Explaining Philanthropy to Kids
I teach and educate physicians, CEOs, nurses, superintendents, boards, and other executives about the value and importance of philanthropy. It's a tough sell overall and sometimes hard to explain. But any one of those groups of people can't hold a candle to several classrooms of second and third-graders, and trying to explain the importance of philanthropy to them.
My kids’ school offers opportunities for parents to come in and explain their careers. I've heard about it for several years and it wasn't until one of the teachers reached out and asked if I'd come in and talk about what I did professionally, that I decided they might be interested in my profession. In fact, they were excited because the kids had heard from some wonderful physicians, lawyers, and other professionals, but no one could remember anyone ever coming to talk about nonprofits, charities, and philanthropy. Somehow, I became the winner of a contest that I'm not even sure I entered. But I took the challenge.
The key, at least in my eyes, was figuring out how to help seven-to-10-year-olds understand the concept that many adults never figure out. How to keep it simple, but yet detailed, was harder than I ever imagined. But after quite a bit of thought, I figured the easiest way to do it was to literally put money in their hands. And that's what I did.
I took 20 envelopes with $5 each, in ones, and had them divide into groups like a family. After they opened the envelopes and saw, with great excitement, the money, I instructed them to hand over one of the dollars for taxes. Then another dollar for housing. Then a third dollar for food and cars. And that left $2. Then I took the remaining $2 from several of the groups. I then asked everyone to imagine that they didn't have extra dollars for clothes, fun things, or maybe even something necessary for school. Would those with the two extra dollars help those without? That was my question. The answer was an emphatic yes. And while they may not ever remember the word philanthropy, they certainly understood the ability and the willingness to help.
I also asked those without the $2 left, the ones that I had taken, if they had something to give of themselves. They immediately got it. They could help someone else without using money by being nice, by helping out at their house or their yard, and other things. I'm not sure anybody ever mentioned the word “volunteer” but they certainly got the concept.
I preach constantly that philanthropy, in its basic sense, is built in each one of us. And while there are many ways of expressing it, and all too often we think of the monetary means to do so, the basic understanding of the value of helping someone else, the truest essence of philanthropy, is so innate that a group of kids figured it out without much help. They are obviously smarter than their guest instructor.
If they can figure it out, then we all can. How can we all be more hopeful, helpful, and philanthropic, to the people that need help, large or small, that we run across in our own lives?
