and is -- easily used by Bushmen, who may not know how to read, but have become adept at learning to use the devices through icons that enable them to check the animal type, numbers observed, their sex, activities, and what plants they ate. More than 1,000 people have downloaded CyberTracker software from the organization's Web site www.cybertracker.co.za and an update is in the works. Current funding comes from the European Community and Conservation International, but Liebenberg is aiming for a more diverse donor base, including individuals. (Chronicle of Philanthropy, September 20, 2001)
Cultivating young donors to "give back" in Asia and the Americas
The International Community Foundation (www.icfdn.org) in San Diego, California, has just launched a new program called Young International Philanthropists (YIP). YIP aims to bring together young professionals and community leaders to become involved in community projects in the Americas and Asia through philanthropy, volunteering and other fundraising initiatives. During 2002, YIP plans to undertake two or three projects, with a focus on Baja California and rural communities in the Mexican interior.
Spain's richest man launches foundation
Amancio Ortega Gaona, Spain's wealthiest man, announced plans in July to create a new foundation, shortly after the first public offering of shares in his company, Inditex, on the Madrid Stock Exchange. Ortega, whose firm includes 19 manufacturers, six retailers, a holding company with 11 national franchises, and an office in China, will serve as president of the foundation, which will carry his name. Its focus will be on modernizing education and promoting cultural activities, research and science. (Philanthropy in Europe, Issue #8, September 2001)
Hard rock, soft heart
The so-called "Mr. X" who recently made an anonymous donation to give private school scholarships to talented kids in foster care in and around Los Angeles, California, has turned out to be Hard Rock Cafe mogul Peter Morton. He told the Las Vegas Sun that he was tired of just mailing checks to organizations without knowing more about what was happening. Now he's helping fund students directly through the Center for Educational Opportunities, a project to give a boost to children who usually don't get one. (Las Vegas Sun, October 8, 2001)
Monster donation to philanthropy
Andrew McKelvey, chairman and chief executive of online recruiting company TMP Worldwide Inc., owners of Monster.com, announced plans to sell company shares valued at $44 million for charitable purposes, mainly for college scholarships and gun safety. (Reuters, August 27, 2001)
Silicon Valley donors offer safety net to local nonprofits
Leading Silicon Valley philanthropists, including Jeffrey Skoll, eBay's first president, have announced additional donations to the Community Foundation of Silicon Valley (CFSV -- www.cfsv.org) to assist local nonprofits that may be suffering because of the economic downturn. Skoll recently added $20 million in stock to the Skoll Community Fund, which operates within CFSV. The Steven and Michele Kirsch Foundation (www.kirschfoundation.org), run by technology millionaire Steven Kirsch and his wife, Michele, announced a donation of $200,000 as a pass-through for local nonprofits in need. (CNET News.com, October 23, 2001)
British giving practices: Many don't give, but those who do give more
A recent survey by Britain's National Council for Voluntary Organisations (www.ncvo-vol.org.uk) found that more than 32 per cent of the British population gave nothing to charity last year, yet found that people who did make donations gave more. Philanthropy experts think a culture of "planned giving" is the way to prompt more donations, and the government is now offering tax concessions to charities on donations made through company payrolls or direct debit payments. (The Independent, August 30, 2001)
Update: Philanthropy and the September 11 attacks
Corporate, family and private foundations from across the U.S. have made generous and creative donations to funds helping victims of the September 11 attacks in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington. According to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, many companies are matching employee gifts at a higher-than-usual level (some at an unusual ration of three to one). Donors are donating products to assist in the recovery effort or funding special services, such as grief counseling, and some are providing office space to displaced nonprofit organizations and transportation services. A detailed description of the types of grants can be found at www.philanthropy.com, the Chronicle's Web site. (Chronicle of Philanthropy, November 20, 2001)
Canadian charities feel cash crunch as funds head to the US
The September 11 terrorist attacks in the US have prompted so many Canadians to donate to US charities that local nonprofits are experiencing a crunch. Combined with Canada's economic downturn, some local charities are worried that they will have to reduce their community support this year. (Yahoo News, October 21, 2001)
Carnegie Corporation honors major philanthropists with new award
The New York-based Carnegie Corporation honored top philanthropists in the US in a ceremony signaling the inauguration of a biennial award. Recipients of the 2001 Andrew Carnegie Medals of Philanthropy -- which commemorate the centennial anniversary of Andrew Carnegie's philanthropy -- included seven individuals and families who use their private wealth for the public good: Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg on behalf of the Annenberg Foundation for its work in the field of education; Brooke Astor for her philanthropic efforts on behalf of New York City; Irene Diamond for her contributions to AIDS research; the Gates family for its contributions in the fields of education and health; David and Laurance S. Rockefeller on behalf of the Rockefeller family for its century-long commitment to philanthropy; financier George Soros for his philanthropy on behalf of civil societies; and CNN founder Ted Turner for gifts that established the United Nations Foundation and the Nuclear Threat Initiative. (Philanthropy News Digest, November 12, 2001)
Philanthropy ink
The profile of Asian philanthropy was raised significantly when Asiaweek devoted a cover article in its issue of June 29, 2001, to the efforts of five activists working to bridge the digital divide in India, Malaysia, Borneo, Cambodia and Bangladesh. In each case, an individual took a pioneering step to bring technology to severely underserved communities.
© 2002 The Synergos Institute
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