Philanthropy – The Art of Giving It Away

Open Your Wallet!nWe are writing this because we want you to open up your wallet and start giving. We want you to open up your heart and start living. We want you to put your wealth in flow, so your world can grow.nnWhen you give it away, it multiplies. Every gift you give comes back to you manyfold. When you cast your bread upon the waters, it comes back in loaves!nnThe spirit of giving is the spirit of desiring to “bless rather than impress.” Money can be a powerful weapon in the arsenal of happiness if you use it to combat poverty, disease, ignorance, and apathy.nnThe gifts you have received are not gifts to you; they are gifts through you, to bless the whole world. Everyone can be a philanthropist. You can start small, and grow big. You can start big, and grow bigger. nnThe world needs you—it needs your gift now!nnThe Problem Can Be Solved!nThe first key to effective philanthropy is to frame the problem. Defining a problem or issue in such a way that it can be organized, tackled, and solved is one of the most valuable things that you can do.nnFor example, my company in Tokyo takes several hundred orphans to Disneyland each December. The first year we did this, we framed the problem this way: “We are going to take 100 children who live in orphanages and other institutions to Disneyland this December.”nnThis is a problem that can be solved. And people will open up their wallets, their hearts, and their minds to make it happen! We invited each donor to sponsor one child to play for one day. Who could possibly say no?nnThe bigger you are, the bigger the frame. If you have millions of dollars, you can work on million-dollar problems. If you have a few dollars, you may work on something that has a sense of reality and possibility to you.nnBut always remember, you don’t need more money—you need more faith!nn