Learning to Give, Philanthropy education resources that teach giving and civic engagement
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Purpose:
Duration:
One Fifty-Five Minute Class Period
Objectives:
The learner will:
- describe the philanthropic endeavors of the new-style philanthropists.
- defend their personal choice of philanthropic behavior.
- list three ways new philanthropists hold people accountable for their philanthropic efforts.
- distinguish three personal qualities that most new philanthropists possess.
Materials:
- Notecards
- The Top Twelve Philanthropists of 2000 (Attachment One)
- Non-Profit Organizations and Foundations (Attachment Two)
Instructional Procedure(s):
Anticipatory Set:
Write the term "new philanthropist" on the board. Have the learners write down examples of philanthropists with whom they are familiar, and explain what they give.
- Review at least three personal qualities that students think most philanthropists possess, and at least three ways that they hold people accountable for their donations. (Some examples that learners may be aware of are Bill and Melinda Gates, who have their own foundation that finances health programs for kids and vaccination programs; Rosie O'Donnell, who donates to the For All Kids Foundation; Michael J. Fox, who donates to the Parkinson' Action Network; Elizabeth Taylor, who has her own AIDS Foundation; Christie Brinkley, who donates to GreenPeace; Magic Johnson, who heads his own foundation dedicated to AIDS research; and Grant Hill, who established the Calvin Hill Scholarship Endowment Fund to honor his father. Students may also list mom and dad, other friends and family, as modern day philanthropists and they may list everything from used clothes to 20 hours of volunteer time per week. Qualities that they may list for most philanthropists may be warm, caring, loving, selfless, giving, sharing, etc. Ways that they may hold people accountable for donations may be counting the number of scholarships that are actually given out when they donate money to a college, and assessing how many children receive vaccinations when they donate to an international vaccination program. They may assess the number of meals that are served to people when they donate to a shelter for the homeless and hungry. They can determine what percentage of their dollars is spent on education and how many students are benefited when they donate to a teen pregnancy prevention program.) This discussion should last about 10-15 minutes.
- Distribute The Top Twelve Philanthropists of 2000 (see Attachment One) and ask students to read the information. Hand each learner a note card with either the name of one of the twelve philanthropists on it, or the foundations or organizations to which they donate. Then have the learners match their name or organization with the correct match.
- After the learners have read the material, assign the following simulation to them. (They can do this individually or pairs may try to come to a consensus.) Explain to the learners that they are now instant millionaires. Their worth is 100 million dollars each. Pose the questions:
- If you were worth 100 million dollars and you had to give at least one million dollars to a philanthropic organization or foundation, what/who would get it and why?
- How would you hold the organization accountable for your donation?
- To complete this task, Use Non-Profit Organizations and Foundations (see Attachment Two) as a student resource. In the paper, students should name at least three unique qualities of their selected organization. They should write at least a one-page answer to this question. NOTE: The learners can be told that they can decide to give more money if they wish, and they can give to as many organizations as they choose. Also, have them note if they were given a choice as to whether to give a donation or not, would they have chosen not to do so? Lastly, have them note if they would have donated anything else for the common good other than money.
- Leave at least 10-15 minutes at the end of the hour to discuss the learners' philanthropy.
Assessment:
The student essays will assess student learning.
Cross-Curriculum Extensions:
The learners will volunteer at the foundation or other non-profit agency of their choice for a minimum of ten hours, or the learner may job shadow for a school day someone who works for a foundation or non-profit organization of their choice.
Bibliographical References:
- Greenfield, Karl Taro. "A New Way of Giving." Time Magazine, July 24, 2000: 49-51. ·
Lesson Developed By:
Libby BrownJackson Public Schools
Jackson High School
Jackson, MI 49201
Handouts:
Handout 1Print Handout 1
The Top Twelve Philanthropists of 2000
1. Bill and Melinda Gates: They have their own foundation, which sponsors children's health programs and vaccinations world-wide.
2. George Soros: He has his own foundation which sponsors public health and children's programs, cultural and art programs, and encourages the development of small businesses.
3. Ted Turner: He has his own foundation and donates to the U.N. Foundation which supports environmental and children's health programs.
4. James E. Jr. and Virginia G. Stowers: They have their own foundation which deals primarily with biomedical research.
5. Paul Allen: He has his own foundation, and donates to Experience Music Project which is a nonprofit music museum.
6. Jon Huntsman: He donates to the Wharton School of Finance, University of Utah, Brigham Young University and the Huntsman Cancer Institute.
7. Patrick J. McGovern and Lore Harp-McGovern: They donate to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the McGovern Institute for Brain Research.
8. Martha R. Ingram: She donates to various programs within Vanderbilt University such as athletics, schools of business and music, scholarship programs and cancer research.
9. Alfred Mann: He has his own foundation and also donates to the University of Southern California and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering.
