High-profile acts of altruism are inspiring philanthropists large and small
We often hear from some of our largest fundholders that one of the reasons they love working with the community foundation is that the foundation is truly the community’s foundation. Whether a family has established a multi-million dollar field-of-interest fund or a donor-advised fund to organize thousands of dollars of annual charitable gifts, the family knows that they have full access to the community foundation’s charitable giving expertise and deep knowledge of the needs in our region.
This is part of the reason our team and our donors find it so heartwarming to see a focus on altruism appear in the mainstream media. When people from all walks of life can share in the joy of philanthropy, everyone wins.
Here are three stories we’ve particularly enjoyed that are worth checking out if you happened to miss them.
Patagonia's owners just gave their ownership of the company to charity
Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia’s founder, and his family have just given their ownership of the company to charity by establishing a group of trusts and nonprofits. Chouniard’s inspiring act of philanthropy is reminiscent of the work of Chuck Feeney, founder of Atlantic, who was “driven by a belief that the best use of one's wealth is to help people.”
Business leaders aren’t the only people who are increasingly publicizing their charitable giving commitments. More celebrities are sharing their stories of charitable passion, too.
How Ted Lasso is like philanthropy
We enjoyed reading this heartwarming piece comparing philanthropy to Ted Lasso. Playing the long game, listening, focusing on relationships, and staying humble and flexible indeed are important tenets of building a charitable giving plan.
The Effective Altruism (EA) movement
If you are interested in exploring the philosophical dynamics and roots of altruism, we recommend checking out a Time interview and a feature in Vox. And of course, Peter Singer’s 2013 TED talk is an altruism classic.
We look forward to hearing your thoughts on these and other stories as the topic of philanthropy pops up in your news feed.
The Branch County Community Foundation is here to answer your questions and provide the tools you need to activate your charitable intentions in a concrete, meaningful, and tax-savvy way.