Philanthropy Fit for a Prince (and Princess-to-Be)

You're probably getting a little tired of hearing about the Royal Wedding (if not--nevermind! read on!), but we can't help mentioning how wonderful we think it is that the Prince William and his bride-to-be are requesting gifts of charity in lieu of the elaborate (and extravagant) gifts that were seen at previous royal nuptials.

Even better, one of the selected charities Earthwatch Institute, is a TisBest partner!  We're happy to see recognition given to this sterling organization.

Since everybody else in the entire universe is using this wedding as an opportunity to sell commemorative plates and coffee (or tea, I guess) mugs, we're going to join in.  But all we're selling is the excellent idea that William and Kate had: using this special day as a chance to give back!  

If there's a wedding in your future, think of ways you can incorporate philanthropy into the day.  Charity Gift Cards are a great way to do just that, hint hint!  They make an elegant and ethical wedding gift for a conscientious couple.  Or, if you’re the happy duo planning a wedding, giving Charity Gift Cards to your wedding party or guests reminds them that you appreciate their compassionate, giving nature as well as their friendship. 

Giving is important to you, and charitable wedding gifts are a great way to incorporate that passion into one of the most memorable events of your life.  Will you live up to Will and Kate's challenge?  

Great Ideas for Giving: Limited Edition Charity Gift Cards!

Check out this great, thoughtful way a TisBest donor is using Charity Gift Cards!

Katya Horner, a professional photographer and the creative engine behind Slight Clutter Photography, thought of a great way to spread the word about TisBest's mission.  For every hundred dollars spent on prints in her Etsy store, Slight Clutter Photography is including $10 worth of charitable giving in the form of a Charity Gift Card.  The best part is that the cards are printed with a limited-edition photograph, something you can't get anywhere else! 

Katya creates atmospheric and enchanting images of nature that speak of the stillness and solitude of an early-morning fog lifting from a quiet forest. The gorgeous, golden trees and field on her limited-edition cards are strikingly lovely.  This is a great way to say "thank you" for supporting independent artists, and an excellent opportunity to get people giving to charity!

Check out Katya's post on why Charity Gift Cards were her top pick for getting her customers giving back. And look the Slight Clutter Photography gallery--what beautiful photos!  Perhaps we need one for the TisBest office...

Charity Gift Cards aren't just for birthdays and holidays.  What creative ways have you used donation gifts?  Leave a comment or send us a note at info@tisbest.org--we're eager to hear your story!

Give to Japan--or Don't

Last week, Felix Salmon wrote a widely-circulated opinion piece for Reuters called “Don’t Give To Japan.”  The title of the article is far more provocative than the content, which argues the following: earmarking funds for a specific program or disaster means that other, less attractive but equally important programs get neglected.  Additionally, earmarking funds can restrict a charity from working flexibly within the context of what a devastated community might actually need.  

In a similarly-titled 2010 argument against earmarking funds for recovery in Haiti, Salmon wrote “...for all its best efforts, the Red Cross has still only spent 83% of its $3.21 billion [2005 Asian] tsunami budget — which means that it has over half a billion dollars left to spend. Not to put too fine a point on it, but that’s money which could be spent in Haiti, if it weren’t for the fact that it was earmarked.”

Salmon’s point is not to convince people not to give, nor to convince people that Japan doesn’t need any international support.  

His point is that earmarked funds can hinder the good work that a charity needs to do, and so those moved to give by a tragedy should give to general funds and accept that their money may not go to help the person they saw on TV.  As another excellent blogger put it, “If you trust the organization, allow them to make professional decisions on how to best use your donation.  If you don’t trust them then find another organization to donate to.”

But as provocateur, the title “Don’t Give to Japan” worked: it went viral, many people read the piece, and there are nearly 300 reader comments.  Probably two thirds of those comments are from people so furious at the implications of the article—or what they thought the article would be after reading that title—that they accuse the author of standing in the way of recovery in Japan, of being heartless and stingy and cruel and racist, and even of actively undermining the well-being of the Japanese people.  One reader goes as far as to state that the author is single-handedly responsible for the difference in donation totals between Haiti and Japan fundraising efforts.

So why does the conversation turn so venomous?

Well, one reason might be that many people were so upset by the title of the piece that they didn’t actually read the content.  But surely some of those hundreds of angry people read the column and remained upset enough to blast the author, his character, and his publisher.