10. Kirk Kerkorian: He donates to the Lincy Foundation, which supports humanitarian causes and supports Armenian causes.
11. Dave and Cheryl Duffield: They donate to Maddie's Fund, which supports stray animals and finds homes for them.
12. James E. Rogers: He donates to various colleges, such as the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, Idaho State University, University of Arizona, and Washington University Law School.
Some of the ways that the new philanthropists hold people accountable are:
- counting the number of children taught to read if they are sponsoring a literacy council,
- counting the number vaccinated against malaria if they are sponsoring international immunization programs,
- looking at the number of homes that are actually found for stray animals if they are sponsoring a stray animals group,
- finding out how many scholarships are provided for students when donating to a university.
Information taken from: Greenfield, Karl Taro. "A New Way of Giving." Time Magazine, July 24, 2000, 49-51.
Handout 2Print Handout 2
Non-Profit Organizations and Foundations
The following is a possible list to guide the learners when completing their simulation question. They were taken from the Web-site http://www.guidestar.org and chosen from many different categories. Learners can choose other non-profits or foundations if they are interested in their cause, and their mission statement can be found on the same site. This is a good sampling for the purposes of this simulation, as students will be exploring other foundations and non-profits in more detail later in the unit.
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Make-A-Wish Foundation: To grant the wishes of children aged 2 ½ to 17 with life-threatening illnesses.
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Children Affected By AIDS Foundation: To provide funding and support to non-profit organizations nationwide that provide direct care, assistance and services for children who are affected by HIV/AIDS.
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Greenpeace International, Inc.: To expose global environmental problems and to face solutions through nonviolent, creative confrontation.
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Amnesty International USA, Inc.: Works to free all prisoners of conscience detained anywhere for their beliefs or because of their ethnic origin, sex, color, or language who have not used or advocated violence; ensure fair and prompt trials for political prisoners; abolish the death penalty, torture and other cruel treatment of prisoners; end extra-judicial executions and disappearances.
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Feed the Children, Inc.: Providing physical, spiritual, educational, vocational/technical, psychological, economic and medical assistance and other necessary aid to children, families, and persons in need in the U.S. and internationally.
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Broadway Theatre Guild: Advance knowledge and awareness of dramatic and musical arts through sponsorship of professional and theatrical performances.
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Association for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: Exists to promote humane principles, prevent cruelty and alleviate pain, fear, and suffering in animals by working to provide leadership in education, public awareness, government affairs, shelter, support, animal medical services, animal placement, counseling, investigations by law enforcement, and legal support.
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Little League Baseball, Inc.: To bring adult baseball down to child size.
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Children of Domestic Violence, Inc.: Provide shelter, food and clothing to children who are victims of domestic violence.
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Communities United Against Drugs and Crime Foundation, Inc.: To provide support for, and where appropriate, establish programs related to promotion of drug-free and crime-free schools and communities
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International Child Art Foundation: Strives to make all children more creative, imaginative and artistic, while encouraging and supporting child artists through a variety of programs.
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Compass Sexual Assault Education Prevention and Support: To meet the needs of an under-served population: victims of rape and sexual assault.
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American Heart Association: Reduce disability and death from cardiovascular disease and stroke.
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Southern Poverty Law Center: Combats hate, intolerance and discrimination through education and litigation.
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Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc.: Provides youth sports opportunities.
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American Cancer Society: To accomplish its mission of conquering cancer, the American Cancer Society collaborates with health agencies, community organizations, business leaders, legislators and educators, at the national and grassroots levels to identify and address nationwide and local cancer issues through education, patient service, research and advocacy issues.
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Axis Foundation: To introduce audiences and presenters locally, nationally, and internationally to a new form of contemporary dance by bringing to the stage an exciting and impressive body of work. Described as a "visual and physical discovery, creating fascinating works of movement art," Axis offers audiences a unique experience in dance.
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National Junior Basketball: Community youth sports-basketball.
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Music Outreach-Learning Through Music, Inc.: Brings quality and enrichment programs to children in their formative years of growth and development through a series of Children's Enrichment Workshops linked with School-Day Orchestral Concerts. The organization has developed creative approaches to learning and teaching that tap into children's strengths and natural abilities.
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Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation: Raises funds to support organizations in the fight against AIDS. Contributions are made to organizations delivering direct care to AIDS patients, conducting AIDS research, and delivering AIDS education and research to the public.
Unit Contents:
Overview:New Philanthropy--A Hands-On Way of Giving (The) Summary
Lessons:
- 1.
- Philanthropy and Philanthropists' Qualities
- 2.
- For the Common Good—A Time Capsule
- 3.
- New Philanthropists (The)
- 4.
- Foundations—Who Gives What?
- 5.
- Biggest Commons Problem of All—What Is It (The)
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