NewsTrust - Philanthropy - Most Recent Stories: Opinion (Independent)

Philanthropy Must Challenge the Idea That Gun Violence Can’t Be Stopped

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0800

The Chronicle of Philanthropy - By Ellen S. Alberding - Jan. 14 (Opinion) - We see this latest tragedy and ask, How could this happen? How could it not happen, when we systematically make it easier for angry and troubled people to get ever-more-powerful guns, and harder for the police and public-health people to stop the mayhem? Those words appeared in The Chronicle of Philanthropy 2007, in the days after the Virginia Tech massacre.

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Iceberg Economies and Shadow Selves

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0800

guernicamag.com - By Rebecca Solnit - Dec. 23 (Opinion) - Capitalism is only kept going by this army of anti-capitalists, who constantly exert their powers to clean up after it, and at least partially compensate for its destructiveness. Behind the system we all know, in other words, is a shadow system of kindness, the other invisible hand. Much of its work now lies in simply undoing the depredations of the official system. Its achievements are often hard to see or grasp. How can you add up the foreclosures and evictions that don’t happen, the forests that aren’t leveled, the species that don’t go extinct, the discriminations that don’t occur?

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When Generosity Hurts: Bill Gates, Public School Teachers and the Politics of Humiliation

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0700

TruthOut - By Henry Giroux - Oct. 05 (Opinion) - His words reflect something of the all too evident brutish transformation of the revolutionary zeal that marked an earlier era's investment in substantive democratization to that which piously and patriotically calls itself revolutionary some 50 years later, and seeks nothing less than the total destruction of the democratic potential of American education.

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The Earthquake That Triggered A Global Empathic Response

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Huffington Post - By Jeremy Rifkin - Jan. 15 (Opinion) - Frantic tweets and videos have been seeping out of Haiti, pleading for help from the rest of the human race in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake that leveled one of the poorest countries on the planet, spreading destruction and death. The

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Outside Activism, Reconsidered

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

American Prospect - Apr. 11 (Interview) - The American Prospect asked six individuals working on post-Katrina recovery to discuss how their organizations are balancing rebuilding, commitment to community, and local autonomy with the desire of outside volunteers to participate in the recovery.

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Tolerance and the Internet

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0800

ICT4Peace - By Sanjana Hattotuwa - Dec. 29 (Opinion) - That the evolution of social networking, mobiles and the web in general leads to more self-referential, insular and viciously exclusive virtual communities is not an assertion that can be dismissed easily. Based on it, Fabrice and Howard are correct in eshewing the notion that the ubiquity of the Internet / web by 2020 will in and of itself lead to stronger social and political cohesion, reconciliation and democracy especially in deeply divided and / or repressive regions such as Sri Lanka. I’ve covered this in a helluva lot of posts on this blog, such as the growth of hate speech and the decline of civility on blogs, the Burmese junta’s censorship in the wake of a large humanitarian tragedy, China’s great firewall and the growing threats to independent online media in Sri Lanka. That said, to use an example from American politics, who would have thought even as recently as two years ago that Barack Obama would become the President of the United States? In the early 90’s, would the end of apartheid by the turn of the centure have been imagined? Around the world, there are hundreds of thousands of on-going processes and initiatives to use ICTs to support and strengthen peace, even within cycles of violence. Mainstream / traditional media is forever changed with the advent of mobile phones.

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'A Craigslist for Service'

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Huffington Post - By Craig Newmark - Dec. 15 (Opinion) - Deep in the Barack Obama platform, there's a reference to "a craigslist for service." It's humbling to see our name in there, but I'd prefer to see that as only a metaphorical reference to the need for greater service to others, with the spirit and culture of trust of craigslist. Obama is inspiring millions of people to consider service to others, and to innovate for service. Check out what Barack says at change.gov "When you choose to serve -- whether it's your nation, your community or simply your neighborhood -- you are connected to that fundamental American ideal that we want life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness not just for ourselves, but for all Americans. That's why it's called the American dream." Also check out Inside the Transition: Service at change.gov. While "a craigslist for service" is just a metaphor, as customer service rep and founder of craigslist, well, seems right to stand up and say something about this. Here's what I think "a craigslist for service" could be in the short term, from my personal perspective. I'll talk more later about this in the context of national service. (This is very much a work in progress, lots going on here.) A lot of Americans go into service professions, but most have other means of employment, and need to find ways to help that complement their lives. To be really fair, this requires time and/or money that might be lacking; for example, a single parent putting kids through college is already more than busy. Here, I'm focusing on people who might have a little extra.

