Finding Causes Where Dollars Can Make a Big Difference

Ask a group of donors how the sour economy has affected their giving, and you’ll probably hear talk about ensuring their donations have an impact. The plummeting stock market has made philanthropists all the more concerned that every dollar produce results.

Arabella Philanthropic Investment Advisors, which advises wealthy donors on their giving, has assembled a list of seven issues where philanthropic dollars can make a big difference. The group says that the causes are pressing, yet lack attention and support.

Among the causes highlighted in this year’s report, High-Impact Giving Opportunities: Philanthropy that Makes a Difference:

• Small-scale farming in Africa. When the global food crisis began, Africa was hit the hardest. Donors can help by supporting female farmers, increasing local productivity, and increasing awareness of wealthier countries’ agricultural policies, the report says.

• Youth engagement in politics and social issues. Donors can capitalize on young people’s involvement in this year’s presidential election by finding ways to engage youths in causes they already support, educating young people about how to influence public policy, and using innovative online methods that proved so effective at getting young people involved in the election.

• Supporting community colleges. Two-year colleges are critically important to educating America’s work force, says the Arabella report. Yet many community colleges are in peril, as they lack endowments and rely on dwindling support from governments. Donors can help build endowments, provide technology and other equipment, and develop relationships between corporations and community colleges.

• Ending warfare by supporting youth-athletics programs. Children play an important role in bringing warring people together, yet most efforts to end conflict focus on adults, who may already hold deeply ingrained prejudices. To fight hate, donors can bring children from different backgrounds together through athletics programs.

Other causes include neglected tropical diseases, long-term recovery after natural disasters, and a “green-collar” work force.

To download the report, visit the company’s Web site. (You may also want to read more about Arabella Advisors’ recent series of conferences
on how the election could affect giving opportunities.)

What do you think of the list? Are there other causes you would suggest?