From the Global Philanthropy Forum in DC to the Boston Marathon
Each week, we like to recap the philanthropy stories making headlines in our Goodness in Action blog. This week’s headlines represent all facets of the philanthropy world including the Global Philanthropy Forum, National Volunteers Week and the charitable focus of the Boston Marathon. Let’s dive in!
The Global Philanthropy Forum
The Globe Philanthropy Forum was held this week in Washington, DC and focused on the changing roles and responsibilities in the new social contract. Forbes contributor Rahim Kanani (@rahimkanani) reports that former British Prime Minister and Philanthropist Tony Blair spoke and emphasized that “21st century philanthropy must continually innovate and adapt to our rapidly changing world.” His reflections on the philanthropic sector particularly resonated with us here at BiddingForGood. A video of Tony Blair’s full address is available here and below is an excerpt we particularly enjoyed:
“First, the best philanthropy is not just about giving money but giving leadership…. It is creative not passive; it seeks to disrupt not follow conventional thinking. It steps into areas Government is too fearful or too risk adverse to go. It uses technology and its power to change the world in innovative ways. It is visionary, seeing the connections, the trends, the patterns that others don’t.” – Tony Blair
National Volunteer Week
This week was National Volunteer Week, which was established by President Barack Obama to urge all of us to make giving back part of our lives. At BiddingForGood, giving back is part of the reason we all get up in the morning. Huffington Post put together a beautiful slideshow of reader submitted images highlighting volunteerism across the country. You can also view a copy of the Presidential Proclamation here. Did you partake in any activities as part of National Volunteer Week? Tell us about them in the comments.
Boston Marathon
Here in our neck of the woods, we watched the Boston Marathon on Monday in record breaking 88 degree weather. The heat was not the only hurdle many runners had to overcome. Charity runners make up a huge portion of the field and many have to raise a minimum of $4,000 to run as part of a charity team and obtain an official number for the race. The Boston Marathon has had a charitable history for nearly 100 years, and as reported in the Nonprofit Quarterly, the event raises more than $10 million annually for charities within Greater Boston. In 2011, 2,285 charity runners raised an average of nearly $7,000 each. Congratulations to all of this year’s runners and fundraisers on this major accomplishment!