Learning to Give, Philanthropy education resources that teach giving and civic engagement

Objectives:

• To identify a cause that the participant cares about and to convince others to contribute to this cause
• To determine how to best use personal financial resources to support other causes
• To explore ways of giving that allow greater impact on financial resources
  

Activity Theme:

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”

~Mahatma Gandhi

The facilitator explains that in this activity the participants will have an opportunity to identify a cause they care about and seek financial support for that cause. The facilitator explains that people have particular interest in different causes and support those causes in a variety of ways.

The facilitator asks, “ How do people identify a cause?” The facilita¬tor asks the group to think of ways that people identify a cause and why they support one cause over another. List responses on a flip chart.

The facilitator explains that by understanding why others have selected a specific cause, young people can learn to decide where and why to focus their philanthropic giving.

Examples of why causes are selected might include the following:

• Specific causes are often picked because of a personal history with the cause. An example might be that a person had a good experience with a youth group as a child and began supporting that organization in adulthood.
• A personal experience is another reason. For example, someone who has experienced a family illness, such as cancer, might become a supporter of an organization that fights that disease.
• Sometimes people support a cause because of their beliefs and values. A person may have a high value on justice or fair play and support organizations or efforts that promote justice. Sometimes a cause is selected because it is congruent with the individual’s mission or purpose in life.

The facilitator then asks the group to think of ways that people will consider supporting the cause they have selected. Again list the responses from the group on flip chart paper. Responses usually will fall within three categories: giving time, talent or treasure. This activity focuses on giving “treasure” or money.

 

Activity:

The facilitator asks every participant to select one cause to strongly support. Participants are asked to write that cause on the top of a piece of paper. The facilitator explains to the participants that each person has $1.00 (no more, no less), which they can give away to other causes in the room. Each person is instructed to write $1.00 on the top of his or her paper and each time some of the $1.00 is given away that amount is subtracted from the dollar.

The facilitator explains that by the end of this activity they must give the $1.00 away. The group will have approximately 15 minutes (more time may need to be given for larger groups) to walk around the room and listen to other people’s causes and decide how they will give the $1.00 away. Each person will also be simultaneously trying to convince the donors in the room to give to their cause. Each time a donation is given from a funder in the room, the participant writes down that amount and keeps track of how much money is raised to support the cause. The facilitator asks for questions and instructs the group to begin. Warning is given when there is five minutes left.

After the facilitator calls time, he/she instructs the participants to total up the amount of money they received for their cause and then find a seat. Participants share their causes with the total group. Did all of the participants give their charitable dollars away?  Check with participants who did not give all the money away as to why they didn’t give their money away. Next check with participants to see which participant was the best fundraiser in the room. Check with several of the top fundraisers to determine how they were able to get funders to support their causes.

Processing Questions:

Process the activity using some of the following questions:

• What was it like for you to try to convince others to support your cause?
• Is there anything you should have done differently?
• Do you have any ideas now on how you could have obtained more dollars for your cause?
• How difficult was it for participants to give their charitable dollars away?
• What have you learned that will help guide you to share your real dollars with causes that you care about?
• What criteria did you use to decide whether to give a donation or not?
• Would you use the same criteria in real giving?
• Do you think this is how philanthropists decide to give in real life?
• What lessons did you learn about when you gaining support for your cause?
• What ideas do you have on how this group might have pooled its financial resources to have more of an impact?
• How does this happen in real life?
  

Application:

Ask the participants to interview someone who has provided financial resources to the organization and determine why it was chosen. The participants might want to discuss the activity with their families and find how they support causes that fit their personal belief and values.