Welcome to Cultivating Generosity,

a Rad Philanthropy Newsletter

Welcome to Cultivating Generosity, the newsletter to help you create a values-driven, joyful, and intentional giving plan. Here you'll learn about ways to give, you'll receive prompts to help you hone in on your giving philosophy, I'll keep you up to date about news and trends in giving, and we'll have a fun time while we're at it.

Some people define "philanthropy" by its literal Greek definition - love of mankind. So, today's issue will be about how you can show and feel the love when it comes to your giving.

Here's 3 quick ways to spread the love with your giving today:

• Self-love may be the most important love of all. Show yourself compassion or do something to celebrate yourself, just for being you. You deserve it, truly.

• Need a last-minute Valentine's Day gift for your partner? Make an online donation to your loved one's charity of choice or preferred cause. It's instant and a novel way to celebrate and appreciate the one you love, and what they love.

• Honor platonic love. Whether you attend a Galentine's event, bring your "work wife" her favorite donut, or text all your friends the memes that say "I love you" in your own private, shared language, (note: I'm accepting any cute animal themed love today and every day), it's important to let the people that you care about know that you care about them.

Learn The Platinum Rule

Across time and cultures, people have adopted the Golden Rule (treat others as you want to be treated) as a way to get along and keep the peace. It's a pretty good rule and it works in a lot of situations.

BUT, have you heard about the Platinum Rule? It is to treat others as they want to be treated (within reason, I hope it goes without saying). Us humans love to spend time thinking about our uniqueness (especially those of us living in less communal cultures), so it stands to figure we all like different things and different ways of interacting with those around us.

The Platinum Rule works best when you throw in an additional mix of curiosity and self-awareness. When you are self-aware enough to understand that others are different than yourself, and have the curiosity to ask about and try to understand their differences, you can begin to use the Platinum Rule in your relationships and personal interactions.

There are also applications for the Platinum Rule when it comes to how you give and try to make a positive impact on those around you.

• Ask someone if and how they need help before assuming your gift is what they need.

• When working with nonprofits, ask which resources will help them the most. Sometimes what you can give and what and organization needs aren't aligned. For example, you may have time to volunteer but the charity you want to help doesn't have a task it can easily delegate or staff to train you on a volunteer role.

Rad Reflections Giving Motivations

What says love like poetry and giving, together at last?

Fellow fundraiser and consultant Vanessa Baker Rodriguez recently brought this poem to my attention, and I think it does a great job at helping the reader connect to their personal story and why they give in the first place.

As you think about giving intentionally, it's great to start by asking yourself, why do I give?

Identifying and staying in touch with the top reasons that compel you to be a giver can help you make sure that your giving is aligned with your values and fundamental motivations. If you are unsure about giving to a cause, ask yourself how it connects to why you give.

Playtime with Perry

Since moving to New Mexico, home of the world's largest hot air balloon event, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, I've learned a lot about hot air balloons! The photo above is from when the event was just getting started this past October and only a fraction of the balloons were in the sky, believe it or not.

One of the most astounding factors of the Fiesta is how so much of it is powered by volunteers (gas and breakfast burritos fuel the rest). There are so many ways to give as a volunteer, and I think there's something especially powerful about getting involved to produce this awe-inducing event, wowing the 970,000+ people in attendance. Click the link below to learn how volunteers crews make much of it possible. Who knows, yours truly may end up joining the fun come this year's Fiesta.

Did this newsletter leave you with any burning questions about your giving? Drop me a line at perry@radphilanthropy.com and I'll help you out.

NEW! Interested in working with me? Book a session with my brand new Calendly link.

You can also find past issues here.