give opportunity
give in-person and on-purpose
give well
giving well
Our philosophy is simple... we prefer to give in-person and on-purpose.
In-person means that we actually know the person we're giving to and they know us. We've taken the time to listen to them, learn about their lives, and empower them by asking how they want to improve their circumstances.
On-purpose means we don't give haphazardly. We spend time thinking about our values and beliefs and exploring what kinds of things remove barriers in people's lives. We also give in ways that empower and incentivize action - rather than create dependency.
Ultimately, we can't change the world by rescuing it. What we can do is empower people and try to help remove barriers to their development. We find the most hope in people we call Local Heroes, who are already doing everything they can to improve their communities. Most of them just need a little encouragement, a little capital and our friendship. That's what we call Personal Philanthropytm
model 45: 4 ways to love, 5 ways to impact
One challenge in talking about philanthropy is establishing a common vocabulary. We developed “Model 45” to start to lay the groundwork for a discussion. View full-screen
Philanthropy is our craft. We want to be good at it. Here is a collection of things we've written or read that guide our thinking.
Local Heroes are individuals who have a vision and the initiative to make it come true. They implement projects which help them and their community overcome obstacles to human development, such as lack of education or basic financial services. Personal Philanthropy supports the Projects of Local Heroes through Expeditions and online donations.
