Why another blog on philanthropy?

I've been contemplating setting up this blog for some time. There are so many out there I wondered, why bother? But the blogs I see related to giving and philanthropy either focus on "major" gifts from the very wealthy (like Billanthropy) or micro gifts from the likes of your average American (see Dollar Philanthropy, The $5 Philanthropist, and to some extent even Everyday Giving). The space between the two is as broad as the space between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans.

I enjoy listening to books on CD in my car. The most recent is Stephen Ambrose's To America. In it he tells the story of visiting American soldiers and describes them as very quick to help anyone in need. They aren't influenced by race, gender, religion or anything else. When off duty they wear baseball caps that say on the front, "Hard Rock Cafe - Bagdad." On the back is the Hard Rock motto: "love all, serve all."

I had been thinking about calling this blog Everyday Philanthropy, but the title is too close to Everyday Giving. When I heard Ambrose's story I thought, "That's what I want to advocate: Hard Rock Philanthropy!"

On his Everyday Giving web site, blogger Roger Carr writes, "An Everyday Philanthropist is someone who gives unselfishly everyday toward the good of their fellow man (and woman). Giving money is not the only way to show love, benevolence and good will." He's right.

But he's too quick to let you off the hook.

If you say you want to make a difference in the world but you're unwilling to budget your income in order to do so, then I don't believe you really want to make a difference. Giving what's left over at the end of the month (if there's anything leftover) is not philanthropy. Giving spare change or even a dollar a week is not philanthropy. It's a cheap attempt to sooth your guilt and make yourself feel better about the extravagant lives we Americans live while extreme poverty exists all around us. (See Andrew Carnegie's The Gospel of Wealth, pages 16-17 in particular.)

This blog is meant to agitate. I hope at least some of the posts really piss you off. If that's what it takes to get people to think about making regular, planned sacrifices in order to put resources behind their stated desires to make a difference, then I don't care if you like me or not.

Buy less stuff. Create a household budget and stick to it. Research organizations that are doing good. Get involved in their efforts. And make intentional, meaningful, financial contributions to enable those organizations to keep on doing what they're doing.

Love all. Serve all. Show me the money.

Copyright © 2007 Richard M. Potter. All Rights Reserved.