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May 2010 "Death is more universal than life; everyone dies but not everyone lives." - Alan Sachs
BUSINESS WEEK - Dan L. Duncan, the Texas pipeline billionaire who gave hundreds of millions of dollars to hospitals, museums and wildlife associations, died March 28 at his home in Houston. He was 77. Houston-based Enterprise said the cause of Duncan’s death was unknown and unexpected. From 2004 to 2008 Duncan donated $259 million to cancer research and at the time of his death his estimated fortune was $9 billion dollars. read more...
NEW YORK TIMES - Americans gave away 2.2 percent of their personal disposable income to nonprofit groups of various sorts in 2008, according to Giving USA, an annual report on philanthropy. Of the $229 billion that individuals donated that year, about half went to religious institutions. Given our support for houses of worship, it seems reasonable to ask how much the various holy books would have us give. Perhaps the best-known prescription for giving is the Mormon practice of tithing, where members give 10 percent of their income to the church each year. read more...
Colorado Rockies President Dies in Hotel CBS - Colorado Rockies president Keli McGregor was found dead in his hotel room in Salt Lake City on Tuesday. Detective Rick Wall said two of McGregor's associates couldn't get in touch with him and that someone entered his room at The Grand America Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City and found the 48-year-old McGregor unconscious Tuesday morning. The death of this 6-foot-7, 250 pound former athlete have left many in shock. McGregor was a major benefactor to his alma mater Colorado State University. He will be remembered as a great father, team president, and community leader. read more...
Q&A With Lemonade Day Creator CONTINENTAL - Michael Holthouse, founder of Prepared 4 Life, wants children to be ready for the real world. More importantly, the successful entrepreneur wants them to learn crucial life lessons themselves. He believes his innovative Lemonade Day concept does just that for thousands of kids across the U.S., especially inner-city children. read more...
KARDIA PLANNING - Wealth is like a blazing fire; it can cook and warm or it can burn and destroy. And which it does to your heirs depends, to a great extent, on how you hand it off to them. This very real danger is commonly recognized by families with wealth which is why so much of heirs’ inheritances are locked up in trusts doling out the funds in ways and at times that hopefully will do more good than harm – but who really knows. As one inheritor told me, “Trusts are really vehicles of distrust.” A rather profound observation, I think. read more...
Philanthropists Take a Longer View WALL STREET JOURNAL - The earthquake that devastated Haiti in January triggered an outpouring of charitable contributions from people moved by the need for emergency medical care, food, clothing and shelter. But the quake also threw a spotlight on the longer-term needs of the Haitian people, and it moved some philanthropists to address those needs as well. Where do you invest to get the most long term impact? read more...
Big Profits From Tiny Loans NEW YORK TIMES - In recent years, the idea of giving small loans to poor people became the darling of the development world, hailed as the long elusive formula to propel even the most destitute into better lives. But the phenomenon has grown so popular that some of its biggest proponents are now wringing their hands over the direction it has taken. Drawn by the prospect of hefty profits from even the smallest of loans, a raft of banks and financial institutions now dominate the field, with some charging interest rates of 100 percent or more. read more...
Study: Over Half of Grant Makers Recieved Raises in 2009 CHRONICLE OF PHILANTHROPY - Far fewer grant makers gave their employees raises in 2009 than in the previous year, according to a new Council on Foundations survey. The survey included community, corporate, family, and private foundations. Over all, top foundation leaders in all categories made a median salary of $140,250 in 2009. However, program officers at community foundations received raises 4 and 1/2 times the size of raises for private foundation program officers.read more...
Bono Travels to Africa to Evaluate Progress NEW YORK TIMES - I spent March with a delegation of activists, entrepreneurs and policy wonks roaming western, southern and eastern Africa trying very hard to listen — always hard for a big-mouthed Irishman. With duct tape over my gob, I was able to pick up some interesting melody lines everywhere from palace to pavement... Wealthy entrepreneurs have created an index to evaluate African governments. Indigenous groups fight poverty. Ghana hopes to give aid in the near future instead of receive it. read more...
The Second Half: Mike Fox HALFTIME -Mike’s first half is really quite hard to listen to. Even as a little boy, he had one gut-punch after another. Doesn’t seem fair to me, as someone who has never experienced the hardships he has. But in some very real way, that hardship has prepared him for his calling to serve orphans.read more...
What if you only had one month to live? How would you make each day meaningful? How would you relate to others differently? What would you do to make the rest of your life really matter? With eye-opening insights and soul-inspiring truths, One Month to Live will challenge you to embrace the life God has entrusted to you and you alone, and to live it out moment by moment with wholehearted authenticity, honesty, and integrity. Each chapter overflows with inspiring quotations, colorful true stories, and questions for reflection. The four sections, which can be read over four weeks, help you examine the core areas inside you that long to be exercised and expressed: how you’re made to live passionately, love boldly, learn from your mistakes, and leave a legacy that endures for generations after you’re gone. Complete with uplifting action points, each of the thirty chapters–one per day in a life-changing month–offers you fresh strategies for overcoming habits that mire you in mediocrity. buy at Amazon.com...
Billionaires: Who Are The New Philanthropist
In this video by The Century Foundation Michael Edwards talks about the profile of the "New Philanthropist" in generations to come. He states that a "New Philanthropist" believes they really can make a difference in the world. Although the government must take the lead role on issues like inequality and injustice, a "New Philanthropist" can create significant impact on other issues using new methods from the business world.
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Houston Philanthropist Dies Unexpectedly
719.329.1515 - info@excellenceingiving.com - www.excellenceingiving.com
