This is me the day I accepted the TWIN (Tribute to Women in Industry) Award at the annual YWCA luncheon that honors TWIN recipients (2008). One reason I believe I was chosen as a recipient was that I have been practicing philanthropy for many years.Philanthropy is a wonderful thing for any business to be involved with, as it is a universal law that "to give is to receive." I have found that to be true on so many occasions, in so many ways.
I've also observed that those with the least to give are the ones who give most in terms of time and money to various causes such as homelessness, domestic abuse, children with cancer, and the list goes on.
I suggest that anyone who has not dabbled in philanthropy should try it. For every hundred dollars that you make, give ten dollars to a cause that you would like to support. Save the Whales, Hug a Tree, Stop Pollution, Halt Elder Abuse, House the Homeless. The choices are endless.
It's important to be very observant. Upon donating your time or money, you will see a return on this investment in ways you may not have imagined.
Let me give you an example. For the last year and a half, we produced a documentary called "The Invisible Ones: Homeless Combat Veterans." All work conducted was pro bono. My partner, Mark Schulze, shot footage, and I edited the documentary for about a year, staying up late on week nights and spending my weekends at the keyboard. Everyone involved with the project, from the musicians, to the graphic artists, web creator, and even duplicator/packager, donated their work on a pro bono basis.
Shooting footage of Dave "The Water Man" Ross at the annual Girls Think Tank Barbeque for the Homeless in Balboa Park
If we had not been involved in this project, we would never have met some of the most interesting people in San Diego, including CEOs, politicians and even a Brigadier General who test-flew the flying wing. Additionally, we were hired to shoot and edit a video for the Girls Think Tank, a local nonprofit group formed to assist the homeless. "The Invisible Ones" has won two prestigious awards which we have been using to acquire press. Having press is always a good thing for one's business. They say that "any press is good press;" however, I would lean towards the kind that is earned through doing good works.
The idea is to give what you can without any strings attached. Once you have started this movement of energy, then "what comes around goes around," and you will be pleasantly surprised at what ensues. I suspect that people like Mother Teresa, Ghandi, Buddha and Jesus were well acquainted with this universal law, and thus spent their lives practicing it.
To learn more about "The Invisible Ones: Homeless Combat Veterans," go to http://www.theinvisibleones.org/ and lend your hand.