Innovative Philanthropy
writer: Meghan Garrity
photographer: Paul Corbit Brown
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President Clinton addresses the attendees of the Slate 60 conference. |
“It is a custom in certain parts of Africa to respond to a greeting of hello with the statement, ‘I see you’” — a simple statement of respect and connection. This quote from President Clinton’s new book, “Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World,” was read as a part of his introduction at the second annual Slate 60 Conference on Innovative Philanthropy. The event, convening America’s 60 most generous philanthropists, was held at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, in October 2007.
The purpose of the conference is to “move [the] spirit of giving into a larger exchange of ideas, to inspire innovation and evolution in how we think about philanthropy,” says Cliff Sloan, publisher of Slate Magazine.
This year’s participants and speakers included: President William Clinton, Michael J. Fox of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Governor Eliot Spitzer of New York, Justin Rockefeller of Generation Engage, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and John Wood, founder and CEO of Room to Read.
The “I see you” idea was a unifying theme throughout the conference. In essence the realization of another’s needs is precisely where giving starts. This means refusing to ignore the inequities in society and addressing them in whatever capacity one can.
The conference brought messages of hope and motivation
to continue charitable giving and encourage members of
Slate 60 to spread the culture of philanthropy. Whether a
response is with money, time or support, the idea is that
everyone can be a philanthropist. |
President Clinton speaks on the topic of innovative philanthropy. |
President Clinton: I think it's important to intelligently
find ways to get more people involved in this kind of
work. The power of the Internet is giving people access
to information and giving small donors the power to
aggregate their contributions quickly. This has changed
the landscape for what people of modest means can do.
People believe there is a role for nongovernmental action
and that they can make a difference. There are many
people who have dedicated their lives to this work and
are making a definable, measurable difference. I think
it is a wonderful thing. Small groups and people with
modest means are doing the same.
Justin Rockefeller: The answer is not in guilting
people to give. The answer is in creating a culture of
philanthropy. The more inspiring examples we have
of philanthropy, the more that will trickle down and
become a common part of the culture. |
Michael Kinsley (right) interviews actor Michael J. Fox about his role in parkinson's advocacy. |
Michael Kinsley: Not knowing that I have Parkinson's,
a woman in a wheelchair with severe multiple sclerosis
said this terrible thing to me, "We are always happy
when someone famous gets our disease."
Michael J. Fox: People told me, "Thank God you
are sick." I also have stories like this, which are
really moving to me. A woman talked about always
dreading going to the cashier because she was shaking
with dyskinesia, which makes it a trial to get money
out and count the change. With this disease, people
think you're drunk, or they just stare and tend not to
ask questions. Shortly after my disclosure of having
Parkinson's, she had the same daily transaction, and
the cashier said, "Oh, you have what Michael Fox has."
She burst into tears. It was the first time anyone hadever connected what she was experiencing as something
bigger than just her own eccentricity or her own
strangeness.
The first thing about fame is that it does not belong
to me; it belongs to all of you. I want to make sure
that when people put their attention on me that I am
ready to use it. People tend to think about me in terms
of Parkinson's, so when someone thinks about me s/he
thinks about the disease and what can be done to help. |
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