Two weeks ago I asked readers to vote for the Jones family members’ Giving Challenge gift that they felt would make the biggest difference. Birthday Wishes, an all-volunteer group that hosts birthday parties for homeless children, received the most votes. Blog reader Jo Eaton expressed it well: “Every child needs all the love they can get. What more can be done than to recognize a child on their special day -- the day they joined the rest of us.”
As the winning nonprofit, Birthday Wishes will receive a matching donation from yours truly in honor of my daughter Becka who loves this group that is headquartered in her adopted home community of Newton, Mass.
So, will Becka’s gift make a bigger difference than gifts to the nonprofits identified by other family members? The Heifer Project, recipient of son Mark and his fiancée Bel’s gifts, has a pay-it-forward approach to alleviating poverty, and even small gifts are sufficient to purchase farm animals that support those in need. My husband Dana’s favorite nonprofit, the Penobscot River Restoration Project, also has a compelling story: when complete, Maine’s premier river will be free-flowing and full of happy fish. The bonus is that all gifts to the project are currently being matched by the Maine chapter of The Nature Conservancy.
Not long ago I asked a group of funders to share their wisdom on the topic of “making a difference” in philanthropy. One said, “Oftentimes the things you can measure are not important and the things that are important are hard to measure.” Another reminded me that “being able to quantify the difference a grant has made is not linear; in fact, there’s rarely a direct cause and effect relationship.” But what I remember most, as it relates to the Family Giving Challenge, is a third comment, “Most grant decisions are guided by both the head and heart.”
I think Birthday Wishes falls into the heart (with a little bit of head) category. Can you imagine not wanting the best for every single child on earth -- to be loved, happy, and able to benefit from all that a good life has to offer? Homeless children have a number of strikes against them, and acknowledging their special day with cheer, celebration, and gifts just might have a lifelong positive effect.
Heartfelt gifts have an important place in philanthropy. In fact, grand-daughter Meredith’s money -- returned to me when I announced the Giving Challenge -- ended up with a young man in Belfast, recently paralyzed, who needed funds to modify his house to accommodate his wheelchair. It felt good to part with that $50.
May your own philanthropy continue to give you joy, allow you to feel good about yourself -- and, just maybe, also make a difference.