Progress 101

Years ago, as a college student (go Eagles!), with more debt than I could easily fathom, philanthropy did not often cross my mind. The child of two social workers, I had always been heavily involved in community service. I was also intellectually engaged, in my classes, in the study of poverty -- its roots and ramifications. But, in a time when I was Xeroxing books instead of buying them and cramming six people into a cab to cut the fare, I stuck to volunteerism and didn’t think much about philanthropy. This morning a Boston Globe article by Sacha Pfeiffer made me realize I was wrong. Not having the money to give, should not limit you from thinking philanthropically. The article, Fidelity program encourages goodwill, highlights a new program by Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund that empowers students to think about how best to drive progress through philanthropy by giving them a sum of money to invest into the community through grants. She writes:

“In deciding how to disburse the money, the students will have to consider a variety of issues … Should grant recipients be chosen based on the type of work they do, or the communities they serve? Should all the money be given away, or should some of it be reinvested so the fund will last in perpetuity?” -- Sasha Pfeiffer.

Here’s why this matters: I think philanthropy should be about more than charity. I think it should be about change. By giving these students grants to invest, and tying that investment to the intellectual process of determining the wisest, most powerful way to allocate that money, Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund is enabling these students to focus on how we, as a community, can drive long-term change -- something we all ought to be thinking about, regardless of whether we donate, volunteer or advocate.