As compassionate people, it’s easy for donors to become overwhelmed by the breadth of social problems demanding attention, empathy, and often money.  Making a positive impact in one’s daily life can seem horribly complex.  We want to believe that there is an answer. We want to initiate a fix.  We are given the opportunity to do something specific, something with effects that we think we’ll be able to see immediately.

Unfortunately, few things actually work like that, especially in the world of donations. 

The implication that our well-meaning donations might cause problems in addition to solving them can frustrate or infuriate.  As Salmon himself said in a follow-up to the Japan post, “’There’s nothing you can do to help’ is never a pleasant message to convey, and people tend to react strongly against it.”

 
The images of destruction from the recent tragedy in Japan are horrifying and heartbreaking, and it’s human nature that the suffering of others is a powerful motivator for giving.  But it’s equally important to temper our hearts with our heads. Funds sent to Japan for disaster recovery will make a difference; yet funds sent to the Middle East to promote human rights make just as big an impact—perhaps even bigger. Tragedies and large-scale catastrophes remind us of our common humanity, but it’s vital to remember that tragedies and catastrophes happen to individuals every day, not just when epic disaster strikes.

Give to organizations working in Japan, if you still feel the urge.  But give to Libya, as well.  Give to Egypt and to food banks and to your local women’s shelter.  Don’t restrict the funds—trust that your chosen charities know what they’re doing.  Don’t restrict your passion, either. Pay attention to smaller tragedies, like the homeless kids you pass downtown or the lack of affordable healthcare for low-income families, or the trash you’ll walk by on the beach next weekend.  Even if you can’t afford to give money to every cause, compassion is one of our few limitless resources.  It’s important to give; it’s also important to give a damn.

Tragedy in Japan: Where to Give

The devastation from the March 11th earthquake and tsunami is extensive, heartbreaking, with death tolls still in the unspecified tens of thousands.  Over 350,000 people lost their homes in the disaster, and four days later the world still watches with breath held as the Japanese fight to contain significant failures at a nuclear power plant.  

There are many ways to aid those struggling through this disaster.  Following are some TisBest charity partners already acting in various ways to help the Japanese people. 

American Humane Association,'s Red Star Animal Emergency Services teams are ready to deploy to care for and rescue the animals impacted by this disaster.  100% of donations to their Japan Relief Fund will be used to mobilize these teams once the Japanese government extends a formal invitation to animal rescue organizations.
American Red Cross is sending funds and support to the Japanese Red Cross, which operates 92 hospitals in the country.  These facilities have received over a thousand victims already, and many, many more people are grateful for the opportunity to sleep in the buildings' warm hallways and waiting rooms.

Convoy of Hope has a team standing by in the Philippines, waiting for air traffic to Japan to reopen.

Doctors Without Borders "currently has a team... conducting mobile clinics and assessments in Miyagi prefecture" and is waiting on word from Japanese officials before they mobilize additional doctors.

Hope Worldwide's Japan volunteers are running a center for evacuees, providing shelter, food, and water.  They anticipate an enormous need for more evacuation facilities, as people are still pouring in from devastated communities and areas under potential nuclear threat.

Lions Clubs International members "live in the affected communities, so they... are able to respond quickly and efficiently.  Lions in Japan are coordinating their relief efforts via social media and are using the Japan Lions Office in Tokyo as emergency relief headquarters."

Mercy Corps has already raised half a million dollars for their partner, Peace Winds Japan, who is delivering food, water, and emergency supplies. Meanwhile, Mercy Corps is also preparing a team of relief workers to deploy once their partner determines which skills are most needed.

Salvation Army USA says that "the Salvation Army in Japan has three emergency service relief teams working in areas affected by the earthquake and tsunami. One of the teams is assisting people who have been evacuated from areas threatened by the damage of nuclear power plants."

Save the Children has deployed a team to assess needs in the hardest-hit areas, focusing on providing safe places for kids while their parents work to make sense of their devastated lives.

Shelter Box was on the ground within 24 hours of the quake, and is busy setting up emergency housing for  people displaced by the quake and tsunami.

Tzu Chi is a Buddhist relief foundation with strong ties throughout Asia and so is in an excellent position to provide aid.  Their Tokyo branch opened a relief center within four hours of the quake, which among other things provides internet access for refugees to contact their loved ones.  The organization has already shipped items like instant rice and emergency blankets to the hardest-hit areas.

World Vision's veteran Japan team is already on the ground and working to create Child-Friendly Spaces, their trademark programs that provide structure, security, play, and healing for child victims of disaster.

