If you’ve ever touched someone’s life in a way you never thought imaginable, held someone’s hand through a tough time, or given your time to something that you believe in, then you are a philanthropist. It took me years to come to this realization. There are many common misconceptions about philanthropy. Among them is the notion that philanthropists are only comprised of an older generation of upper class men. Naturally, that makes many of us feel as though we can never become philanthropists. Of course that could not be more inaccurate.
However, there is one thing that all philanthropists share. You need to care about where your time and money are going. You need to educate yourself. And in my current position as a sophomore at Binghamton University, what better way is there to do that than to take an experiential philanthropy course?
As soon as I saw the course appear, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. My mind immediately went off to the races as to what I hoped to gain from the course, to how it was going to help make me a philanthropist in my life. But I was also intrigued as an economics major, as I had never considered the impact philanthropy has on the larger economic community.
My personal opinion, and a point I have discussed in my class, is that I have never believed that donating money here and there to organizations makes you a philanthropist. I believe that in order to give yourself that title, you have to see the impact you are having with your own eyes, see the smile of the person you helped build a home for, see the community garden you helped plant, come to life. Philanthropy is not just about the money. There is so much more. Especially as a student, it's not always easy to have extra money to donate. But we do have time. Or at least, we can make time.
I am extraordinarily thankful to be able to attend a university, and I recognize that many others do not have this chance, so I wanted to fill my schedule with classes that mattered, and this was one of them. Although I am just starting out with this class, I can already feel that it is teaching me something that is more valuable than any of my other classes can teach me. It’s teaching me how I can be a better human.
That is intimidating. The class is not designed to test your knowledge on a mathematical formula, or medieval kingdoms, but instead it is meant to make you think about your position in society. How can you help the world at the level of your community? It is a course created to help you understand the needs of your community, and how you can help to satisfy them. And that is exactly why I wanted to take the class. It gives you the power to make a difference. Of course it will be difficult to decide who we will give our contribution to, but being given the opportunity to make new connections with like-minded students and staff, eases the weight. That is why I love this course already. I am surrounded by people who actively want to help the world.
If that’s not inspiring, I don’t know what is.
This is a really interesting interpretation of philanthropy; that it's not just about donating money, it's about donating anything to those in need: time, effort, skill, etc. Whatever makes the world a better place. It's a really nice concept to include anyone who does a selfless action for another, and it can inspire people to try and make a difference in the world regardless of how much money they have to spare.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's definitely weird to take a class for once that addresses real-world things like humanity and kindness. Most classes teach subjects that help you with your major or give you further knowledge in a topic that you're interested in and/or could help you in a future job. But I think learning about philanthropy, and in this case how to donate money to effective causes to make a difference in the world, is just as important; just like a major and eventually a job, philanthropy can make genuine differences in the lives of others if it's done well. Because of this, both are important to be educated in to get better at.
Hannah Neusner
I really like the way you broke the concept of philanthropy out of its preconceived shell. I myself are amongst the many people who used to think of philanthropy the way you describe it: a bunch of rich, old men throwing their money at whatever charity cries the loudest. However, I completely agree with your viewpoint on philanthropy, it's not just about the money, it's about the effort you put into helping someone, and the positive impact that comes from doing so, whether it be through a monetary donation or simply volunteering your time.
ReplyDeleteI also took this class with the same mindset: it stood out from other classes and I too wanted to find out what philanthropy is all about. It truly does make us think about who we are as people in society. It takes us outside the standard fare of tests and quizzes and instead tests our core values and how we can use them to benefit the real world. You've given me a new outlook on what I consider to be philanthropic, and for that I am grateful.
Very inspiring post! I love the honesty and the compassion within your writing. Through this short piece, I can already tell how important making a difference is to you. I appreciate how you also recognize that making a difference is not exclusive to money. I don't know how this viewpoint came to be, but it is encouraging to see people want to break out of that stereotype. As a biology major, I relate with you on wanting to take classes that can make a more evident impact. I took Dr. Campbell's class last semester, and it was the first class where I truly felt like I gained something valuable. Most of my other classes are lecture style classes with over 200 students where I am just sitting, listening, and taking notes. This type of setting is difficult to feel like I am making good use of my time. This class now has allowed me to put to use what I learned last semester and continue with my desire to make a difference in where I am currently at in life. Thank you for such a wonderful post!
ReplyDeleteSkylar Lai