“Are you a philanthropist?”
Most people laugh when I ask that question. “Me? Are you kidding?” they ask.
“I’m absolutely serious,” I respond.
They then usually give me two reasons why they don’t consider themselves to be philanthropists – they aren’t rich and they aren’t old. “Wrong on both counts!” I roar back. This usually shakes them up a bit and catches their attention.
“Are you passionate about anything?” I continue.
“Not really,” is the usual response.
“Really?” I probe. There’s a silence. Now I’ve got ‘em!
“Well, to tell you the truth,” they chuckle, “I’m really fanatical about _____” and you can almost fill in the blank with anything – music, flowers, senior citizens, kids, babies, education, the kitchen, missions …. The list goes on and on.
You see, the primary characteristic of a philanthropist is that he or she is passionate about something. Just the mention of the subject captures their attention. Their brain sets aside its present thoughts to focus on its first love. Due to their busy schedule, they may not be able to involve themselves in it on a daily, weekly or even a monthly basis. But like a favorite old song, it keeps playing itself in their head – consciously and subconsciously. And it keeps coming back.
“OK, so what do I do with this passion?” they ask?
“Have you got $10?” I ask.
“Sure.”
“Then take that $10 and give it to your church Finance or Endowment Chair and ask him/her to establish ‘The Crazy Dream Endowment Fund’ I tell them. You can change the name later, but that $10 is the most important money you’ll ever give to your passion because it puts you on the path to something truly fabulous. Then commit yourself to add to it – weekly or monthly or quarterly or annually. You’ll watch it grow to a point where it can be invested. Then it will really start to take off.
You’ll find yourself committing to document what the money is to be used for, how it should be invested, how, when and to whom or to what it will be distributed and all the related questions that will circle around in your brain. You’ll get back with your Endowment or Finance Chair who will read your ideas or plan and, most likely, ask questions that you’ve forgotten to cover. Together, you’ll flesh out your dream and make sure there’s a clear understanding about all aspects of the fund.
Then you’ll begin to think to yourself “I guess I am a philanthropist!”