Please consider donating directly to any of these organizations.  Our hearts go out to those touched by this disaster.

Compassion = Passion

OK, so we don’t make chocolates and we don’t sell flowers. In fact, we don’t sell any of the usual stuff that’s associated with Valentine’s Day. What we do offer is the opportunity to help make the world just a little bit better.  But isn’t that a marvelous gift?

So consider adding the gift of charity to your Valentine’s gift this year.  Buy some chocolates, add a TisBest Charity Gift Card. Giving flowers? Tuck a card between the stems. Fancy dinner?  Add a card for dessert.  Even a modest amount supports the world changing impact of our 250+ charity partners.

You can even personalize your Charity Gift Card with your favorite photo or image at no additional cost. And your sweetheart will love you for it.

Compassion can be very sexy.

TisBest Expands its Support of Local Charities!

After months of hard work, TisBest is pleased to announce a large expansion of our Local Charity program!  We added four new cities to our Local Charities Tab: Portland-Vancouver, Phoenix, Chicago, and Los Angeles.  And we added five new charities that are located in two cities we already cover: Seattle-Tacoma and Minneapolis-St. Paul.  We hope to move into New York, Dallas-Ft Worth, and other metro areas very soon.


Each of the local organizations listed on TisBest is impressive in its own way.   Click on the links below to learn about the work each charity is doing in its community - it is heartwarming and fascinating. We feel fortunate that we're able to support those doing vital work in their communities, whether they're rescuing animals, bringing food to the hungry, teaching job skills, empowering kids, or creating amazing art.

If you don't see your favorite local charity on the list, send a note to charitymanager@tisbest.org and we'll check out your suggestions. 
Four new Cities have been added to the TisBest Local Charities Tab!
Portland & Vancouver
Children's Book Bank
Columbia Springs
Lifeworks Northwest
Oregon Ballet Theatre
Parks Foundation of Clark County
Project Access NOW
Share
The Pixie Project
Transition Projects

Phoenix
A Stepping Stone Foundation
Arizona’s Children Association
Be A Leader Foundation
Ear Candy
ICAN
P.O.P.S.I.C.L.E. Center
Peer Solutions
Phoenix Youth at Risk
Valley Youth Theatre

Chicago

Two Big Hearts Foundation

Climate Cycle

EPIC

Girls in the Game

Inspiration Corporation

Open Books

Los Angeles

Busted Foundation

Childrens Institute International

CoachArt

Free Arts for Abused Children

Project Angel Food

Five New Charities added in Seattle-Tacoma and Minneapolis-St.Paul!
Seattle-Tacoma
Emergency Food Network
Seattle Humane - The Humane Society for Seattle/King County
Sno-King Youth Club
Rainier Scholars


Minneapolis-St. Paul
Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance (MOCA)
   
Happy New Year, and thanks for helping give a better world!
Tegan

Other Centered

Seattle is a town of restaurants and Canlis is a restaurant fabled among them - expensive, exquisite, an unmatched view, a wine list longer than any other and servers in kimonos.  Certainly not the usual fare for those of us in the nonprofit trenches.  And so we were thrilled when Canlis invited us to join them for a party yesterday evening, to celebrate their 60^th anniversary as a restaurant.  We arrived to find a festive crowd of 200 people, all like us - dedicated members of the Seattle nonprofit/social enterprise arena. 

We learned that Canlis is run by close family (all of the Canlis name and all of them present last night) and that they decided to honor all of us with this party.  They explained that they initially wanted to hold a charity event to celebrate the restaurant’s 60^th anniversary, but realized that such an event becomes an “ask.”  Instead they wanted to do a “give.” "It's our birthday party, but we'd like to give the present and not receive it," said Mark Canlis.  They identified that what they had to give was food and hospitality, and so give they did.  The food poured from the kitchen all night long, the wine was outstanding and three wonderful musical ensembles kept the music flowing.

Not only was the evening a great time, I think a lot of us felt really great to be honored in this way.  Yes, people tell us all the time that the work we do is valuable, and thank us for our dedication.  But not many people “put the food where their mouth is."  What Canlis did was very Other Centered--that is their term, actually.  Other Centered is one of the three Canlis family/company values.  And they demonstrated it last night in spades.  And so from Jon and Erik at TisBest, and all 200 other invitees, to the Canlis Family - thank you for a wonderful evening.   Seattle is fortunate to have such institutions as your restaurant, your family and your collective heart.  

--Erik