You are such an amazing man, David. Thank you for inspiring all of us to love our neighbor as Christ himself challenged us.
Of course, but you must realize that their $150K is NOT a donation, so it's likely not money that you'd receive anyway. It's simply asking a donor to invest in the same way that they would normally, but while benefiting your organization.
Thanks so much for your kind words, Corey. I am looking forward to the opportunity to join CNM, and hopefully to continuing my advocacy for CDM.
I am a philanthronerd and subscribe to far too many blogs and emails... :)
The power of giving has long been held as a value in many cultures.... but we are now entering a period where the power of RAISING gifts is finally being elevated above the level of used car salesman (where it has lingered for far too long).
Yes, it's sad but true, they're all based on real people... I think that I likely inspired quite a few of them. Poor Keith has tolerated more than one email rant from me!
Indeed, it's one of the best examples of effective corporate philanthropy that I've seen. It has an amazing impact on the community while also supporting the company's business goals: very effective.
This from Peter Deitz:
"I'm so passionate about philanthropy I don't even have time to write up why!"
This comes from someone who might prefer anonymity:
"I wish I could summon a little philanthro-passion but right now things are feeling a bit stale, flat and unprofitable. As soon as I figure out how to re-rev my engines, I'll look for opportunities to contribute to the conversation on your blog, which I always enjoy."
Katya Andresen, VP Marketing for Network for Good, wrote:"Part of the answer for me is, I spent a number of years working as a journalist in very poor countries. And the poverty and pain I saw on a daily basis was hard to simply witness, over and over. So I stopped reporting and started working to remedy what I was seeing. So part of my motivation is based on need. But the bigger part of it is based on change. I saw enough good when I was reporting that I also grew to believe there was hope in most situations. And that, ultimately, is the most motivating thing of all. I started my book this way: We all have moments in life when we happen upon our calling, and mine was when I encountered a giant, smiling condom in Cambodia. I go on to tell the story of being inspired by the ground-breaking work of the nonprofit PSI to make AIDS prevention fun (including via a giant condom balloon). I think ultimately, what makes for the most powerful motivation is not how bad something is now but rather how much better it could be."