This article by a cancer surviver attending Tufts University points out some serious concerns with the annual philanthropic event benefiting the American Cancer Society, including funding allocations and the language used to talk about cancer.
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President Joyce Banda on Women’s Health and Empowerment in Malawi
Produced by Julia through the CSIS Global Health Policy Center… kudos my friend!
This Asian elephant foetus after 12 months in the womb is catching some shut eye before she takes her first heavy steps in the world in just under a year’s time. The gestation period for an elephant is 22 months. This and other animals in the womb were captured on camera by scientists for a National Geographic documentary. I think it’s really neat to see how similarly all mammals start, and an elephant that is ‘floating’ is simply mesmerizing. Check out more photos and details here.
Narratively, a new digital publication devoted to original, true & in-depth stories about New York, is going to be big. They have an experienced team with fresh angles to journalism and a clear vision. I have often lamented how the news glosses over the most incredible human interest stories because there’s something flashier to be told; Narratively will return the focus to the minutiae that together make New York the best city in the world. There are certainly fun storytelling nights and blogs and exhibits and other fun outlets that celebrate the city and the people in it, but nothing to date that has used “new media” to tell stories and achieve scale.
To get this project rolling, they’ve gone the Kickstarter route. The benefits for donating are really neat, and I have no doubt that the content they will put out as a result will be fantastic. Help support this project today, and capture the stories of New Yorkers forever. (Is that too cheesy? I suppose that’s why I’m not a ‘real’ journalist.)
This.
AH!
To be clear, I don’t freak out every time I meet someone famous. But, his smile while carrying a coffee on the otherwise gloomy street was the best possible way to start this Tuesday, and his love for Tufts (and tweeting back at all!) is icing on the cake.
You Can Do It, Bunny! is a fun and encouraging tale about staying positive while job-hunting, starring cute and endearing animals.
Bunny is a recent graduate from Animal School. She’s smart, capable, and determined. However, she is not totally sure what the right job for her is. On top of that, the economy is very bad in Animal World, making each job she applies for very competitive.
With persistence, determination, and the support of her awesome friends and family, Bunny will find a creative solution to her problem of finding the right job despite the poor economy … though it might take a little bit more time and trial and error than she was expecting.
Ecards like this from Tufts University actually make my day and are great for donor relations. Plus, ecards require virtually no money, so gifted money can actually go towards university programs instead of towards superfluous thank you gifts. And who doesn’t love a Jumbo?
The choice should include not just your personal reasons and goals for giving to a particular cause. Your giving should be grounded in some understanding of where the greatest needs are, and which organizations are doing the best job. Most charitable gifts go to organizations that are already wealthy. Much less goes to organizations struggling to address issues like poverty. I’d encourage donors to give not only to the big, well-known charities but also to the smaller community-based organizations that are closest to the people most in need, and also to advocacy organizations that address the root causes of why so many people are in need in the first place.
Going to an organization’s website can provide important information, but may not give the kind of data that donors need most. I give money almost exclusively to organizations with which I have established some connection. This can be as simple as attending events to learn firsthand what their work is about, getting to know the staff doing the work or volunteering. Research shows that when we volunteer for an organization we’re more likely to also give money to that organization—and to do so in a more informed way.
Susan Ostrander, on how to give.
Professor Ostrander taught my Nonprofits, States, and Markets seminar at Tufts University, and more helpful guidelines to giving can be found in her interview about making donations matter. Great food for thought this holiday season!
I like both the quote (over-quoted as it is….though is it realllllly hers? and is it really that simple?) and the edits for quite different reasons. Mead’s empowering, idealized sense of communities working together is juxtaposed with Josh Miller’s pointedly cynical (but fair!) snark, which together, are both hilarious and sincerely wonderful. To me, it shows that there isn’t really a single paradigm for change, but that there is change everywhere, and awareness of that change is the first step to figuring out what to do with it. It also illustrates how two people, both with strong socially-aware values, can view our communal environment completely different, and perhaps also therefore illustrates how do-gooders are often too headstrong in their own track of thinking to meet in the middle, which is paradoxical given the importance of communication in any game-changing plan.
I wrote this for the Back to the Hill blog for Tufts University. But, the thoughts can apply across the private university spectrum.
Incoming call. 617-627-5000. Wait! Don’t groan yet!
Yes, it might be a robotic sophomore calling to ask for money for Tufts, but give her a chance! Yes, you’re still paying back student loans and trying to be an independent, social, functioning adult and don’t have a huge vault of “spare” money. Yes, you basically just graduated and paid $200,000, which should be quite enough for now. Yes, you’re doing something that you “didn’t even learn at Tufts”. Pick up the phone.
Financial giving to a university is not just about the money. For younger alumni, in fact, that’s not the driving action at all for “the ask”. When you give, or even engage in that conversation, a few things happen:
- The alumni engagement numbers increase, which improves the university’s profile, which can lead to future funding opportunities.
- You learn about cool stuff that Tufts is doing and can figure out where specifically you want your money to go.
- You build the knowledge base of the Tufts Alumni office so that they can keep in touch with you and connect you with great opportunities and resources.
And a few other things could happen:
- You decide to give back by volunteering for programs like TAAP (Tufts Alumni Admissions Program) and Summer Mentoring.
- You have a great conversation with a current student, young alumni gift officer, or Tufts Alumni Office staffer (and probably make their day, too).
- You remember something great that you took away from Tufts.
- You help increase the university’s ability to give financial aid, support for students and professors doing cutting-edge research, and capacity for amazing programs.
- You inspire others to give back a little too.
Basically, the same way you can scrounge up a little support cool organizations that you care about or marathons your friends are running, you can support the university that is forever on your resume and helped build your skill set into what it is today. But how much? Honestly, you’ll know what feels right. If you’re living on the far-too-low Americorps stipend, $5 is amazing. If you’re a grad school student, two venti coffees ($10? oof!) should do it. For those with modest salaries and high rent who are first-time donors, $20 would be amazing. And, if you’re someone who’s making money and goes out fairly regularly, think about how much you drop on a weekend night, donate that ($50? $100?) and have a board game night with pizza instead. No matter what the amount, you’ll feel great, and good things will come from it. I promise.
To top it off: Back to the Hill is a fantastic celebration of friendships that you made and experiences that you had at Tufts. If you didn’t receive financial aid yourself, I guarantee that many of the people who defined your Tufts experience did. Had they not been able to afford Tufts, would you have had the same experience? Your contribution helps to continue lifelong friendships and traditions of exciting learning.
Agree? Disagree? Still have questions? I’m eager to hear.
*couldn’t resist!
What are you thoughts on the abilities and responsibility of 20-somethings to give?
I’m planning an event for early April for Young Friends of Tufts Advancement and am taking donations of sweet raffle prizes. I’m also curious what you think an enticing raffle prize would be. Your thoughts? Your items? Your connections?
Posts to keep you entertained, thinking, sharing, and discussing. I blog across subject areas because there's a lot of interesting stuff out there; why limit our conversation?
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