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Giving in China

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Balkinization - By Lauren Hilgers - Aug. 11 (Opinion) - ... volunteering, charitable giving and civil participation in general, is on the rise in China. It sounds wholesome, but when it comes to private charities, most are operating in a legal gray area. A charity law in the works has been dragging, as China's government struggles with the role civil society organizations should play in public life. In the meantime, gaps in legislation addressing charities and NGOs leave organizations unsure what their rights and limitations are.

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Notes from The Seven Things Everyone Wants: What Freud and Buddha Understood (and We're Forgetting) about Online Outreach

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Have Fun Do Good - By Britt Bravo - Mar. 22 (Opinion) - Think about the last time you did something for a cause. Maybe you gave them money. Maybe you did a walk. Maybe you signed a petition. -- Why did you do it? -- That's the question the Nonprofit Technology Conference session, "The Seven Things Everyone Wants: What Freud and Buddha Understood (and We're Forgetting) about Online Outreach," tried to answer. I thought I'd share some of my notes with you from the session.

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Where Can I Find Nonprofit Blogs?

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Have Fun Do Good - By Britt Bravo - Mar. 07 (Opinion) - As a nonprofit consultant, I am often asked, "Where can I find nonprofit-related blogs ?" I usually direct people to places like Emily Weinberg's Nonprofit Blog Exchange, or BlogHer's Social Change and Nonprofit blog list. Now I have a new resource to send folks to, nonprofit.alltop.com.

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Field Guide to the Do-Gooder: Earth Angels

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Psychology Today - By Carlin Flora - Feb. 27 (Review) - Humans have a rare tendency among the world's creatures to give to those to whom they are not genetically related. And some people are particularly prone to benevolence--though as saintly as these extreme altruists seem, they insist they are not special. Even when the sacrifice is so great that they risk their very lives, they believe the rewards of giving far outweigh its consequences.

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Cross-reference: GoodWiki-GreaterGood

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Greater Good - Feb. 03 (Review) - This page is an annotated cross reference between the Topic Pages of GoodWiki and articles and sources in Greater Good Magazine and the Greater Good Blog.

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Jimmy Carter On Giving

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Huffington Post - Jan. 13 (Interview) - "In every case when I thought I was doing somebody else a favor by building a house or something like that, I found that I got a lot more out of it than I put into it." Q: President Carter, what initially inspired you to become involved in humanitarian issues? A: When I became a state senator, then later governor and ultimately president, I realized that all public officials have a great responsibility and duty to analyze the needs of the people that they have been elected to serve.

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A Simple Gift: Redefine The Holidays

Sun, 23 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0800

Huffington Post - Dec. 23 (Opinion) - Call me Mrs. Grinch (it's okay - my kids already have) but my family isn't exchanging gifts this season. Alright, that's not entirely true, but instead of material gifts, we are taking a trip. This means no wrapping, shipping or returning unwanted presents and no staying up 'til the early hours of Christmas morn' wrapping more gifts for the sake of consumption. Instead, we'll be beachside, far from home, soaking up some sun. Sadly, though, no one but me is happy about this. The husband reports that he enjoys waking up at home on the big day to see all of the beautifully wrapped presents under the tree. The children claim, "It's not fair." They inform me that they're angry that they didn't have any say in the decision to pack up and get out of town for the holidays. They want "things," like a dog... or a dog... or a dog. Or a laptop. And since we aren't in the market just now for a dog or a laptop, I can't bare to shop for "things" that will only add to the surplus of "things" we already have and don't "need." So rather than waste the time, energy, money and pretty paper it would take to bring more unnecessary stuff into our home, I've chosen not to further increase our carbon footprint this winter season. Santa's little helper is going on holiday this year.

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Micro Lending Is Sweet

Sun, 11 Nov 2007 08:06:58 -0800

Huffington Post - By Jaime Acosta - Nov. 11 (Opinion) - How did I come across such an awe-inspiring organization like Kiva.org? I came home one evening after a day of work and evening classes and threw myself on the living room sofa. Going to school while working part-time can be arduous at times, so television becomes a well-earned privilege. That night PBS was broadcasting an intriguing documentary which dramatized a lender from Kiva and an African woman receiving a loan of about $400 to purchase a machine that would aid her business in the production of peanut butter.

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