Bright Lights on Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

This week, I wanted to spotlight for you all a powerful, effective and renown model of corporate philanthropy. Some might call this the "piece de resistance"of the charitable arms of major companies, the pinnacle of that which modern corporations search for in cementing their commitment to community outreach. In my opinion, it is the cream of the crop in terms of corporate charity work, and has certainly made a name for itself since its inception in 2000. This model of philanthropy is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a global institution that has dedicated over 40 billion dollars in just under 15 years to "help all people lead healthy, productive lives." In the developing countries of the world, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation "focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty." Locally in the United States, the foundation "seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life." The Foundation has three specific grant making areas, The Global Development Program, The Global Health Program and the United States Program, along with a small Charitable Sector Support Initiative. In their early years of philanthropy, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was best known for its work to prevent the spread of Malaria in third world countries. Today, the foundation supports countless other charitable endeavors including vaccine initiatives, micro-financing efforts, and scholarship funds. As I said before, with offices all over the world, incredibly numerous grant partnerships and billions and billions of dollars donated so far, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is helping to transform the world in immeasurably powerful ways. In even the foundation's influence in the realm of corporate philanthropy, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is helping to instigate a wave of charitable inspiration for some of the world's most established businesses. This influence in and of itself is important, and in my opinion, has already ushered in a new era of excitement about corporate philanthropy! 

Check out more information about the incredible Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation at their website: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/ !

Charitable Consulting: "Helping Donors Do More"

Another growing aspect of the arena of corporate philanthropy is philanthropic consulting. In the St. Louis region, one of the leaders of charitable counseling is the Gateway Center for Giving (GCG). Its vision, "a thriving St. Louis region in which a strong philanthropic community and effective nonprofits collaboratively advance the quality of life." It's work, to "strengthen philanthropy and promote community impact by providing programming, research, technical assistance and professional development opportunities to grantmaking organizations in the St. Louis region." Gateway Center for Giving sponsors include several prominent local grantmakers such as Peabody, the Monsanto Fund, Maritz, Trio Foundation of St. Louis, and Commerce Bank. Grantmakers through the GCG meet regularity to discuss upcoming philanthropic projects, and to review grant proposals. Any member of the community, representative from a non-profit organization, representative from a business etc. can share an idea with the center and ask it to consider a certain charitable cause. The majority percentage of recent grants granted through the Gateway Center for Giving has gone to human services (28%), education (17%), and arts & culture (14%). I just love that an entire organization is built upon the collaboration of the "haves" in order to enhance cross-corporational philanthropic projects to help the "have nots." Teamwork is so important in making a difference on a large scale, and I think it is amazing that regions across the country have institutions like St. Louis' Gateway Center for Giving in order to strengthen "quality of life." The GCG has a really awesome blog as well, and I cannot wait to keep updated on some of the outstanding work the center is doing in the St. Louis area. My favorite quote from the blog so far is "The Gateway Center for Giving has allowed us to raise our philanthropic IQ, and that I believe has made us better funders in the community." Feel free to click on the link below to find out a little bit more about St. Louis' own Gateway Center for Giving, and to learn more about philanthropic consulting on a larger scale!

http://www.centerforgiving.org/AboutUs/OurGivingCommunity.aspx#.UwLXnShCfap

Caring Corporations- A Modern-Day Robin Hood's Dream

"Take from the rich and give to the poor." This well-known adage not only reminds us of the heroic Robin Hood, but it also describes the core of what we call philanthropic work today. Major companies have often dedicated bits of their revenues to charitable causes; but, the idea of corporate philanthropy has taken on a whole new meaning in the past few years. Instead of simply writing checks to charities, companies have begun to use the "skills and capabilities ... from their business operations and apply [them] to solving big social challenges" ("The Exchange"). This active charitable trend spans both industry and social cause, and has apportioned countless hours and millions of dollars of aid to those most in need. Financial firms like JP Morgan Chase have charged some of their most brilliant investment bankers with "finding funds that invest exclusively in businesses that are addressing critical local challenges" (“The Exchange”). Countless retailers have responded with the donation of goods to refugees after natural disasters and conflicts. Like I referenced before, this newly excited trend of corporate philanthropy is a modern-day Robin Hood's dream, taking not simply money from the rich to give to the poor, but also their time and education. Companies are no longer just trying to put a monetary bandaid on major social issues, they are working to correct them. Enter me. The philanthropy work that I have done through various service organizations at the collegiate level has made me passionate about pursuing a career "taking from the rich and giving to the poor" at the professional level. Nothing has given me more passion as an undergrad, and nothing has guided my career choice more. Phancy Philanthropy reflects my research into and preparation for a career in the field of corporate philanthropy. Hopefully it will inform and inspire fellow Robin Hoods to pursue a career in this field as well, and hopefully it will showcase some of the amazing charity work that many of today's most well-known corporations are performing on massive scales each day.

"The Exchange." Yahoo Finance. N.p., 15 May 2013. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.